Water changes

[90gallons]

I do a weekly 25% water changes I have sand and find it more difficult removing the waste I use a python any suggestions

 

[epoole.j]

Get a canister filter. Sand + canister = no waste ever. Gravel traps a lot of poop. But poop on the sand gets pushed away by the canister filters current

 

[tunamanphd]

Get a canister filter. Sand + canister = no waste ever. Gravel traps a lot of poop. But poop on the sand gets pushed away by the canister filters current

How often do you clean the canister then?

 

[flitabout]

I'm lazy and do mine once every couple of months unless my nitrates go to high. I also run hobs which I do every week with my 50% changes my tank is way over filtered. personally I don't think you can have to much filtering as long as your fish don't mind the current.

 

[BBradbury]

Tank Maintenance

I do a weekly 25% water changes I have sand and find it more difficult removing the waste I use a python any suggestions

Hello 90...

Keeping the tank water clear of dissolved fish and plant waste is the most important requirement if you're going to keep fish healthy. This is why the hobby is often called "The Water Keeping Hobby". Most of the tank is the water. So, even if you have a large tank, you need to change most of the water at least every week to 10 days, because the fish are living in the same water they do all their business in too.

If you're an aggressive water changer, you don't need high end, expensive filters. For a 90 G, you can use three to four dual sponge filters and a good air pump that will mainly agitate the water to maintain good oxygen levels. The water changer is the true filter because you remove the old, toxic water and replace it with pure, treated tap water.

Save the $200.00 a canister filter will cost with it's additional media cost and time consuming cleaning and spend about $60.00 for some sponge filters and air pump, with no media to buy and easy cleaning. Both will do the job equally well of moving the water through a filter system and removing a small amount of dissolved fish waste. But, work up to the point you change most of the water, a 25 percent water change still leaves 75 percent of the old, toxic water in the tank.

B

 

[Discusluv]

Hello 90...

Keeping the tank water clear of dissolved fish and plant waste is the most important requirement if you're going to keep fish healthy. This is why the hobby is often called "The Water Keeping Hobby". Most of the tank is the water. So, even if you have a large tank, you need to change most of the water at least every week to 10 days, because the fish are living in the same water they do all their business in too.

If you're an aggressive water changer, you don't need high end, expensive filters. For a 90 G, you can use three to four dual sponge filters and a good air pump that will mainly agitate the water to maintain good oxygen levels. The water changer is the true filter because you remove the old, toxic water and replace it with pure, treated tap water.

Save the $200.00 a canister filter will cost with it's additional media cost and time consuming cleaning and spend about $60.00 for some sponge filters and air pump, with no media to buy and easy cleaning. Both will do the job equally well of moving the water through a filter system and removing a small amount of dissolved fish waste. But, work up to the point you change most of the water, a 25 percent water change still leaves 75 percent of the old, toxic water in the tank.

B

+1--excellent advice.

 

[BBradbury]

I do a weekly 25% water changes I have sand and find it more difficult removing the waste I use a python any suggestions

Hello again 90...

Apologies. Got on my soap box about water changes and didn't answer your question about the sand. Actually, you don't need to vacuum the bottom material at all. All the waste material produced by the fish and whatever else lives in the water, will dissolve. So, by simply removing the water, you'll remove whatever has dissolved in it. My suggestion is, don't fret over vacuuming and disturbing the bottom material, just remove and replace most of the tank water every week to 10 days to maintain a healthy water chemistry.

B

 

[epoole.j]

How often do you clean the canister then?

For my 150 gallon I clean once a month... its a pain.. for 55 gal and 36 gal clean every 2 weeks. I have noticed a huge difference when siphoning. I used to get clouds of food and waste. Now I just stir the sand a little when doin a water change. No waste ever though