Water Changes

[Axleuk]

I have just completed a 20% water change and i have noticed almost immediately that my guppies are now swimming a little lower in the water and are no longer grouped up as they previously were. My small Cherry Barbs are also joining my Honey Gouramis in the back of the tank playing in the current and diving down the bubbles of the air wall.

They seem to be having lots of fun, but i want to make sure thats all they are having and are not suffering any stress.

The Honey Gouramis seem to have a sudden burst of colour too, they are now an even brighter orangy peachy colour

I also noticed a couple of times that the little plec darted from the bottom to the top of the tank as if it was trying to catch something.

There is definately more activity in the tank after the change.

 

[tetratank]

yes, here too, the fish seem much happier after a small water change like that. A larger water change and they are a bit more reserved for a short while then swim around happily almost like they are saying thank you.

 

[minxfishy]

Yep fish love water changes, nice fresh water always perks them a bit. You will find a lot enjoy the swimming in the current as the water goes back in.

 

[shelaghfishface]

yes lol they do,Jambo hides away most of the time when he sees the hose go in( not sulking just staying out of the way), and i have a hopolo catfish that would climb into the hose pipe if he could, he loves the cold,fresh water,its so nice to see him enjoy it
i also find my platies/guppies love the WC

when i started this hobby, i knew nothing of cycling etc, and it was about 2 weeks in with a fully( to max capacity) stocked tank, and i found this forum, and someone said " do a water change now!, so i did and, my goodness, it was like someone had breathed life into them all over again,one of the nicest things i have ever seen
shelagh xxx

ps how do you do a water change- buckets and warm water or from the hose pipe?

 

[Honeythorn]

Yes, the loaches go up and down, the shrimp goes whizzing round and the cories all gaggle together and go grubbing about in case I stirred any bits of food up! The Krib does sulk and hide for about an hour, but then she comes out again and is fine. The gourami just drifts about in her usual way The Danios are always manic so no change there!

 

[SJ2K]

Its good for them to experience the occasional temperature drop from a fresh water change, create a slightly more natural environment.

 

[raptorrex]

ps how do you do a water change- buckets and warm water or from the hose pipe?

50L once a week, using buckets. i warm the water a little, using the hot tap, but nowhere near the tank temp! as cool water hold more O2 than warm, perhaps this is one of the reasons fow the extra activity.

 

[shelaghfishface]

yeah i reckon so, its the hose i use,straight from the garden tap, but if its a large water change then i add some warm water to it

 

[Axleuk]

yes lol they do,Jambo hides away most of the time when he sees the hose go in( not sulking just staying out of the way), and i have a hopolo catfish that would climb into the hose pipe if he could, he loves the cold,fresh water,its so nice to see him enjoy it
i also find my platies/guppies love the WC

when i started this hobby, i knew nothing of cycling etc, and it was about 2 weeks in with a fully( to max capacity) stocked tank, and i found this forum, and someone said " do a water change now!, so i did and, my goodness, it was like someone had breathed life into them all over again,one of the nicest things i have ever seen
shelagh xxx

ps how do you do a water change- buckets and warm water or from the hose pipe?

I used a bucket that i purchased for the purpose of doing my changes. It holds approx 20% of my water. I used a jug to get the water out of the tank.

I then filled the bucket back up using a shower with tepid water to try and match as close as possible the temp of the water although it ended up being a little colder. I then added 2 teaspoons of Tonic Salt and a little Watersafe to dechlorinate the water, dissolved it all together and slowly poured it in using my driftwood as a slashguard.

 

[minxfishy]

Just a note on that Axle, Add the dechlor BEFORE adding the water back in if its coming straight from a tap, that way non of the chlorine/chloramines hit the fish or filter first before you get the chance to add it

To answer your ? Shelagh, I use a python

 

[Axleuk]

Just a note on that Axle, Add the dechlor BEFORE adding the water back in if its coming straight from a tap, that way non of the chlorine/chloramines hit the fish or filter first before you get the chance to add it

To answer your ? Shelagh, I use a python

Sorry i dont think i explained well enough. I added the dechlor to the bucket of water before adding it to the tank.

 

[minxfishy]

Ah ok, I read it wrong, no worries

 

[shelaghfishface]

i have no idea what a python is, sounds good tho as lots of people have one-is it a pump syphon or something simialr?

 

[SJ2K]

i have no idea what a python is, sounds good tho as lots of people have one-is it a pump syphon or something simialr?

Python, its a hose with 3 ends, 1 attaches to the tap, one goes in the tank and the 3rd into a sink/drain. Idea is, you turn on the tap, the suction pulls water out of the tank at the same time and both drain into the sink. Thus the tank is drained. Then, you switch a valve, turn the tap back on and it goes straight from the tap into the tank. Its a great way to do large water changes without using buckets.

 

[mark7616]

I just drain my tank through the filter and fill it up with a hose job done. Takes about 15 mins to drain off about 30% of the water and approx 1 hour through the hose to fill it back up.