Water Changes - How to do it
Water Changes - How to do it
Written by Monday, 19 May 2003 02:00
For many reasons, water changes are a must if someone is to expect a healthy aquarium. A healthy aquarium could be defined as one in which fish prosper, spawn, feed and live as they would in nature (or very close to that). It is also an aquarium in which diseases are rare and the fish look (and are) healthy. Everybody knows that to do this you have to take into account many parameters, among them the kind and number of fish you have, the tank size, the filtration system, even the kind of food you are using. All these parameters have to be taken into account if we are to maintain our tank correctly.
The first question any serious fish keeper should ask himself is "How often" to change water and "How much" water to change. Let's make something very clear from the beginning. I am not an expert, I do not have a degree in Ichthyology, I have lost some fish, too, and definitely I have learned (and continue to learn) from others. What I am depositing here is the way I work with my tanks, the reason I am doing it and how does that pay back. There are tens of ways to maintain your tanks effectively - I know that. I am about to tell you how I organized my water changes, the penalty for loving fish.
Take notes. If you have many tanks (as I do) then you must get organized. You can schedule your water changes to alternate or to do them all at the same time. You can also make a list the previous day (after closely examining your tanks) what must be done during the water change in each tank and when it should be done. I always have a notebook to keep notes. For example, if algae must be removed, this must be done before the water change, not after. If you have to remove your filters, net the floating leaves or uproot a plant, this must be done before, too. If you need to add plant fertilizer, this must be done after the change. Taking notes will make sure that you will not forget anything and that everything will be done in the correct order. Furthermore, keeping these sheets in a file will be a great help when you want to check when was the last time you changed your filter material, added a medication or activated charcoal (sort of maintenance log).
Prepare the stuff you will need. Use a table with a large surface and arrange the tools and chemicals. All tools should be cleaned before, a towel, bucket and notebook should be at hand. As you can see in the picture, I use my own chemicals and mix them. Of course, I belong to the lucky ones, since I only keep cichlids from the African Rift Lakes (95% from Lake Malawi) therefore I have only one chemistry to deal with. Chemicals include (but are not limited to) : Calcium Chloride, Calcium sulfate, Magnesium sulfate, Sodium bicarbonate, Sodium and Potassium Chloride. The ready made products include Activated carbon, Tap water conditioner, Clear Ease, Green and Grow, Wound protection etc. You can probably substitute all these jars and bottles with your favorite aquarium salt. In the two metal bowls you can see the tools (which are only used in the tanks - not in the household). These include (among others): syringe barrels (1, 5, 10, 30 and 60 ml), tea and table spoons, scissors, tonsils (large and small), thermometer, nylon bags, empty test tubes, special sponges, Teflon bands etc.
First I check my list for every tank I am to deal with. The first stage is to mix the chemicals and dissolve them (usually in hot water). Never pour the chemicals in the tank in their powder form. You may even "burn" your fish. Then the jar is left aside to cool a bit. If a chemical is not completely dissolved in your pot, wait a minute till the not dissolved part precipitates and then pour the dissolved part in a bigger canister (like the 4-liter orange one in the photo). Add more hot water in your pot and mix it again till all salts are dissolved. Repeat as many times as needed. You may also add the tap water conditioner at this stage.
Replace the water which was lost due to evaporation before the water change. If you don't do this every time, you will end up with a marine tank (the salt concentration will increase with every change). The 500 liter mbuna tank is shown here. This is a very important step and it should be done between water changes as well. You should mark the level of the water after a water change and then make sure that you add water at regular intervals so the water level is kept close to that mark. Keepers of marine tanks are very cautious on this matter but I have seen many freshwater hobbyists neglecting this.
Next comes the algae scrubbing. Usually a magnet pad is enough to remove the algae which is trying to attach itself on the glass. If you don't do that every 1-2 weeks, then you will have to use a razor blade to remove it (and risk a glass scratching). Use magnets which have the right "power" for the kind of glass you are going to scrab. A medium sized magnet is used for the 45 liter tank (6 mm glass - left photo) while a very strong one is used in the 1.300 liter tank (18 mm glass - right photo). This action should be done at this stage in order to remove the tiny algae particles from the water column when the water is removed. If these particles are left long enough, they will attach again on the glass (or any support they come close to) and your work will not show.
If the magnet is going to be used in more than one tanks, always wash it thoroughly between tanks with plenty of hot water. Otherwise, you may transfer diseases from tank to tank (carry over). If the inner part of the magnet scrapper falls on the sand gravel always remove the sand from its surface to avoid scratching the glass. Even a few tiny sand grains can do considerable damage to your glass.
Check your filter's outlet. If the flow is not the expected one then you need to clean the filter intake or even change part of its filtering material.
Never change all the filter material at the same time. All beneficial bacteria will be lost. Use a bucket filled with old aquarium water to clean it. In these photos, the outlets of two commonly used filters are shown. A water pump is shown in the lower photo (2.300 liters / hour) and a normal internal sponge filter (950 liters / hour - top photo). These photos indicate that both filter chambers are still not clogged. This is the time to clean all sponges or other media used for "coarse" mechanical filtration. Remove plant leaves and uneaten food particles from them.
A reduced water flow should always alert you. The bacteria colony can't breath and will soon die (useful bacteria are aerobic which means that they need oxygen), further polluting the water. In African cichlid tanks this means a sudden rise in ammonia level which is fatal. Your filter heads (containing the motors) are also not cooled enough and the motor is forced to overwork, which shortens the equipments life. Last, but not least, oxygen levels will drop and carbon dioxide levels will rise in your tank because of insufficient surface agitation (reduced rate of gas exchange). The first bad sign is fish gasping for air at the water surface. I would like to emphasize the fact that a clogged filter will kill all fish in a tank very quickly, this is not a slow procedure. Depending on the stocking level of the tank and the feeding habits of the owner, this may happen overnight. I know a good number of hobbyists that lost many fish because of clogged filters. For unexplainable reasons, most hobbyists may check their heaters, air pumps etc, but very often neglect their filters.
