What Did I Get Myself Into?

[FishGuest5123]

Responded to a guys tank issues on a Facebook group and suggested he do weekly 70% water changes. I was told that was way too much. I was even warned that I was going to crash my cycle. Why? The nitrifying bacteria isn’t in the water!?!

 

[eatyourpeas]

Responded to a guys tank issues on a Facebook group and suggested he do weekly 70% water changes. I was told that was way too much. I was even warned that I was going to crash my cycle. Why? The nitrifying bacteria isn’t in the water!?!

Some people...

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Responded to a guys tank issues on a Facebook group and suggested he do weekly 70% water changes. I was told that was way too much. I was even warned that I was going to crash my cycle. Why? The nitrifying bacteria isn’t in the water!?!

 

[kwi]

Stay of FB fish groups, not found a decent one yet.

 

[Colin_T]

Responded to a guys tank issues on a Facebook group and suggested he do weekly 70% water changes. I was told that was way too much. I was even warned that I was going to crash my cycle. Why? The nitrifying bacteria isn’t in the water!?!

People on Facebook are tossers who like giving one sentence answers for any and all subjects. Don't waste your time on it, you just bash your head against a brick wall.
eg: I saw a person who had issues with rainbowfish and she had about 50,000 response, all 1 or 2 sentences long. None of the responses helped her at all and most had nothing to do with rainbowfish. I sent her a private message explaining what she needed to know. She thanked me because I was the only one who had helped with the problems.

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The beneficial filter bacteria lives in the filter and on solid surfaces that have oxygen rich water moving over those surfaces.

You can change 100% of the tank water and not affect the filter bacteria, as long as the new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine and has a similar pH, GH, KH and temperature to the old tank water. Even then, the bacteria are tolerant of variation in water chemistry and temperature so a few points either way won't affect the filter bacteria.

Having said this, we don't change 100% of the water if there are fish in the tank because they would be left dry on the gravel. But water changes don't remove filter bacteria or screw up a cycled tank.

I did 75%+ water changes on all my tanks, and the tanks in the shops, and places I helped at and never had a cycle crash.

 

[Barry Tetra]

People on Facebook are tossers who like giving one sentence answers for any and all subjects. Don't waste your time on it, you just bash your head against a brick wall.

Agree with you, this whole sentence works with reddit group.

 

[corylover5]

Responded to a guys tank issues on a Facebook group and suggested he do weekly 70% water changes. I was told that was way too much. I was even warned that I was going to crash my cycle. Why? The nitrifying bacteria isn’t in the water!?!

I know exactly how you feel. I went to my LFS to have my water tested and the guy testing it was new there. He did the ammonia test and said he did it wrong so he redid it at least 3 times. He then said I had a lot of ammonia in my tank. I said I had a cycled tank for months now and that I did 50 to 75% water changes a week. He said I crashed my cycle by doing large water changes and he recommended I do 15% monthly. Then as I was leaving he pulls another worker aside and said I crashed my cycle by doing huge water changes. The other worker chuckled and said you should know not to do huge water changes like that. That experience made me feel absolutely awful and I haven't gone back to that LFS since then. I went to 2 other pet stores after that and had water tested. They did liquid tests and ammonia was 0 on both tests. The parameters were absolutely fine too.

 

[FishGuest5123]

Agree with you, this whole sentence works with reddit group.

So agree. A lady lost power and temps are cold outside. I told her to keep her house warm with fireplace and wrap the tanks. Another person suggested she light her BBQ grill and boil water to add. Seriously? Are these people COMPLETE idiots??? This why our forum is so important! To get sold, proven facts out to people looking for help. Facebook just can’t cut it!

 

[itiwhetu]

So am I a tosser and a loser just because I think changing 75 or 90 % of the water in a tank is to much. And for that matter does that mean that only like minded people are wanted on this forum site

 

[Barry Tetra]

So am I a tosser and a loser just because I think changing 75 or 90 % of the water in a tank is to much. And for that matter does that mean that only like minded people are wanted on this forum site

IMO 90% is way too much.....75% is okay for all of the tank as long as your parameters is the same.

 

[itiwhetu]

Send them this photo

This is my weekly change on my tanks haha
View attachment 124720

You lost a tank full of fish recently that you said was hand sanitizer. How do you know it wasn't a hang over from your water changing schedule

 

[CassCats]

So am I a tosser and a loser just because I think changing 75 or 90 % of the water in a tank is to much. And for that matter does that mean that only like minded people are wanted on this forum site

Thats not true, you do things your way, but we also think you are as welcome here as the rest of us who have differing opinions.

You lost a tank full of fish recently that you said was hand sanitizer. How do you know it wasn't a hang over from your water changing schedule

Because I've done water changes like this time and time again on multiple tanks without losses, but the moment my kid sticks his hands in the tank I lose fish.

Discus breeders do water changes like this daily.

Lots of others here do larger water changes as well. No problems.

But go ahead, attack me over that when its still sore.

 

[itiwhetu]

Thats not true, you do things your way, but we also think you are as welcome here as the rest of us who have differing opinions.


Because I've done water changes like this time and time again on multiple tanks without losses, but the moment my kid sticks his hands in the tank I lose fish.

Discus breeders do water changes like this daily.

Lots of others here do larger water changes as well. No problems.

But go ahead, attack me over that when its still sore.

I am just asking a question?

 

[CassCats]

I am just asking a question?

On a post unrelated to that question, AND others here also mention their large water change routines and yet its me you come at?

 

[itiwhetu]

On a post unrelated to that question, AND others here also mention their large water change routines and yet its me you come at?

I am sorry I am not coming at you. But you are the one who put up the photo of your weekly water change regime. Which frankly terrifies me to think how stressed the fish are at the bottom of that tank every week.