100% water change and Sand question?

[Joeybsmooth]

SHould you ever do a 100% change ? Also as any one ever changed their Sand ?

 

[dcutl002]

SHould you ever do a 100% change ? Also as any one ever changed their Sand ?

I have done a 75% water change before, but usually just 50% every week. Change sand? no. never changed the sand, but I have added sand to gravel.

 

[Jmunroe]

I ha e changed substrate several times before. What are your questions regarding it?

 

[Joeybsmooth]

I don't know (out of sticks), however due to a car accident. I have not been able to change the water in some time. So I know with out even checking that it is really bad.

 

[Jmunroe]

You will cause the fish osmotic shock to change too much at once now. You will require several small changes over several days to reduce the amount of dissolved solids slowly to not cause much stress. Then you can go back to regular water changes. But in all honesty if you can't do it yourself or have another person do it to keep your fish healthy the. They are just suffering for your amusement and it may be time to think about a new hobby. This one does require some manual labour and without it you will fail.

 

[Rare]

I don't know (out of sticks), however due to a car accident. I have not been able to change the water in some time. So I know with out even checking that it is really bad.

Hey, dude sorry to hear about that. Hope all is well after a car accident. Life at times can throw you a curve ball & they did this with you....Hang in there..Looks like you gonna need some help from family or friends on this till you can do it on your own. How big is your aquarium and when was the last water change?

 

[Joeybsmooth]

Hey, dude sorry to hear about that. Hope all is well after a car accident. Life at times can throw you a curve ball & they did this ...

Thanks I am 100% now. This tank with the issue is 155 gals. And it was changed in Early Nov. I have a smaller tank I was able to keep u[ with that one since that one is just so easy to do.

But with this bigger one, There is a lot more issues I have deal with. I keep turtles with this one, so I have a huge topper on the tank. Which makes it like almost two tanks put on to each other. Due to that thing it is really hard getting all of it cleaned.

However as I was typing this mess the idea of using a python. That should be able to handle everything. Easier so I can do those small changes . With out much trouble.

 

[SFAquariums1]

You will cause the fish osmotic shock to change too much at once now. You will require several small changes over several days to reduce the amount of dissolved solids slowly to not cause much stress. Then you can go back to regular water changes. But in all honesty if you can't do it yourself or have another person do it to keep your fish healthy the. They are just suffering for your amusement and it may be time to think about a new hobby. This one does require some manual labour and without it you will fail.

I'm sorry, but that was pretty rude. Yes, you have to keep up on water changes but they got in a car accident. Doesn't mean he needs to find a new hobby. Maybe have a family member help him out for a bit.

My 2 cents is check your water. May not be nearly as bad as you think. I had a 1.5 month period last summer where I was house sitting and I didn't have any time to do anything other than stop by my house feed them and top off the wTer. I was going to do a big water change but after testing the water, the parameters where actually perfect. I only do a 10 percent water change 2 times a month now. That tank manages to stay perfect.


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[dcutl002]

Thanks I am 100% now. This tank with the issue is 155 gals. And it was changed in Early Nov.

Glad to hear that you are 100%. Being that it is a large tank, I agree, the water might not be as bad as you think. The Python gravel vac is awesome and should suit your needs during recovery. As far as PWCs go, I would perform multiple changes over several days until the Nitrate levels come down. Here's to a speedy recovery.

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[Brookster123]

I'm with the few smaller wc's camp here. That's really not all that outrageous in a big tank like that.. feel better!

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[Jmunroe]

I'm sorry, but that was pretty rude. Yes, you have to keep up on water changes but they got in a car accident. Doesn't mean he needs to find a new hobby. Maybe have a family member help him out for a bit.

My 2 cents is check your water. May not be nearly as bad as you think. I had a 1.5 month period last summer where I was house sitting and I didn't have any time to do anything other than stop by my house feed them and top off the wTer. I was going to do a big water change but after testing the water, the parameters where actually perfect. I only do a 10 percent water change 2 times a month now. That tank manages to stay perfect.


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I wasn't rude I told him what he should do and If not able to do it himself OR have some else help them it maybe time for something else. That's life. Some get dealt bad cards but you have to deal with new ways accordingly you can't just stick your head in the sand. You'll learn that as you get older.

 

[BillD]

I often do very large changes on neglected tanks. While osmotic shock is very real possibility in extreme cases, it takes a severe shift to harm most fish. Small changes don't really do much, so it means wasting a lot of water. Regardless, there are several ways to get caught up, depending on how quickly you want to do it.

 

[dcutl002]

I often do very large changes on neglected tanks. While osmotic shock is very real possibility in extreme cases, it takes a severe shift to harm most fish. Small changes don't really do much, so it means wasting a lot of water. Regardless, there are several ways to get caught up, depending on how quickly you want to do it.

What percentage Bill? I was thinking somewhere around 50% each time.


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[nnoah_won]

Just a reminder. If you do a 100% water change as in removing all of your water. You will most likely have to re-cycle your tank so your fish shouldn't go in there until your tank is cycled (maybe a few days). This is just a tip so that your fish don't die.


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[Mattyfelts]

Just a reminder. If you do a 100% water change as in removing all of your water. You will most likely have to re-cycle your tank so your fish shouldn't go in there until your tank is cycled (maybe a few days). This is just a tip so that your fish don't die.


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well as long as the bb dont dry out there should be no recycling issue enless OP removes all the water, drys out his media, replaces it, and adds the water and fish again

 

[Jmunroe]

Just a reminder. If you do a 100% water change as in removing all of your water. You will most likely have to re-cycle your tank so your fish shouldn't go in there until your tank is cycled (maybe a few days). This is just a tip so that your fish don't die.


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This is very incorrect. There is no beneficial bacteria in the water column. Well a few stray ones I'm sure floating around, but the bacteria is adhered to every surface of the tank. Mostly in your filter because of the large amount of surface area, hence porous material making such great bio media because of the large amount of surface area. As long as said, you don't let the bio media dry out, clean it to aggressively, or don't use a dechlorinator when refilling the entire tank, you'll have no cycle issues. And it would take at least 6 weeks to cycle a tank not a few days. The problem with people doing large water changes like this is that most people just decide one day "hey I'm gonna do a 100% wc today" after not changing water for awhile or only doing small ones previously. There tank parameters have become far different from their tap parameters. If you do large frequent water changes, your tank water becomes closer to your tap water and causes no problems. I've never had a problem from doing large frequent water changes except my fish growing large and healthy and their appetites being voracious.

 

[BillD]

What percentage Bill? I was thinking somewhere around 50% each time.


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I consider a large change to be 75% to 95%. The late Dr. Joanne Norton, an important contributor to the hobby, especially in the area of genetics, said her fish had to lie on their sides to stay wet when she did a water change. Personally, I usually do 50% to 60%, although I have done bigger changes on neglected tanks ( yes, I must admit, that, I have neglected tanks on more than one occasion) with no ill effects. For regular changes, 50% is a good target, even if it is more than necessary. Always better to stay ahead of it, for those times when life intrudes and you have to miss a few changes.
When I was growing out angels I aimed for 60% to 70% daily as my tanks were rather crowded.
I must agree with Jmunroe as to the effects of clean water. My experience mirrors his.