Water Changing - How To Go About It?

[Jonnyg]

Im due my first waterchange and am looking to do about 20%. Do i simply drain some out , top up and add the dechlorinating addative whilst the fish stay in the tank or do i need to treat the water first?

Also what about temperature? I originally filled mine via my garden hose as this reaches, am i still OK doing it like that?

The tank is about 200 litres so maybe do a bit less? Really not sure and dont want to kill everything

Cheers

 

[OldMan47]

I always treat the water in a bucket before adding it but other people do use a top up with dechlorinator added to the tank. If you add at the tank, you need to treat the whole tank, not just the water you added. That means a lot more of the dechlorinator gets used.
Temperature should be approximately matched to the water already in the tank. I use a mixing faucet in the kitchen sink to do that but have been led to believe that may not be safe in the UK because of the particular plumbing that some homes have. Water is heated in my home in a separate water heater that is fiberglass lined and cannot leach metals into the water, so I have no concerns with my hot water. If you are not sure of the plumbing being safe in your home, you could draw a bucket of water in advance and let it come to room temperature. That way there would be minimal shock to the fish by adding it in.

Large water changes won't kill anything unless there is something wrong with your tap water. When I have a problem with my water chemistry, I temperature match the new water and do a 90% water change with dechlorinated water to get things back to the good side. Right after I do that, the fish act like they have just had a drink from the fountain of youth.

 

[shane87]

if you keep cory they seem to like having slightly cooler water added as it most oftenly makes mines lay eggs all over

 

[Schmill]

Im due my first waterchange and am looking to do about 20%. Do i simply drain some out , top up and add the dechlorinating addative whilst the fish stay in the tank or do i need to treat the water first?

Also what about temperature? I originally filled mine via my garden hose as this reaches, am i still OK doing it like that?

The tank is about 200 litres so maybe do a bit less? Really not sure and dont want to kill everything

Cheers

Presuming you are doing weekly changes, you should be looking to change 40-50% of your water I'm afraid!
You have pretty much got the process right though, although the water should be treated BEFORE adding it to the tank. If you can't do that, (as you are using your hose), then you must add the dechlor to the TANK first, then fill it up.

At this time of year I have to boil one kettle of water for approximatly each 30 Litres of cold water I add to the tank so that the temperature is not affected too much.
If you are going to use your hose, then I would just set the flow quite low, so that the heater in the tank stands a chance of warming the water whilst you are adding it, just remember to keep an eye on the water level!

 

[Aphotic Phoenix]

Presuming you are doing weekly changes, you should be looking to change 40-50% of your water I'm afraid!

I thought the "general" recommendation was at least 25% a week. There is nothing wrong with 40-50% per week, but certainly wouldn't be necessary for all tanks.

 

[ZebraDanioFan]

i recommend doing a gravel vacuum weekly too it helps to keep nitrates down

 

[kiriyama]

Hi I usually treat the water in a couple of basins I have. I leave them in the same room overnight to bring the temp up . as shane87 mentioned if you have cories they seem to like the slight drop in temp and will usualy induce spawning , not really sure if it makes much odds adding dechlorinator at basin stage or adding to the tank , usually add to the basin so I'm only treating that water ,
would advise giving the gravel a good clean to , if you dont it can trap a lot of chemicals and gasses which can become toxic to your fishes , trust me on this one , lost 8 out of 11 Lemon Tetras in 2 days to this scenario , a painfull lesson.......
hope this helps a bit......

 

[OldMan47]

The size of weekly water changes depends mostly on how heavy the fish population is. For a very lightly stocked tank, a 10% change every 2 weeks is enough. For a heavily stocked tank, a 50% change twice a week may not be enough. The only standard that I know of is that you always do a big enough change often enough to keep the nitrates in the water from climbing over a long time. You need the change to be big enough to reduce the nitrates as much as they have climbed since the last water change. The general consensus in my fish club is 10 to 20% weekly but I know those people. They have bioloads in their tanks as light as I do.

 

[waterdrop]

The size of weekly water changes depends mostly on how heavy the fish population is. For a very lightly stocked tank, a 10% change every 2 weeks is enough. For a heavily stocked tank, a 50% change twice a week may not be enough. The only standard that I know of is that you always do a big enough change often enough to keep the nitrites in the water from climbing over a long time. You need the change to be big enough to reduce the nitrates as much as they have climbed since the last water change. The general consensus in my fish club is 10 to 20% weekly but I know those people. They have bioloads in their tanks as light as I do.

Well said. This description cooresponds with my own experience and with some of the better things I've read and better discussions I've been involved in. WD

 

[raptorrex]

Im due my first waterchange and am looking to do about 20%.  Do i simply drain some out , top up and add the dechlorinating addative whilst the fish stay in the tank or do i need to treat the water first?

Also what about temperature?  I originally filled mine via my garden hose as this reaches, am i still OK doing it like that?

The tank is about 200 litres so maybe do a bit less?  Really not sure and dont want to kill everything

Cheers

well most add the anti chlorine to the water they are adding. though there is no problem treating the tank. for me, i use the same amount of it if i add to the entire tank, as i do if i add it to the bucket. but then i only use it for big changes. water temperature does not have to be matched. there are more than a few members here, who would suggest that adding cold water, not only has no ill effects, but may even help your fish. mine can be seen to enjoy water changes. and i have used cold water from the onset.  don't worry with changes up to 30% cold water will not kill your fish. but if you wish, even in the UK, water from the hot tank, causes no problems. i guess its up to you. as with so many things in this hobby, there is no RIGHT way. 

i use a syphon come gravel vac, to empty the water out. but i use a container (17 L) to add it back. i, also dont bother with slow refilling. it goes in as fast as i can pour it. ok so some substrate is moved, but i observe no ill effect on the fish. 

as for how much? 20-25% minimum (for me) but if your stocking is high, 30% twice a week, seems to work well.