can someone dumb down water changes for me

521 Views 5 Replies 3 Participants Last post by Alcemistnv, May 22, 2012

harchambeault

Discussion Starter · May 22, 2012

Sorry, very new to this..

2 gallon tank, no filter. I was planning on doing a 50% change once/week, and a 100% change once/week. ( yes?)
So for a 50% water change, leave fish in, take out 1/2 water. Then just add clean water (with water conditioner)....so just pour it in slowly? Should I use warmer water out of the tap, check the temp, and then pour in 76 degree water? Also, someone mentioned siphoning to not wreck a bubble nest, is this necessary, and if so, what do I do with it during the %100 change?

Then the %100 change...so i catch fishy and let him swim in his own water while I clean tank. Same question as above, do I add warm, conditioned water, then reintroduce him to his tank slowly....like submerging the cup? Am I supposed to add the old water that's in his cup back to the tank?

My biggest question is that we were told to let his water sit over night. The info from the tank says to wait 24hours when setting up tank before adding fish...so am I supposed to do that every time?
Any other tips appreciated!!!
Thanks

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Alcemistnv

· #2 · May 22, 2012 (Edited)

What I do is fairly simple, but took some training to do xD

100%:
First, I remove the Eel and Buddha statue from Buddha's tank. I rinse them under hot water and put them in a clean area.

I then have him swim into the net, and I put him in a container (a decent sized tupperware) with warm water (he likes this a LOT. He's made bubble nests in there a few times in just a short amount of time xD)

Then I pour the water out. I scoop out all the rocks and pour hot water over them (while shaking them a bit to get excess poop/food off), and place them in a separate tupperware.

I then fully clean the tank (remember, no soap!) and make sure the inside AND outside are cleaned out. I also remove all the gravel "dust" and leftover pieces that don't end up getting tossed into the tupperware.

After putting everything back together, I put the appropriate amount of water in, and then put Buddha back in. I usually have the water at the same temperature as the tupperware, so he doesn't go into shock.

For 50%, it's basically the same except I remove half the water, and get rid of half the gravel to rinse out. I noticed that the gravel holds a lot of garbage so I try to clean it out as best as I can. :/

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harchambeault

Discussion Starter · #3 · May 22, 2012

thanks, I'm attempting my 1st water change tomorrow...just want to do it right

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Alcemistnv

· #4 · May 22, 2012

In my recent adventures with water changing (I've had Buddha for about 4 months now) I haven't run into any issues besides the ick scares. Also, getting him into the tupperware used to prove to be an issue because he was terrified of the net and I didn't want to rip his fins (you need to be careful of that!)

Now he knows that the net is nice and he swims into it, making changing time easier xD

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Bombalurina

· #5 · May 22, 2012

For 100% changes, you need to reacclimatise them slowly, as if it were their first time in the tank. Let the cup or bag they are in float for at least ten minutes in the tank to adjust to temperature, but also make sure that you add a little bit of water from the tank into the cup/bag every five minutes to allow them to adjust to the new water chemistry, too.

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Alcemistnv

· #6 · May 22, 2012

I don't think it's bad that Buddha doesn't get reacclimated, but I want to start doing it. He just seems to be okay, as long as he's in water xD

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