Water changing question

[Alec18]

Hello, I have a couple questions about water changes. I only have had my tank for a month and I just now started doing water changes because I was told not to for awhile. So I have a 20 gallon tank with two mollies( male an female, trying to mate them), fancy tailed guppy, sunset platy, green tiger barb, tetra, kulhi loach, two Africa Dwarf frogs( one albino), and a Chinese algae eater. I'm planning on doing a 10% water change every Friday. I did one today. This is what I did and want to know if I'm doing it correctly. First I unplugged everything. Then I started siphoning the water along with cleaning the gravel till the water got to an about three gallon mark on my bucket. I emptied the bucket and filled it with water from my shower faucet and then I added about 1 mL of stress coat+, which gets rid of heavy metals. I stirred and let sit for five minutes. Then I added the water and turned everything on again. Does that sound like a good plan and am I doing everything fine? Also another question I have is I have salt and should I add that everyonce in a while? I also have ammo chips that I put in my filter behind the cartridge, is that good to do too? I'm new to this and I am going into marine biology so I am trying to learn more about all this. Please someone answer all my questions thank you
-Alec

 

[shellieca]

Hello, I have a couple questions about water changes. I only have had my tank for a month and I just now started doing water changes because I was told not to for awhile. So I have a 20 gallon tank with two mollies( male an female, trying to mate them), fancy tailed guppy, sunset platy, green tiger barb, tetra, kulhi loach, two Africa Dwarf frogs( one albino), and a Chinese algae eater. I'm planning on doing a 10% water change every Friday. I did one today. This is what I did and want to know if I'm doing it correctly. First I unplugged everything. Then I started siphoning the water along with cleaning the gravel till the water got to an about three gallon mark on my bucket. I emptied the bucket and filled it with water from my shower faucet and then I added about 1 mL of stress coat+, which gets rid of heavy metals. I stirred and let sit for five minutes. Then I added the water and turned everything on again. Does that sound like a good plan and am I doing everything fine? Also another question I have is I have salt and should I add that everyonce in a while? I also have ammo chips that I put in my filter behind the cartridge, is that good to do too? I'm new to this and I am going into marine biology so I am trying to learn more about all this. Please someone answer all my questions thank you
-Alec

Mostly you're doing good. Here's what I do with the tanks I use buckets for. I have 2 buckets, 1 for new conditioned water & the other strictly for used tank water. I get the new water ready & let it sit. I unplug everything for the tank, syphon & vac out 50%+, clean filter media if need be in the used tank water, take care of plants if needed & then slowly pour in the new water, plug the heater back in, wait a few minutes & plug in the filter. This is done for my 10g tanks & smaller. I have a water changer for my 46g the only difference is I treat the tank directly with Prime before adding new water. I don't use ammo chips or anything else, just Prime & ferts for the plants. Salt is only needed when you need to treat for something, some fish don't tolerate it long term & snails definitely don't. The Chinese algae eater probably should be in a bigger tank, if you haven't you may want to read up on them. I have 2 golden CAE's in a 46g, I love them but others have had some serious issues with them especially in a too small tank. They average 6" as an adult in an aquarium setting & can get up to a foot I believe, they won't always eat algae, they LOVE veggies.

 

[Alec18]

I'll eventually get a new tank. So I'm basically good then. I want to get a freshwater goby or puffer

 

[Ian086]

I'll eventually get a new tank. So I'm basically good then. I want to get a freshwater goby or puffer

Did you cycle the tank before you added all those fish??

 

[Alec18]

I don't exactly understand understand what the cycling is.

 

[Ian086]

I don't exactly understand understand what the cycling is.

Firstly i would be upping that water change to 50%, possibly twice a week, especially with all those's fish. Please do not purchase any more fish, read this very good article and you should understand why.... If you have any questions on it, just post them here and myself and others will be glad to help.. Don't worry this is probably the most common beginner mistake....

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/i-just-learned-about-cycling-but-i-already-have-fish-what-now/?/124/2/-I-just-learned-about-cycling-but-I-already-have-fish-What-now/Page2.html
There are also many other articles on here from very experienced and knowledgeable people... Cycling is vital for a healthy aquarium. Enjoy your reading!!

PS... To access an article,
Click on 'Articles' tap(top of this page)
Open 'Freshwater' tab
In the search box, just type Cycling and you will have many many articles to choose from... Good Luck.

 

[Alec18]

That kinda sounds unnecessary. I dont have the money to spend on a testing kit. They're all healthy and I get it tested like every week.

