Water Change Question...

[BDomanico]

I'mmmmm Baaaack!!!! I am in the early stages of my 1st ever fishless cycle using the fishless cycle for dummies method.
1) When I filled the tank for the 1st time should I have added any solution because it was tap water?
2) When water evaporates out of the tank do I just add tap water in or should I have a jug of treated water like I have seen people have?
3) How do you do water changes? Is there a thread done on how and when to do water changes? I know there are partials and such but am not really up to speed on the whole water change thing. And this is why I am fishless cycling as it is giving me time to learn.

Thanks

Brian

 

[Purrbox]

You need to treat your aquarium with a dechlorinator which removes chlorine and chloramine. I recommend Prime since it is concentrated and very cost effective.

The dechlorinator works right away so no need to have the water sitting around waiting for the top offs unless you want to. You can treat and add right away. Just make sure that all water gets dechlorinated before adding it to your aquarium.

For a water change you remove a certain percentage of water and then fill the aquarium and then fill back up with dechlorinated water. You'll want a gravel vac w/ bucket or a python (which hooks up to the sink) to remove the water and add it back in. The size and frequency of the water change will depend on how many fish and what size you keep in your aquarium. The goal is to keep your Nitrates ideally below 20ppm, but at least below 40ppm. Sometimes the lower values aren't possible, especially if you have Nitrates in your tap water. A 25% water change every 1-2 weeks is not uncommon. You'll hear of some that do as much as 50% or more on a weekly basis, and others that only change their water once a month. It's all about find a schedule that works for you and your fish.