W/C'S EVERY OTHER DAY

[jim_shedden]

I have been very busy work wize as of late and I have not been able to do my 30% water changes every day. I have instead been only able to do a 30 % w/c every other day but I am very surprised to see that my pidgeon bloods have lost most of their stress coloration. Everyone else seems a lot happier as well. It makes me think that the w/c's every day is too stressful on them or could it be something in my holding tank that stress's them out ? I aerate the holding tanks for 24 hours to remove the chlorine and there is no chlorimines. All my paramiters are good and constant. Any ideas?

Jim

[DarkDiscus]

Jim,

That's a good question. I have been recently doing water changes twice a day a few times a week and only once on the off days, plus I have been spending more time wiping down and cleaning filters. It seems the more time I spend with them, the LESS stressed they are. I guess the get used to my ugly mug, or something.

When I was only doing the daily changes, it also did seem to me that the fish were less stressed if I wasn't messing with the tank every day.

So what's the point? LOTS of attention = less stress. LESS attention = less stress.

Anybody else have a take on this?

John

[fcdiscus]

Some good points! Personally, I have found that in properly stocked tanks, WC every other day is fine, and in over crowded tanks-( something I am guilty of )- a daily change is best. Frank

[Carol_Roberts]

Hi Jim:
Is the pH of the water in your holding tanks the same as the pH in the fish tanks?

I've found in my moderately hard well water that 24 hours with an airstone doesn't do much. That why I use a pond pump to agitate the water. I've accidently had to do 80% water changes (left the siphon in the tank too long : ) and the discus don't even notice it.

I agree with Frank. Every other day is fine for adults in a clean, lightly stocked tank.

Carol

[midnight1]

???follow up question - kind off.

i'm new too this and i would think that saying a xxx% of water change daily would be incorrect without knowing the size of tank, size of fish and number of fish. wouldn't those items make a huge difference on the number of changes and percentage needed? i would think that a 55 gallon with 50 - 2" fish would need more frequent and larger changes than a 55 gal with 20 - 2" fish - or is this a wrong assumtion. also does the type of fish food use affect the number of changes and percentage as well or not? can the changed water be re-cleaned (rejuvinated) so it can be reused again - too me it seems like alot of water gets wasted and i know my municiple water is expensive.

midnight

p.s. - on a different note - i've been told that using a r/o machine produces both r/o water and waste water. is this true and about how much of each? also is the "waste" water just the same as the water going into the r/o machine?

any help would be appreciated - thanks in advance

[RAWesolowski]

Midnight,

You are right in that water change percentage is a simplification. Water changes should be based upon the fish "load" of the aquarium and the parameters that you are trying to affect. A similar situation is done by aquarists with planted aquaria. They talk in watts per gallon when they should be talking about light intensity or lumens.

You find that breeders with heavy fish loads, lots of fry or saleable fish in a tank, will do 100% water changes per day. I try to change 30% per day because of the fish load.

A RO system produces 3 to 6 gallons of waste water for every gallon that the unit makes. The efficiency increases with a new membrane and higher intake water temperatures. The older the membrane and the lower the intake temperature, the greater the waste.

[jim_shedden]

I have been doing w/c's every other day for 2 weeks now and I must admit that the fish seem to be less stressed but the tanks do not look nearly as clean.

Jim