 

[bettagirl03]

Your water changing routine is good- but please, since your tank is doing a fish in cycle, up the amount of water changed per week to at least 30% for the next month or two. DO NOT. I REPEAT DO NOT GET ANYMORE FISH UNTIL YOUR TANK IS FULLY CYCLED.
You should be good, just make sure to up your water changes until your cycle is complete. Also consider adding a few live plants (if you haven't already) to help clean up the water.

 

[Mrs.h2012]

That kinda sounds unnecessary. I dont have the money to spend on a testing kit. They're all healthy and I get it tested like every week.

If its unnecessary then it wouldn't have been mentioned. You can find test kits online for cheaper than in stores, like on amazon, for a little over 20$. Trust me, your much better off properly cycling a tank than not cycling one. My first go around with fish years ago was horrendous. I was replacing fish every couple weeks. I didn't know about cycling then. This time around I cycled my tank, and have only lost 2 fish in nearly 8 months, and those loses were due to poor stock ( bh poor stock I mean a weak fish) nothing that was my fault. If I could've spent the $25 on a test kit once (a test kit that I got back in August 2012 and am still using jt) I would've done it in a heart beat. I spent way more than $25 replacing fish back then.

 

[Alec18]

How do you know when a tank is fully cycled

 

[Tabbykat9698]

Read the article. It tells you everything. Also if you don't have the money for the test kit you def dont have the money for more fish (or any fish). The test kit is a part of the well being of the fish. Don't impulse buy. Just looking out for the well being of the fish is all. Please dont consider this rude by any means. I just feel you should be able to fully care for an animal if you buy one.

 

[shellieca]

How do you know when a tank is fully cycled

You won't know without testing daily. When you take your water to a store for testing they typically use strips which are not as accurate as the liquid test kit & if you're only doing it once a week then you don't know if you've had nitrites or an ammonia spike to know the tank has cycled. A liquid test kit is roughly $30-35 in a store & will last for several months, it will tell you that your tank is healthy which in turn keeps your fish healthy. If you're testing & you keep seeing ammonia then there's a problem that needs to be addressed, if your fish seem to having problems testing your water should always be the 1st step, bad water quality leads to unhealthy fish. Awfully cycled tank will always test 0 ammonia & nitrites, <20 nitrates.

 

[Alec18]

Alright so.... I haven't had my tank for that long, probably a month. And I just now started learning about cycling and I have about 7 fish and two frogs. I want to start cycling my tank though cuz I don't want future problems. I am going to order a master test kit soon so I can test my water. I have been doing weekly water tests at petsmart and weekly 25% water changes. My levels are good but I need to get everything right because I want more fish. My problems is im not going to return my fish or anything and I didn't start doing this right away. Good thing is all my fish are pretty hardy fish. I have a twenty gallon and I want to start cycling by at least next weekend. My question is can anyone tell me what exactly to do and the steps I should take. I've read but not anything for my situation. Thank you.

 

[Ian086]

Alright so.... I haven't had my tank for that long, probably a month. And I just now started learning about cycling and I have about 7 fish and two frogs. I want to start cycling my tank though cuz I don't want future problems. I am going to order a master test kit soon so I can test my water. I have been doing weekly water tests at petsmart and weekly 25% water changes. My levels are good but I need to get everything right because I want more fish. My problems is im not going to return my fish or anything and I didn't start doing this right away. Good thing is all my fish are pretty hardy fish. I have a twenty gallon and I want to start cycling by at least next weekend. My question is can anyone tell me what exactly to do and the steps I should take. I've read but not anything for my situation. Thank you.

Hey, try giving librarygirl a pm. She is definitely the lady to help you out. This is one of her area's of expertise.....

 

[shellieca]

You're already cycling your tank, you're doing a fish IN cycle which means more frequent & bigger water changes to keep the water safe for all of the fish. When you get your water tested at the store they're probably using strips which are not reliable & if by some chance they are testing with a liquid kit write down your actual numbers so you know for certain what they're calling "safe" or "good". The majority of Petsmart or other such stores don't have knowledgable aquarists.

