Basic Water Quality Question

[Anonapersona]

Re: Basic Water Quality Question

ChiclidFan,
Regarding the water changes.

First, a bit of mathematics... to explain why the tank is funky with 15 gallons changed ouf of 75. When you do a 15/75 water change, that is 20%. If you do this once a week, you have 7 days of waste accumulated, less 20% or 7 x W(for days of waste) x (1-.20)for the stuff left after 20% waterchange. That is 5.6 W left in the tank. Now add 7 W and do another water change.... (5.6 W + 7 W)*(1-.20) = 10.08 W.... so you have still let the total waste in the tank go up after a 20% waterchange.

Eventually this reaches a steady state of D/wc where D is the days between water changes, in your case 7, and wc is the % of tank water changed, in your case 0.20. So, your tank settles out at 35 days of waste accumulated. So, that is the same as if you filled the tank up with totally fresh water and did no water changes for 35 days all the while feeding normally. If that seems a bit too long for you, then you need to step up the water changes.

Going to 33% each week will get you to a steady value of 21, just note what water level is 1/3 of the tank when draining. Make a hose out of tubing to fill and drain easier. Cost about $20. IF you guys ever want to get that CO2 set up I'll show you my tubing that I made.

[kewlkatdady]

Re: Basic Water Quality Question

test

...edit because I keep getting a 404 error...

the jist of it said do bigger water changes...

and good luck

[CichlidFan]

Re: Basic Water Quality Question

yes, I figured even with all them PH's, Cans, and even the W/D, still, the best thing to do is increase the volume of water per WC.

Thanks All

CF

[eklikewhoa]

Re: Basic Water Quality Question

I think it's something wrong with this thread cause like kewlkatdaddy I tried posting a long post and it gave me the 404 error as well.


All the powerheads/filters/w-d is just for filtration(water clarity), to keep from having dead spots and for better bio-filtration which results in Nitrates.

I would do much more water changes in your tanks.....I shoot for at least 40%.

[travlinmanus]

Re: Basic Water Quality Question

Water changes. I am not an expert but do read alot, ALOT. I read something years ago that i practice. Never do more than a 20-30% change. You are better off doing multiple changes of 20-30% (every 2-4 days)rather than large changes.  If you do test all your tanks and move small samples of fish to the tank that best matches you current tank.  Allways let your water sit 24 hrs before adding. Always test the water you add and adjust before adding to tank. Always get your water from the same source. For this reason i never buy water to add. Its better safe than sorry here. A large full tank can have several hundred dollars of fish to replace if you make a mistake.  Also, are the fish in the tank healthy? This will help in any transition.  Is this a long running tank? Over a year?  As noted in other posts, bacteria is as important as anything. Total water changes will change this. Again, I am no expert but these guidelins have served me well over the years...

[travlinmanus]

Re: Basic Water Quality Question

Betta tanks. I have several. What i do is dip water from a running tank. Better to add a gal or two back into the running tank than to start fresh. They have experts for your little friend here on the box.

[marauder_77868]

Re: Basic Water Quality Question

Nitrites is the problem. The tap water coming in in several areas of town have had a high level of nitrites for about the last 10 days. Test the tap water straight out of the tap. I've had a couple of fairly intense conversations with the municipal water supply people and they say it's supposed to resolve itself. Has to do with all the runoff from all that rain we had.

[Anonapersona]

Re: Basic Water Quality Question

Nitrites is the problem. The tap water coming in in several areas of town have had a high level of nitrites for about the last 10 days. Test the tap water straight out of the tap. I've had a couple of fairly intense conversations with the municipal water supply people and they say it's supposed to resolve itself. Has to do with all the runoff from all that rain we had.

A good reason to use Prime or any other water conditioner that addresses nitrites.

[szidlon]

Re: Basic Water Quality Question

I think it's something wrong with this thread cause like kewlkatdaddy I tried posting a long post and it gave me the 404 error as well.

Maybe due to some really, really voluminous posts there's been a size limit imposed.  Probably not, just a thought.  

[eklikewhoa]

Re: Basic Water Quality Question

I have heard about the high nitrite problem out the tap too but I think it's localized to the bellaire area.

I tested my waters and it's perfect as usual.

szidlon, It was a really long post that I tried to post so it could have been it.

[sproett]

Re: Basic Water Quality Question

I tried posting earlier and it wouldn't let me either.

[ItsDubC]

Re: Basic Water Quality Question

Just wanted to chime in on the issue w/ nitrite in the tapwater.  Recently I was experiencing some RCS deaths whenever I topped off the water in my 10g, so I tested the water and found it to contain somewhere between .25 and .5 ppm of nitrite.  At the time I was using Aquasafe as a dechlorinator since it also detoxifies heavy metals, but I've since switched to Prime to address the nitrite issue and haven't had any RCS deaths since.  Why the tapwater here contains this level of nitrite is both curious and a bit alarming.

[CichlidFan]

Re: Basic Water Quality Question

.25 to me, is an alarming number, did you double check those numbers?

CF

[wesleydnunder]

Re: Basic Water Quality Question

CF, I do anywhere from a 50% weekly change to a 90% on my discus two to three times a week. A healthy tank will have an "earthy" smell, similar to what Mzungu describes as a lake smell. An unhealthy tank can stink like low tide in the sun. Folks who ascribe the the EI method of plant fertilizing routinely do a weekly 50% partial to reset the tank, ensuring they don't overdose the tank with fert. High percentage water changes have long been practiced by discus keepers. You can do as much as a 90% change as long as there is not a significant difference in hardness between your tapwater and tankwater. In fact, the closer you keep the tankwater to the source water the better, IMO. In the event of a disaster, you can do a massive water change without causing osmotic shock to your fish if the GH and KH in the tankwater is the same as the source water.

Some folks I know age their water prior to doing their partials...I don't. I use a python and add the Prime while I'm refilling the tank. I've been doing this for years with no detrimental effects to my fish or inverts. I run the water over my hand to get the tapwater tem close to the tank's. It doesn't have to be exact. In fact, some fish are triggered to spawn by a temp. drop during water change time.

Firefish, your fish are gasping from nitrite poisoning. Nitrite inhibits the blood's ability to carry oxygen, so they gasp. As suggested, salt will help mitigate the effects of nitrite. Aquarium salt is an unnecessary expense, however. Table salt will work fine. No worries about iodide poisoning for your fish at the concentrations we use in FW tanks.

The red dust accumulating on the bottom of your filter is mulm, the same stuff that collects under UGF plates. It no doubt has some bacteria in it, but your beneficial bacteria are mostly adhered to surfaces, not floating in the water or as dust on the filter bottom.

Mark

[CichlidFan]

Re: Basic Water Quality Question

Good research data there Mark, are you by any chance a biologist, or have you learned these things over time and the internet?

CF