water changes need help.

[zach_1_6]

hi there, this is going to sound bad on my part. but i have been in the hobby for 4 years now, and i have never done a water change in my life. all my fish were perfectly healthy, none died, i have 2, 5 year old tetra. but now im loosing fish in my relativly new 65 gallon tank. i think it is from not doing water changes, and my parameters might be bad. i have also never tested for amonnia, nitrate, and nitrite in my life. so im new to all this and i dont want any more fish dying, how do i do a water change? and what should my tests read? thanks

 

[Crepe]

Ammonia and nitrite should be 0. Nitrates can be 0-40. Just drain 50% of the tank's water and add in whatever amount of dechlor you need to dose the WHOLE volume of the tank. Then just add the water back in. Make sure the water you add approximates the temperature of your fish tank.

 

[zach_1_6]

do i just add tap water? or will that hurt the fish and plants?

 

[logansmomma1228]

I suggest getting this : Walmart.com: Freshwater Master Test Kit: Fish that is a popular test kit on here. I have it. That is the cheapest I have seen it. I payed 30$ for mine. But it lasts a long time. And is much more accurate than test strips(which also end up being more expensive in the long run).

Anyways, you test your water with that. +1 to Crepe. Read this link, it will explain everything you need to know about that. http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...-but-i-already-have-fish-what-now-116287.html

Also, to do a water change all you need is a gravel vacuum.

There is a video somewhere in this thread that shows you how to do the water change. It helped me a ton . http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/water-changes-a-pita-129667.html

 

[logansmomma1228]

You can add tap water but you need prime or some sort of dechlorinator. Or you could leave it out over night to gas out. Also, some try and make it room temp or to match the tank. you can make it a tad bit cooler if you want, but be careful not to shock the fish with too much of a temp change.

 

[mfdrookie516]

nope, shouldnt bother them unless your tap is real nasty... a good dechlor like prime is a must though. personally, since you've never done water changes, i think you should start small, like 15-20% every couple days. Tanks can have whats called old tank syndrome, and big water changes can cause more harm than good to fish in that scenario

 

[Crepe]

Tap won't hurt if you dose the tank with dechlorinator first.

 

[zach_1_6]

ok thanks, i really would like to make sure i dont loose any more fish.

 

[krap101]

If you have a well, and don't have any heavy metals, you may not need a dechlorinator, but as most people live in the cities, the water will be chlorinated.

Water vacs use gravity and vaccums obviously. Once you get water flowing down the tube, if you put the big end of the vacuum back underwater, the water flowing down will create a vacuum, which will the continue to pull water out of the tank.

 

[zach_1_6]

yes thanks, i have used a syphon before but on my 10 and 29 g tanks. then i wouls just add tap water about the same temp and nothing would happen. i have many live plants, do they help at all?

 

[krap101]

Yeah, live plants, if you have enough light and plants, will reach an equilibrium with the nitrates; however, since fish are dying, I'm assuming something went wrong, and it's hard to say without knowing the age of the tank, whether you have chlorine in your water, and what your parameters are.

 

[zach_1_6]

tank had been running for about 3 months, no deaths exept a bala who jumped. and i will find a test kit as soon as posible.

 

[corrado33]

First off, if you've NEVER done a water change, DO NOT change 50% of your water. It'll stress your fish really bad. Since you've never done water changes, your fish have grown used to the nitrates in your tank. You need to start doing SMALL water changes first. Change 2.5% the first week or two, then move up to 5% for a week or two, then move to 10%, then 15 then 20 or 25. This'll keep you from stressing your fish too bad.

EDIT: Didn't see mfdrookie's post. I agree with him, but think you should start smaller. And yes, google old tank syndrome.

 

[Mark Hewitt]

hi there, this is going to sound bad on my part. but i have been in the hobby for 4 years now, and i have never done a water change in my life. all my fish were perfectly healthy, none died, i have 2, 5 year old tetra. but now im loosing fish in my relativly new 65 gallon tank. i think it is from not doing water changes, and my parameters might be bad. i have also never tested for amonnia, nitrate, and nitrite in my life. so im new to all this and i dont want any more fish dying, how do i do a water change? and what should my tests read? thanks

It's a good habit to get into doing water changes on a weekly basis. Myself I do a 25% change every Saturday. Just get water from your tap and make sure it's about the right temperature, put in a dechorinator, wait 1 minute and put it into your tank.

As others have said like with most things with fish it's important to keep it consistent i.e. don't do a 25% change one week and then a 50% the next unless you really need to. Monitor your nitrate levels and this will give you an indication as to if you are changing enough water.

 

[BillD]

Since you are having problems with your newest tank, do a 50% water change. You don't have the luxury of starting out small, nor do I necessarily think that is a good idea. I have done 90% changes on tanks that were neglected for a period (sometimes life gets in the way of the hobby) and have never lost a fish. It is like a big rain at the end of the dry season. If you have lots of plants in the problem tank, high nitrates shouldn't be a problem, but if you are losing fish, there is something wrong. A 50% water change will remove 50% of anything in the tank that is water born such as bacteria or toxins.
As far as how much or often your particular tank needs in terms of water changes, a test kit will help you determine that. Every tank is different and unique. However, changing more than the necessary minimum amount is good practice and cheap insurance. All the fish keepers I know who keep a large number of tanks (up to 300) rely on water changes to maintain good health in their fish. They don't test their water; if they did they wouldn't have time to do anything else. If you determine that 25% weekly is good, an occasional 50% change would be beneficial. In fact a regular 50% would be good.