Before wetting your hands wash them with a neutral soap. Rinse them well with water as soap shouldn't enter your tanks. Then, unplug all electric devices, with dry hands. This is a very serious step and you should always do it. Never risk an electric shock. This is of outmost importance for people dealing with Africans because the water is filled with salts, which means that the shock may be fatal.
Remove any items that you don't want in your tank anymore. This is the time to remove any plants or decorations you don't want, rearrange, add, remove or secure rocks, trim your plants etc. In this photo I am removing a large piece of Hygrophila corymbosa from my 1.300 liter tank which was almost completely uprooted during the normal excavating activities of the Africans. Leaving such a piece in the tank means that it will soon clog one of the sponges and reduce water flow in your filters. This piece was later planted in my 500 mbuna tank to grow again. Have I told you that I haven't bought any new plants for the last two years? I have four fully planted tanks just by replanting uprooted or cut plants.
Prepare the tank for the water change. Make the necessary connections. If you have a hole drilled in your tank, make sure the hose is securely attached (see photo). Always place a big bucket under this connection to be on the safe side. If you haven't done so, unplug the heaters to avoid breaking them (this is the step I miss most often, my pet shop is sick and tired of me buying new heaters). Also unplug the pumps and filters (if their inlets are to be exposed during the change). This is very important for large tanks because the water level will take too much time to raise and cover them again. In case you have any timers attached to sockets which will be unplugged, remember to set the correct time after the change is over, otherwise you may see your lights being turned on at midnight.
When the water level reaches the preset mark you should start the filling procedure. The photo shows the 45 liter tank after removing 80% of the water (every two weeks). The water removed is used in the garden. Ideally, you should fill your tank with water at the same temperature as the one you removed. However, in some cases this in impractical (e.g. when refilling the 1300 liter tank with 500+ liters of water). In this case, add the water in small "portions" (I use 200 liter steps) and allow the heaters to raise its temperature by 1-2 degrees before getting on. Remember that in winter months, you could feed less and make smaller water changes which won't alter the temperature of your tank by more than 2-3 degrees. I can guarantee you that your fish can deal with it.
Now, remember to add the salts and any other chemicals needed. Ideally this should be done while the new water is added - not afterwards. I add the salts and the tap conditioner while filling, the rest can wait. In this picture, Clear Ease (a cleaning agent from Mydor) is added, which is used to aggregate small particles and make the water crystal clear. Note: these products reduce the pH of your tank rapidly (my pH drops from 8.3 to 7.8 in one minute). The use of syringes is strongly advised (use the barrels only, remove the needles before using them). There are two very good points for using them: accuracy at small volumes (e.g. 1 - 10 ml) and the fact that there is no direct contact of the chemicals with your hands. In most cases, add the chemical slowly (drop-wise for small volumes) next to the outlet of your strongest filter. This will allow the quick dilution of it. Note: chemicals added at small quantities (one ml per gallon or less) are not meant to stay concentrated for a long time. Following this simple and easy step will cost you nothing but may mean a lot to your fish.
Add new activated carbon every month. I add approximately 80 grams of new super activated charcoal in my 1300 liter tank every month (or 120 grams of normal activated carbon). When the nylon stocking (which can hold approximately 560 grams) is filled, I throw it and start all over with a new one. When you start the procedure again, the first change should be done sooner than normal, or when you think the water is yellow tinted. Place the carbon holder in a suitable place (preferably just before the end of the filtration scheme you are using). Ideally, it should be placed after the biological filtration section. Although beyond the scope of this article, I regard the following scheme as the best: Coarse mechanical filtration (sponges) --> fine mechanical filtration (normal filtering material) --> biological filtration (porous particles) --> chemical filtration (carbon). The photo shows the way I use the stocking to add new carbon every month. Each time I tie a knot and the quantity in this part stays as is till the stocking is full. It takes approximately 5 months to use the whole length of the stocking (in the photo I am about to fill the fourth part). The stocking is then placed in a way that will ensure that almost all water coming out from the biological compartment will pass through it.
Well, that was all. Of course, it is a great deal of work and you should feel tired by now. I know. It happens to me every 2-3 weeks. It is the small fee we have to pay for falling in love with these beauties. However, there are some ways to make it more enjoyable. Yes, there are. It is the best time to play with your cichlids, tease them, feel their skins and fins, allow them to bite you (my finger for food !!), allow them to stay close to your hands, allow them to show you that they know and trust you. Just see the Nimbochromis polystigma in the photo. After every water change they will always come and play with my hand. Believe it or not, this "play" may last for as long as you want. Who knows? Perhaps it is their only way to say "Thanks".
Francesco Zezza, (Italy): Francesco adds that a "siphon" cleaning of the gravel should be performed periodically. Siphoning removes debris, dendritus built up, uneaten food, solid fish waste etc. I must confess that the reason I forgot to include siphoning the gravel is the very simple fact that I very rarely do it. I may have a ticking bomb in my tank but I usually remember it well after the change is over.
Frank Panis (Belgium): Frank has a different way of doing his water changes. His method makes a lot of sense. However, what stroke me is the fact that he uses an "oxydator" (this is the brand name of the product) in the first compartment of his filter. This unit contains a form of "sustained - release" hydrogen peroxide (6%) which is slowly dissolved, releasing pure oxygen. This (apart from helping the fish, which is obvious) helps the bacteria colony on the filter to thrive.
Related Articles:
A List of Famous Don'ts, Marina Parha, George J. Reclos and Francesco Zezza
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