water change

[hartman57]

is it nesessary to sit water out for a period of time before doing a water change!!! its kinda hard to do if i want to do a 50% water change with a 45 gal tank!!! can i just put tap water in straight from the tap!!! do i need to take the one fish out that i have? im doing this because i have lost 8 out of 9 fish in the last 4 days!!!

 

[RandomGuy]

use a siphon

 

[RandomGuy]

and i think its better if you leave your fish in there, saves the fish the stress, and also be sure to let your water settle down, otherwise i would suggest you get some kind of stress coat and tap water treatments (if ur lazy like me )..

 

[hartman57]

i mean allowing the water to adjust to temp!!!

 

[grimlock3000]

Use a thermometer to match the tank temp to the new water temp. Your tank should NOT be at room temperature unless your house is 80F on the inside all the time. Also make sure you follow the directions on the water conditioner you are using.

 

[xtwister]

what are your water readings if you lost that many fish? do you have ick or fungi in the tank? how often do you do water changes?

 

[RandomGuy]

lol in that case.. all u can do is wait for it to become the same water temp. 24 hr is a sure bet. i made a big mistake jus transfering the water like that my betta was susceptible to a fungal infection a few hours later .. and just measure the water temperature with your finger! see if they match not really difficult

 

[xtwister]

i didnt notice till after i posted that you started another thread earlier. i read that you cleaned your tank after ick. How well did you clean it? too well? You might have killed the bacteria. I got ick and fungi when I first started. i bought a bad fish and kill them and my good ones. I didnt clean the tank I did get ick cure which turned the tank green and waited through it. Now the remaining fish are happy and thriving. Ive been doing 25% water changes. I have three tanks and it takes 1/2 hour for all 3 20/30/55gallon. Finger feel the water like randomGuy said.

 

[jaysono]

50% water change?

Perhaps I missed something, but I was wondering why you are doing a 50% water change. That's pretty drastic and can really alter the chemistry of your tank. Most articles I've ever read from numerous sites and books say do no more than 20% at any given time, and maybe the rare 25% change because of the drastic changes to the environment.

I think its safe to do a 20% water change, maybe wait 48 hours then do another 20% water change. Rinse and repeat, but have your chemisty tests on hand and chart the water performance and fish behavior.

When I change my water, I try to get it as close to room temperature as I can before adding. If I am just topping off, the a little water I don't worry too much about the tempertaure, but anything over a few gallons I try to have the tempertaure close to tank tempertaure...it'll never be exactly the same.

I imagine a drastic temperture shift may be stressful...like when the wife flushes the toilet when you're in the shower....Yikes!

 

[Menagerie]

For all my tanks 5 gals to 80, I siphon out the water and then add water from the tap. I adjust the temp and add dechlor straight to the tank.

 

[breadlowry]

dudes, we're takling about fish here. i'm sure a difference of 3 or 4 degrees wou'dn't do any harm. As for chemistry do like menagerie says. Just squirt a little treatment in. It'll all be good. if all else fails, think like a fish

 

[deli_conker]

i'm sure a difference of 3 or 4 degrees wou'dn't do any harm

Depends on the fish

having water sit out was a way to allow the added chlorine to dissapate. Municipal water typically uses chloramine in water because it stays in water better. That's what dechlorinators are for; neutralizing chlorine and chloramine in tap water.

I siphon 10-20% from my tank with a $4 gravel vac into a 5 gal bucket, cleaning the substrate as I go. I put a simple weighted glass thermometer in a pitcher. Then I run tap water into it for a bit and check the temp. Adjust as neccessary. When it gets to temp, remove from sink add dechlor pour into tank. The sink is already kicking out water at the right temp so I just put the pitch underneath it again, add dechlor etc. Repeat as needed...

 

[FishyDan]

Depending on where you live and your individual water supply, will determine on whether you can put water directly into your tank or not. In my case, my water has so much compressed air in it that when ever I put water directly into the tank there are air bubbles everywhere. Depending on how thick or how many there are, they can kill your fish by covering their gills and suffocating them (been there, done that). So I don't have much of a choice, if I am changing or adding only a few gallons, then I can go straight to the tank (with proper anti chloramine/chlorine drops) and only get a few bubbles. But any thing more than that and I have to let it set over night. I use 2-3 ice chest, fill them up, add anti chlorine drops and let set until the next day. For me, this allows the air to escape, adjusts the temperature to "near tank" readings, and allows the water to "settle" in ph and all other areas. Since I have started doing that, I have had zero problems with water changes.