Tank cleanings

[LadyVictorian]

So today I changed 50%...more like 75% of my tank water and vacumed out all the extra food in the pebbles with a medical syringe (I have like 50 from back when I got a boat load from the vet to my mouse's medication and steroids) added in the new water and turned the filter back on but then I remembered with my old tanks I use to do a full water change every week and I wonder do I still need to do a full water change once a week with a 5 gal tank that has a filter?

I guess with my old tanks they didn't have filters and they were only 2 1/2 gal tanks so they needed more cleaning and some serious deep cleaning every week. Like how many times a week should I do a 100% water change or would I only do 100% every other week and then one 50% twice a week?

[Bettanewbie60]

Originally Posted by LadyVictorian

So today I changed 50%...more like 75% of my tank water and vacumed out all the extra food in the pebbles with a medical syringe (I have like 50 from back when I got a boat load from the vet to my mouse's medication and steroids) added in the new water and turned the filter back on but then I remembered with my old tanks I use to do a full water change every week and I wonder do I still need to do a full water change once a week with a 5 gal tank that has a filter?

I guess with my old tanks they didn't have filters and they were only 2 1/2 gal tanks so they needed more cleaning and some serious deep cleaning every week. Like how many times a week should I do a 100% water change or would I only do 100% every other week and then one 50% twice a week?

I only do 1 50% and one about 75% with a vacuum. I rarely do 100% unless for some reason the tank looks filthy. This is with my 5g filtered.

[LebronTheBetta]

With a filter, it's not recommended to do 100% changes as the BB in the gravel will die off and so will the BB all over the tank. Just do 2 50% changes until your tank is fully cycled. :)

[LadyVictorian]

Okay thanks, I'll break it down 2 50% rather than one 50% and one 100%, makes it easier for me and the fish I think. Also you talked about until the tank is fully cycled. I was looking into getting a shrimp but all my friends back in MN who keep tanks said this "DON'T GET A SHRIMP UNTIL YOUR TANK HAS BEEN FULLY CYCLED FOR AT LEAST THREE MONTHS." Is this true? Are shrimp easily killed off by a tank that hasn't been fully cycled for a while?

Also in regards to cleaning my filter, just rinse it off, no aggressive hot water rinse offs because of the good bacteria in the filter right? Just enough to wash the crud out. Also I do suck up the uneaten food with a syringe (hopefully will change when I get a shrimp), though since I AM cycling the tank should I actually leave the food IN the gravel until it has been fully cycled? I mean shouldn't that honestly help the process along? I thought about it while I was cleaning it out but then all those floaties, I just couldn't leave them in and have them float.

[LebronTheBetta]

Shrimps are actually pretty fragile so you might want to add them after the cycle. The cycle can take up to 1 month. Some cases 2 months. @.@
You rinse the filter with your TANK water, not tap as the bacteria will be washd with chlorine. Yes, just make sure it's not that messy and you're fine. Remember not to off the filter more than 6 hours as the BB would die off. You should use a gravel siphon as it's SO much easier to suck up food. You take out the unwanted food as that can produce a spike.

[LadyVictorian]

O.O OH NO I USED TAP TODAY THEN SANK IT IN THE CONDITIONED WATER AAAAAAAAAAA...I have to start over starting from today -head desks- I didn't even think about that, my old home had well water where the only issue we had was iron making the water hard water. Well it's okay, I only had about five days invested in that and I'm doing a cycle with the fish IN the tank. So all my aquarium keeper friends were correct then? Wait until the tank is cycled or doom my shrimp? Well...I'll wait a good safe two months then before running out to buy shrimp so as not to kill them. I have never actually had a shrimp in the tank before only a snail and I wasn't a fan of the snail. It seemed to only make the water get dirty faster. I was thinking of a frog as well as a tank partner but am debating that because they are rather large and just might muck up the tank too quick. Still debating and I really like the blue tiger shrimp (expensive guy, now you see why I wouldn't want to kill him off after only a day o.o)

xD ha, and the gravel siphon does make tank cleaning easy but my betta is so small I'm afraid to get one yet because I have nightmares of his beautiful tail or face getting stuck even if the suction isn't strong enough. Plus I am OCD in general. Aquarius found that out today as I sucked up all the debris in his tank. He followed me and watched me and sometimes tried to grab a snack but today is his fasting day so it was a race to keep him from eating. He's such a smart guy though, he knew my kicking up the gravel would knock lose some food he missed
>.<

[Hallyx]

Using a test kit to test for ammonia (and later for nitrites and nitrates) is an efficient way to assure safe water for your fish as well as enough ammonia to feed your cycle.

Just perform as many water changes as you have to in order to keep your ammonia below 0.25ppm.

Read:http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/b...ecific-107771/

And then ask Lebron, the fish-in cycling expert.