Questions- general info.

[megi-lin]

If you have live plants I'd do 50%. once a week

If you have an algae issue do 50% once a week

http://www.fishlore.com/fishforum/water-changes/118213-please-keep-up-water-changes-your-fish.html

Nitrates build up
TDS builds up

And not just top offs...then your TDS can get really high.

How long are you running lights ?

I run mine 6-8 hours total. You can split it up and run 4 hours and 4 hours so tank is lit while you are home.

Monthly water changes will help grow algae.

Test your water.

Bubbles don't directly add oxygen, they just expose more water to the air.

What temp are you keeping tank ?

You almost never need to restart a tank unless you just want to.

Keep tank filled and keep up on pwc even if it's only 25% and your tank will stay in better shape.

I'll never go back to plastic plants.

Enjoy your tank






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I tested my water. The nitrates are perfect.
What is TDS?
I may do a 25 today and then a 25 first of the month like usual.
I run my lights about 8-10 hours a day. Today I did 7ish hours. Is it algae growth then on the glass and bubble wall?

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[jessipanda]

I tested my water. The nitrates are perfect.
What is TDS?
I may do a 25 today and then a 25 first of the month like usual.
I run my lights about 8-10 hours a day. Today I did 7ish hours. Is it algae growth then on the glass and bubble wall?

Sent from my XT1585 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

TDS is Total Dissolved Solids. And what Coursair is suggesting is doing at least a 50% water change once every week to help reduce algae growth, tds, and other things such as nitrates. When you say your nitrates are “perfect,” do you have an actual reading to give us? It's best to keep them below 20ppm as they are still harmful to fish when built up. When you only do one monthly water change, all these things build up and can become toxic to your fish.

 

[megi-lin]

TDS is Total Dissolved Solids. And what Coursair is suggesting is doing at least a 50% water change once every week to help reduce algae growth, tds, and other things such as nitrates. When you say your nitrates are “perfect,” do you have an actual reading to give us? It's best to keep them below 20ppm as they are still harmful to fish when built up. When you only do one monthly water change, all these things build up and can become toxic to your fish.

Oh okay! My nitrates range between 0 and about 10.

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[enrgizerbunny]

I tested my water. The nitrates are perfect.
What is TDS?
I may do a 25 today and then a 25 first of the month like usual.
I run my lights about 8-10 hours a day. Today I did 7ish hours. Is it algae growth then on the glass and bubble wall?

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Get a timer, they're about $5 and you can split it 4 and 4 when your home. This will greatly help to prevent new algal growth. Since you only have a couple fish on your tank I'd say you can get away with the monthly changes, but I would increase the % since you're trying to remove these stains up top.

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[megi-lin]

Get a timer, they're about $5 and you can split it 4 and 4 when your home. This will greatly help to prevent new algal growth. Since you only have a couple fish on your tank I'd say you can get away with the monthly changes, but I would increase the % since you're trying to remove these stains up top.

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I have started just letting the sunlight from my window give light in the tank during the day. Then using the hood in the evening for a couple of hours. The sun doesn't put a lot of light in the tank, but enough to be nice.
I cleaned the algae off. Your guys recommendations on the lighting really put a stop to the growth.
I did a 50% pwc.
Also, the mineral deposits, I scrubbed a bunch off.
Thanks for all the help, everyone!

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