Water changes.

[chloefinn2003]

I all. I'm new to this. I have a 180 litre tank. I've got an internal filter system plus an external pond solution 2000. I've been reading up that I should do a water change every week plus clean the filters every month and replace every two to three months.

I'm worried all the water changes will upset and disturb the fish. Mayb I'm over reacting but it worries me.

Some advice would be great.

Ali do I need the internal pump/filter??? When I read up on the external one it says you don't need an internal one.

Thanks in advance

 

[Khuligirl93]

Yes weekly water changes are absolutely necessary. Imagine if you were kept in a small box all your life, going to the bathroom in it every day. You'd want it cleaned out wouldn't you? Fish waste builds up and causes nitrates to rise which can be unhealthy for fish.
Here are some great and informative articles:

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/i-jus...g-but-I-already-have-fish-What-now/Page2.html

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/tips-and-tricks-for-your-fastest-fishless-cycle/ Sorry not exactly what you're asking about the filter.

 

[Caliban07]

Hi, do you have a juwel rio? I have one. A 180 litre too. I will be running the internal filter AND an external filter eihem 2217.

Both filters allow for extra media and give you more room to play around with different media I.e sponge, carbon, floss, ceramic, bio balls. I believe juwel, if it is a juwel, internal filters are quite good and have lots of room. I think it runs at 650 litres an hour which is over 3 times your tank size an hour. This to most is minimum or even below. Some people have filters that run 10 times the volume of the tank an hour.

In theory you could just use the external if it provides a good enough turn over but other than saving a bit if electric I can't see the point in not running it. Having said that, if it was slid in rather than siliconed i might have taken it out for extra tank space. But only because eihem filters have a good rep and mine provides filtration for a tank double in size to the one I have.

Water changes should compliment your filtration system and should be carried out at least once a week between 30-50%

 

[chloefinn2003]

That's great thank you so much for this. I've got a juwel vision 180. It's second hand and I got it at a really good price. The pond solutions 2000 external pimp came with it. The guy who I brought it from had another extra pump running inside too. I took that out as I thought that may be overkill!!

Cheers again.

 

[chloefinn2003]

Yes weekly water changes are absolutely necessary. Imagine if you were kept in a small box all your life, going to the bathroom in it every day. You'd want it cleaned out wouldn't you? Fish waste builds up and causes nitrates to rise which can be unhealthy for fish. Here are some great and informative articles: 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 http://www.aquariumadvice.com/tips-and-tricks-for-your-fastest-fishless-cycle/ Sorry not exactly what you're asking about the filter.

Thanks for this. Yes u have a point. I hadn't thought of it like that!! The articles are very informative. Thanks. Although I had a tank along time ago, it's surprised me how much things have changed. I remember just setting it up waiting a few weeks then putting the fish in. This was 20+ years ago. Showing my age now. !!

 

[mistersprinkles]

Do weekly water changes. Use tap water the same temperature as your tank water. Dechlorinate it, and pour it in. Vaccuum the gravel or sand every time you do a water change.

Your filters don't need to be cleaned that often. Don't use carbon or zeolite or any other media that needs frequent replacement. Just run reticulated foam (like what aquaclear sponge is made from) and biomedia (ceramic rings, etc). You never have to rinse or change the biomedia. The foam should be rinsed lightly in tank water in a bucket to clean it. Never rinse any filter media under straight tap water as the chlorine will kill beneficial bacteria. Biomedia will last longer than you will and reticulated foam starts to wear out after a couple of years. It's inexpensive to replace.