 

[kimmcannally]

Alright so.... I haven't had my tank for that long, probably a month. And I just now started learning about cycling and I have about 7 fish and two frogs. I want to start cycling my tank though cuz I don't want future problems. I am going to order a master test kit soon so I can test my water. I have been doing weekly water tests at petsmart and weekly 25% water changes. My levels are good but I need to get everything right because I want more fish. My problems is im not going to return my fish or anything and I didn't start doing this right away. Good thing is all my fish are pretty hardy fish. I have a twenty gallon and I want to start cycling by at least next weekend. My question is can anyone tell me what exactly to do and the steps I should take. I've read but not anything for my situation. Thank you.

This is for your situation: http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...-but-i-already-have-fish-what-now-116287.html

You can get an API test kit at PetMountain.com for $16.99 - I just ordered a new one from them yesterday. Of course, you need one faster than their free shipping will get it to you. Amazon is a lot faster and last time I checked they have one for about $20, so not bad.

Also, african dwarf frogs don't come in albino. The albino one is an African clawed frog, which will get big enough to eat your dwarf frog. Look at their "hands". If the front legs (hands) are webbed, they are dwarf frogs. If they are not webbed, they are clawed frogs, which also get big enough to eat your fish.

Oh! For the water changes - are you just pouring the fresh water in quickly, or slowly? If the Ph between your tank and your tap is much different, you can shock the fish - same with the temp between the tap and tank.
I refill my 20 gallon and 10 gallon by adding the new water to a trash can I have dedicated for the purpose. Add in Prime (water conditioner) then run a piece of airtube from the can to the tank and let it slowly fill up.
Keeps the Ph and temps from changing rapidly (of course, try to get the temp in the can close to the temp in the tank).

 

[Mrs.h2012]

Alright so.... I haven't had my tank for that long, probably a month. And I just now started learning about cycling and I have about 7 fish and two frogs. I want to start cycling my tank though cuz I don't want future problems. I am going to order a master test kit soon so I can test my water. I have been doing weekly water tests at petsmart and weekly 25% water changes. My levels are good but I need to get everything right because I want more fish. My problems is im not going to return my fish or anything and I didn't start doing this right away. Good thing is all my fish are pretty hardy fish. I have a twenty gallon and I want to start cycling by at least next weekend. My question is can anyone tell me what exactly to do and the steps I should take. I've read but not anything for my situation. Thank you.

As stated already you are cycling now. All you need to begin a cycle is an ammonia source; the waste your fishes and frogs produce is your ammonia source. I would be doing daily water changes until you get your test kit. If you cant do multiple smaller changes daily then I would do one change that is at least 50%, preferably more, just base it off of how much time you have at home to do it. I hate to be a Debbie downer here... But your in for a long haul. Fish in cycles aren't hard if you only have a few fish to cycle with, but with your amount of fish your going to be doing a lot of water changes in afraid. Main thing to remember from here on out... Anytime your water test shows .25ppm or higher of ammonia or nitrite and anything above 20ppm of nitrate it's time for a water change! As said before you will know you are cycled once your readings are 0 ammonia and nitrite and you only have nitrates showing up. Ideally you always want to keep your nitrates at 20 or below. If you want to get into live plants then nitrates of 10-20 is a good range to stay in.

 

[Alec18]

This is for your situation: http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/i-just-learned-about-cycling-but-i-already-have-fish-what-now-116287.html

You can get an API test kit at PetMountain.com for $16.99 - I just ordered a new one from them yesterday. Of course, you need one faster than their free shipping will get it to you. Amazon is a lot faster and last time I checked they have one for about $20, so not bad.

Also, african dwarf frogs don't come in albino. The albino one is an African clawed frog, which will get big enough to eat your dwarf frog. Look at their "hands". If the front legs (hands) are webbed, they are dwarf frogs. If they are not webbed, they are clawed frogs, which also get big enough to eat your fish.

Oh! For the water changes - are you just pouring the fresh water in quickly, or slowly? If the Ph between your tank and your tap is much different, you can shock the fish - same with the temp between the tap and tank.
I refill my 20 gallon and 10 gallon by adding the new water to a trash can I have dedicated for the purpose. Add in Prime (water conditioner) then run a piece of airtube from the can to the tank and let it slowly fill up.
Keeps the Ph and temps from changing rapidly (of course, try to get the temp in the can close to the temp in the tank).

They actually do come albino because that is the type of frog I have.

 

[kimmcannally]

They actually do come albino because that is the type of frog I have.

Huh. I stand corrected. I just read online that they don't come in albino. Must have been outdated information.

 

[Tabbykat9698]

Hmm I didnt know that either but just read they do exist, there is even a you-tube video. Most are mislabeled as dwarves when they are actually clawed frogs though.