Water Change Advice

[Fish Head J]

I need some advise regarding a water change on my new 40 gallon freshwater aquarium.
The tank is about 3.5 weeeks old and seems to be doing pretty well. We just bought a few more fish yesterday and I mentioned to the woman at the fish store that I had been changing my water (about 25%) every few days while we were going through the cycling and conditioning period of our tank. She told me that was too much and that I should not be changing water in the tank more than a few times a month at the most. My question is this: If the ammonia levels rise shouldn't I change the water? At what level should I change the water and what percentage should I be changing? I am getting some conflicting advise here and I figured I could get the "straight skinny" on what to do from someone out in cyberland who isn't trying to sell me new fish.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thank so much!
FHJ

 

[Wizzard~Of~Ozz]

If the tank is occupied during the cycle, then yes, you should change some water. Toxicity of ammonia is depndant on temperature and PH, so I can't give a direct answer on what level is best, however I can tell you if your fish are happy and doing well, then why change your method to a more scientific method.

 

[waynephinney]

edit: Sorry... I was a bit angry when I wrote that. Please ignore it if you saw it.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Yes, keep doing water changes due to the Ammonia. If the level gets over 1 ppm, do an immediate change. Most lfs don't know what the heck they are talking about and will tell you not to do water changes. But in actuality, all it is doing is harming them by not doing the changes.

 

[Zagz]

FF is totally correct. Another thing with lfs they make money if you have to come back and buy more fish. I'm not saying they intentionally set out to kill people's fish but they lose nothing when it happens. By having relatively uneducated people working there, it works to their benefit overall.

 

[Rondory]

Most lfs don't know what the heck they are talking about and will tell you not to do water changes

Isn't that the truth! I learned very quickly that the staff at most LFS are just out to sell you stuff and want your fish to die so you come back to buy some more.

 

[Voodoo Chilli]

Although doing water changes during the cycling process will extend the time it takes for the tank to cycle, it'll also keep the highly dangerous levels of ammonia from killing your fish. If your fish die, you'll need to come back and buy more, which is money in her pocket.

Keep doing what you're doing.

 

[Fish Head J]

Thanks so much the advice. It is a bit disconcerting knowing that I am getting advice from a pet store that is so contradictory from the advise of so many people here online. Although it is no excuse, I would still like to believe the people giving me advise at the pet store are just ignorant and not deceitful! Could anyone recommend a good book or website that I can reference with some confidence when issues like this come up? I have the "Aquariums for Dummies" book but it seems a bit too cursory. I would also like to be able to learn more about what fish would work well in my tank....behaviors, compatibility with other fish, proper pH and temperature etc...
Thanks again!
FHJ

 

[Wizzard~Of~Ozz]

I wouldn't get into PH adjustment, but a good start is reading through the forum here, there are thousands of threads that will give you a lot of information, there is a section on profiles.

You will also see some stickies at the top of each forum which includes links that people have found pertaining to fish.

 

[packagerat]

I personally was doing 50% pwc every day to keep ammonia levels under 1 ppm. Once the nitrites kicked in I did them twice a day. All my fish survived. My lfs that had sold me the tank that all was needed was to run my tank overnight and then I could add fish the next day and I would be cycled in a week. I was so glad I found this forum to set me straight and get me on the right track.

 

[bosk1]

Thanks so much the advice. It is a bit disconcerting knowing that I am getting advice from a pet store that is so contradictory from the advise of so many people here online. Although it is no excuse, I would still like to believe the people giving me advise at the pet store are just ignorant and not deceitful! Could anyone recommend a good book or website that I can reference with some confidence when issues like this come up? I have the "Aquariums for Dummies" book but it seems a bit too cursory. I would also like to be able to learn more about what fish would work well in my tank....behaviors, compatibility with other fish, proper pH and temperature etc...
Thanks again!
FHJ

I was recommended a very good book when I started my aquarium. It is about 5 years old, so a small amount of the info is slightly dated. But overall, it is excellent. The main focus of the book is to give you enough information about most of the common issues arising from tropic fishkeeping that you will be successful, and not become one of the vast majority of people who give up after a few months of fish casualties. As I have tested some of the info in that book here, the advice in that book has been about 99% consistent with the majority of the information I have received here on this site. I will try to remember to look up the title and author when I get home from work tonight. If I forget to post it here, please feel free to send me a private message to remind me.

Regarding cycling, which is your most pressing issue at the moment, there is a good article in the articles section on this site, and lots of excellent threads in this forum. I would take the time to search back about 5-10 pages on this forum and pick out all threads you can find on the subect. There have been some great recent discussions. Bottom line on the issue: As others here have suggested, keep doing those water changes, and test your water daily. If ammonia gets above 0.5, your fish will begin to suffer damage to their gills. You cannot change your water too often, but you can change it too little. As long as you are adding water that is the proper temperature, and you are making sure to dechlorinate your water, your fish should not be harmed at all by the water changes, and will most likely appear happier and more energetic.

 

[talloulou]

I like this book alot:

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/reviewpost/showproduct.php?product=171&sort=2&cat=24&page=1

It's simple, easy to read, and stresses the importance of frequent water changes in a way that old school books don't.

 

[bosk1]

^That's the book. I have read it cover to cover, and still go back to it for info. Okay, my work is done here. Thanks. talloulou!

 

[TomK2]

You are doing the right thing. PWC's to limit ammonia and nitrite exposure to your pets. LFS's are notorious for not even mentioning the cycle to newbies and giving out inaccurate advice when they do. Not all, but many.