Water change + filter

[aaroncm]

I have three new questions today =p

How often should I change the water, and how much? the tank has about 93-95 Liters of water - and only one Betta, no other fish.

It also has a filter, it's fairly new (second hand) tank, but with an old filter cartridge thing, should I buy a new one?

and I've had this Betta for a few weeks now, I assume that time doesn't really matter and putting some more small fish in the tank wouldn't do any harm? (Of course, not more Betta's) =p

Thanks =)

[Sapphoira]

Originally Posted by aaroncm

I have three new questions today =p

How often should I change the water, and how much? the tank has about 93-95 Liters of water - and only one Betta, no other fish.

It also has a filter, it's fairly new (second hand) tank, but with an old filter cartridge thing, should I buy a new one?

and I've had this Betta for a few weeks now, I assume that time doesn't really matter and putting some more small fish in the tank wouldn't do any harm? (Of course, not more Betta's) =p

Thanks =)

So that's like, 25 gallons right? Did you cycle the filter, or are you in the process of cycling the filter? And as far as other fish go, if my calculations are correct and you have about 25 gallons then you can absolutely put more fish in, as long as they are the proper tankmates! However, if you are still learning the ins and outs of having a filtered tank you may want to wait a bit to put more fish in, some species are less hardy than bettas and if you are doing a fish - in filter cycle the betta can handle it but some others may not be able to.

[Sapphoira]

Oh and definitely replace the old cartridge, you never know what the old owner treated the tank with and you don't want to contaminate your setup.

[aaroncm]

Oh ok thanks. Well I have been running the filter for a while now, I did wash it but I'll grab a new cartridge thing tomorrow =)

It's still cycling I guess, the setup is fairly new. =)

[Sapphoira]

Filter media soaks up anything the water has ever been treated with, so like if it was ever medicated and not replaced then you could be introducing medication unhealthy for your fish. And since all the old beneficial bacteria will have died off, there's really no reason not to replace it! Do you have another cycled tank you can introduce some bacteria from to speed up the process?

[aaroncm]

Unfortunately no, this is my second tank but the previous one I was only using for about 2 weeks without a filter =)

Any tips? Anything I could buy?

Thanks =)

[Hallyx]

I certainly agree with Sapphoira regarding the filter cartridge.

It would be nice if you could get some gravel or filter media seeded with live nitrifying bacteria, to help kickstart your cycle.

Failing that, you might try Tetra Safestart or Dr Tim's One-and-only. They say they have the right bacteria. But you don't need that, especially with such a large tank, just a lot of patience.

The most important thing is just keep your ammonia <0.25ppm. The cycle will "just happen."

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

[aaroncm]

Thanks for the info, it's looking well so far, I got some real plants and new pebbles so they stay in properly. I'll upload some images tomorrow =)