When Should U Change The Amount Of Water In Your Tank?

[kpintheshed]

any ideas

 

[fishboy619]

i change my tank water every week and about 20-30% of the water. it depends on what size your tank is and what fish you have?

 

[kpintheshed]

mine is only a beginner about 30 litres, iv had it for about 5 weeks. i have 3 neon tetras, 4 guppies, 2 molies, 3 babie fish, tipsy (dwarf i might give that to my friend when it gets bigger he has 2 100 and somthing litres tanks.) pufferfish and 2 other fish sorry im not sure abut what kind it is. it was given by a friend. so 15 and the biggest fish is 3cm.

sorry and a snail

 

[mark.w.jones]

mine is only a beginner about 30 litres, iv had it for about 5 weeks. i have 3 neon tetras, 4 guppies, 2 molies, 3 babie fish, tipsy (dwarf i might give that to my friend when it gets bigger he has 2 100 and somthing litres tanks.) pufferfish and 2 other fish sorry im not sure abut what kind it is. it was given by a friend. so 15 and the biggest fish is 3cm.

sorry and a snail

That's only a 7.5 gallon tank and hugely overstocked. The dwarf puffers are also completely unsuitable for a community tank as they get very aggresive, take him out asap before he attacks your other fish.

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showto...0&hl=puffer

Neons are also not great for a small tank like that as they're very active, they are also much happy in groups of 6+. Your mollies will get too big for that tank as well, around 3" and they are really brackish fish so not great for a freshwater aquarium. If you don't make some changes very quickly you are bound to have problems, I'm not trying to be a know it all its just ive made similar stocking mistakes myself in the past. All the best.

ps Water change once a week and gravel vac once a fortnight.

 

[fishboy619]

you have some serious stocking issues you need to address, for the time being, i would change 50-80% of the water weekly or 20-30% every 4 days because you have so many fish, either return some to the fish shop or buy another tank.make sure the water you put into the tank is treated so its safe. neons need to be in bigger groups, mollies are too small for that tank, the puffer need to be take care of immeditly,- give it back to the fish shop is the best option, it is very aggressive in communities and needs a species tank. try to find out what the baby fish are, pictures would help.the smae with the 2 fish your not sure about.what ever your friend was thinking with that tank is totally wrong, good job you came to this forum, its now up to you to sort it out as soon as possable.

 

[kpintheshed]

thank you

 

[kpintheshed]

what do u recommmend what products i should put in. tomorrow i going to change most of the water take the puffer back clean the gravel but when do u know if theres enough oxygen in there?

take any advice u have

 

[fishboy619]

a good ol test kit is in order to find out how much oxygen and ammonia etc is in your tank, it costs a bit but one kit lasts a while.ask your fish shop for help, attually, dont. i use tetra brand kits and they work fine, some fish shops let you take in a cup of water and they test it for you, a lot cheaper.phone before hand to find out.taking the puffer back is a good thing to do, maybe a few other fish should join it in its return?maybe the live bearers(guppies, mollies and probally the baby fish).just untill you get sorted, dont buy anymore fish yet as you arent sure what your water parimiters are.
tetra aqua safe is what i use for water conditioner, it makes tap water safe and reduces stress levels in the fish, just follow the instructions printed on the back of the product for help, most other water treatment works also, it doesnt really matter what you use, aslong as it works in making tapwater safe for fish.a gravel vac is a good tool to help clean. have a look around for one you think is a good one. i also use a siphon tube to remove water. its a simple tube (like a hosepipe but never used for anything else but fish) and you suck at one end with the other end in the water, move you mouth out of the way quickly and the water gets sucked up and transfered into a bucket or such. it only works with taking water out, the siphon wont work going upwards.if the filter outtake makes quite a splash and bubbles are being made on the surface (not lots, but many) than that helps with oxygen levels, they is also a air stone you can add, but never using on myself i know nothing about them and you would need someone elses help here.

 

[Jozlyn]

Get a set of test kits super quick and test your water asap

If your nitrites or amonia are over 0, start doing water changes and tests every day until they go down to 0. I would do somewhere around 25% at each water change via a gravel vac as you need to clean the muck out of the gravel and change water at the same time. Then once your water parameters have stabilised, I'd go with 25 - 30% fortnightly via the gravel vac. Only clean your filter in disgarded tank water as that's where all your "good" bacteria live.

Don't forget to use water conditioner and to heat (just boil a bit in the kettle) it before you put it in. And, if you pour it onto a rock or ornament it wont make your water cloudy.

Make sure you research your fish before you buy them, that way you wont end up with something unsuitable (the puffer) or something that's going to grow way to big for you tank (the Mollies) also Mollies are live bearers so if you've got a male and a female you will definately get fry, if you've got two males they'll probably fight (eventually if they're not now) and if you've got 2 females you'll probably get fry anyway as they're almost always pregnant (just like female guppies) when you buy them and they can store sperm for a very long time, which means you could get fry every month for months on end!

Good luck, with your new hobby and let us know how you go and what your water stat's are.

Edit for typos!

 

[kpintheshed]

thanks everyone i sorted it out yesterday all my fish are make down and active. a cant take any back because i have had them for a long time. my puffer is going to a good home and some of my guppies.