How do you do your water changes?

[geoff_tropheus]

Baking Soda will increase pH up to about 8.2 but no higher.

I add teaspoon per 10 gallons, sometimes more.

[J-WS6]

My tap here is about 7.2, so I've always buffed the pH with all my tangs. So yeah, about a teaspoon per 10 gallons. Get a pH test kit.

[Bogdan]

I don't change water in my tank unless I tear it down. Only fill up weekly/biweekly with RO water. Test daily pH and monthly GH/KH.

[finfan]

once a week 20 to 30 percent, all water is treated first with prime before putting in the tank, no salt or meds or vitamins, just water treated with prime, use buckets, only check water parameters if the fish act or look wierd

[screename]

75g tropheus tank - weekly 50% through carbon bottle + prime + epson

40g planted - 30% weekly + zipp drops

10g experimental planted tank - 50% every 2-3 days, tap water no additives

[thekarens]

50 to 70% every day via python, use Prime. The joys of discus juvies! :)

[finfan]

screenname, what is a "carbon bottle" and "zipp drops"? and what do they do?

[eklikewhoa]

Carbon bottle is a reactor style fiberglass bottle that is filled with carbon where water is forced through before going into the tank... basically, if you buy water at the windmill or vending machines then you are buying carbon filtered water.

zip drops is a cheap de-chlor.

[finfan]

thanks ek

[PhishPhreek]

ZIP drops is a brand name for a simple chlorine remover but now that most municipal water treating facilities use chloramines, it has fallen from popularity. It is made from hypo and water and reacts with chlorine breaking down the chloramines into chlorine and ammonia. The level of ammonia left behind can be toxic to some fish.

http://www.bettahabari.org/co-op/DeChlor.html

[FrontosaurusRex]

i see people saying that they change 100% and 95% of the water when they do changes....why?
I do water changes every 3 days on all my tanks but i NEVER do more than 50%. I did a huge water change the other day on my Angel tank, and now its cyclying all over again. I'm about to do another change and hope the cloudiness goes away.
Anyway, how do you keep your tanks from cycling when you do that large of a water change?

[schance]

the more filtration you have the better because the filters store the bacteria

[thekarens]

Your beneficial bacteria should be in your filter/sand/plants etc and changing the water shouldn't restart the cycle if your tank was already cycled to begin with.

[schance]

my question is how do you get 100% drain to 90 fill up to 80 then take and addtional 10 out?