How often should i change my water?

[Banana mouse]

I agree with all of them but number 3.
Iv heard that if you do small but frequent water changes there will be a less dramatic change in the water chemistry. And I have BPD so I'm more or less constantly on the go so I find doing 2 water changes get ride of energy and it stops me annoying people

 

[paytertot]

I agree with all of them but number 3.
Iv heard that if you do small but frequent water changes there will be a less dramatic change in the water chemistry. And I have BPD so I'm more or less constantly on the go so I find doing 2 water changes get ride of energy and it stops me annoying people

Like mumma said, if the water is from the same place and the tank is cycled, its not going to alter water chemistry in a negative way no matter how big the water change, and it also won't be dramatic if you are cleaning properly in the first place. The only way it would be is if you were slacking and toxins are high. In which case, the large pwc STILL would be nothing but positive.

 

[Banana mouse]

that does make a lot if sense thank you for all your help

 

[siva]

I generally do a 50% PWC once a week or so. It varies a bit from tank to tank..some do need a little more or less, but in general, I've found this to be the best regimen.

I would worry about those oto's a bit though. A tank that's only been set up for 5 weeks will not typically provide enough biofilm and algae for wild caught algae eaters. Are they eating wafers? Most will not, especially at first. I recommend you make sure they are eating some type of supplement... high quality spirulina wafers, blanched veggies like shelled peas and zucchini often go over well, seaweed salad, and if all else fails, place some stones in a bowl of tank water in a sunny place until they are algae covered and then add them to the tank for the oto's to graze on. Many hobbyists experience quick die off's with oto's when added to their tank prematurely and taking a little extra care that they are getting enough to eat is your best defense.

Very well said, but imo 50% is a lot and could make to much of a change in the water chemistry and be to stressful on the fish when its not needed. But I feel your right about weekly's and some of it needs changed. But this is just my opinion and I'm not trying to argue I know everyone does things different and things work different for all people or tanks.

This can be true. If you have very soft water the pH out of the tap may be signifcantly higher than the pH of your tank...so for those tanks you need to age the water first or do a smaller %. This is the only circumstance I have run into where 50% PWC's can cause a problem.

 

[Banana mouse]

Well I got a load of brown algae at the back of my tank and they live off that along with vegetables. I'm getting some algae tablets tomorrow for them but I don't think they need them.

 

[Banana mouse]

Iv had them in my tank for about 2 weeks and there doing great there even chasing the tiger barbs lol

 

[Mumma.of.two]

That brown algae would be diatoms. They are common in newer tanks but they do not last. They will soon use up their food source and die off. When that happens it will leave the ottos hungry if they aren't taking other food.

 

[Banana mouse]

My mum also has a lot of algae covering her rocks so I'm going to take your advice and remove them and add them to a sunny place so the algae can really grow then add them to my tank. When should I expect the brown algae to die off?

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Every tank is different. I've had tanks have it for a week and others have it for 5-6 months.

 

[siva]

For me it's never lasted more than a few weeks.

 

[Banana mouse]

If that roughly 5 or 6 moths then I don't really need to worry for a bit, in a few months when I see the brown algae dieting off I'll start to add the rocks with algae and algae pellets/wafers

 

[siva]

You just want to be paying attention. What we're trying to say is you cannot predict how long it will take. Like Mumma said, could be 1 week could be 6 mos. What I hear from other hobbyists who add oto's to newer tanks is that they usually end up losing them, so just be careful.

 

[Luananeko]

If you have live plants the otos can munch on those a bit when algae is scarce. Moving the rocks to a sunny place to grow algae is always a good idea too. Oto's love algae treats like that!

Also, +1 to the 50% water change once a week train. I find it's too easy to forget and get lazy on the water changes if you're doing it more infrequently. You could always do smaller amounts, but I find my fish are more active and happier with the larger water changes.

 

[HN1]

If you have live plants the otos can munch on those a bit when algae is scarce. Moving the rocks to a sunny place to grow algae is always a good idea too. Oto's love algae treats like that!

Also, +1 to the 50% water change once a week train. I find it's too easy to forget and get lazy on the water changes if you're doing it more infrequently. You could always do smaller amounts, but I find my fish are more active and happier with the larger water changes.

I agree with the second point. Otos will not munch on plants though. 50% weekly is simply superior mathematically to multiple smaller changes. Change 25% twice in a week and you haven't removed as much of the negative substances as a single 50% change.

 

[Andrew McFadden]

Boy do I feel like I got attacked here. oh well we all do some things different as said above.

 

[siva]

Simply a conversation with differing opinions. I think all are being respected. Certainly not my intent to attack anyone.

 

[Andrew McFadden]

Simply a conversation with differing opinions. I think all are being respected. Certainly not my intent to attack anyone.

I know, its all good.

I asked this almost same question awhile back to help me remember some things and trying to work some things out in my head. It brought back a lot of memories of research and books I've read over the years and would like to share with everyone. It is only for reading and I'm not trying to argue with anybody and that's why I waited till now to post something.

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f100/water-changes-199154.html

 

[Mumma.of.two]

I don't need to read it to know what he's saying. Been there done that. The way I see it is, normally fish (in the wild) have a constant flow of fresh water through their environment which in turn replenishes and removes waste (of course there are exceptions like ditches in the side of the road but even then there is evaporation, water soaking into the earth, plants, rain fall and run off.) In a tank we can not, no matter how hard we try, fully replicate what happens in nature. Even the largest tank you could fit in your living room can not even come close to an ecosystem in the wild. No amount of water changes or lack there of can replicate this. I like to provide a clean environment for my fish in my tank. I'm not talking sterile because that's bad for everything but at least as waste free as I can without being excessive.
I can't understand how frequent large water changes could change the environment in the tank so drastically that it would be detrimental to the fish. If its done regularly then the water in the tank would be the same as coming out of the tap.

 

[Andrew McFadden]

I don't need to read it to know what he's saying. Been there done that. The way I see it is, normally fish (in the wild) have a constant flow of fresh water through their environment which in turn replenishes and removes waste (of course there are exceptions like ditches in the side of the road but even then there is evaporation, water soaking into the earth, plants, rain fall and run off.) In a tank we can not, no matter how hard we try, fully replicate what happens in nature. Even the largest tank you could fit in your living room can not even come close to an ecosystem in the wild. No amount of water changes or lack there of can replicate this. I like to provide a clean environment for my fish in my tank. I'm not talking sterile because that's bad for everything but at least as waste free as I can without being excessive.
I can't understand how frequent large water changes could change the environment in the tank so drastically that it would be detrimental to the fish. If its done regularly then the water in the tank would be the same as coming out of the tap.

I see and it is understood mumma. You know I respect you and your the best cheers