Aaron Posted April 18, 2004 Report Share Posted April 18, 2004 Hi i have been readiing through the fourms for over an hour now and have come across terms that im not firmilar with, and also have a few questions, if someone could set me straight that would be great. #1 first up whats a sump? #2 what is meant by a cycle? #3 how long is a cycle? #4 whats the ratio when changing water and how often do i change it? #5 whats the minimum time before i can introduce more fish to my aquarium (current only have two) #6 is there a general rule of thumb for the population in a community realiveant to the size of your tank in my case 60x30x35 #7 is it necessary to pump air into a tank and what is the reason behind this any help appriciated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatBrat Posted April 18, 2004 Report Share Posted April 18, 2004 Hi Aaron, I hope I can help with these questions. #1: A sump is a type of filter. #2: You can find a lot of info on cycling tanks if you do a search on google or genral fish keeping sites. #3: 4-8 weeks #4: I don't get what you mean by ratio when changing water, but you should change around 20-25% of the tanks water every 1-2 weeks. #5: Do not introduce your fish too quickly mayby every 2 weeks or so the bio load does not increace too quickly. #6: THe genral rule of thumb is 1 inch of fish per one gallon of water, but this is not a very good rule. It is mainly aimmed at small fish such as tetras. For example 6x 1 inch tetras have a much smaller mass than 1x 6 inch pleco. #7: It is not necessary to pump air into your tank, people do this to get more dissolve oxygen into the water. I hope that this helps. Cheers, CatBrat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron Posted April 18, 2004 Author Report Share Posted April 18, 2004 sweet thanx for that will look on google tonight bout cycling cheers catbrat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted April 18, 2004 Report Share Posted April 18, 2004 Well...A sump isn't exactly a type of filter. It's just an additional tank plumbed into the main tank. You CAN put media and things into it to make it a filter. It's also good for getting heaters and other equipment out of the main tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimera Posted April 26, 2004 Report Share Posted April 26, 2004 The % water change is usually dictated by how well your filtration (mechanical, chemical and biological) is setup. if you have poor filtration (say undergravel filter only) then 20% a week would be typical. if you had good filtration (undergravel filter, external canister filter etc) then 20% every 2 weeks might be fine. only you will know what is best by experience. on the contrary though, dont think that the best filtration will mean no water changes! even the best filtration devices cant remove all impurities from the water. a sump is generally a tank (external to your main tank) that holds all filtration equipment and performs mechanical and biological filtration on behalf of the main tank. usually for larger setups and usually for marine. the general rule of thumb for freshwater fish is 1cm per 30 - 36 square cm's (1 inch per 12-14 square inches) of water surface area. the general rule of thumb for saltwater is 1cm per 8 litres (1 inch per 4 gallons) of water volume. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted April 26, 2004 Report Share Posted April 26, 2004 I consider 20%/week to be an absolute minimum no matter how good your filtration is. Unless you've got a heavily planted tank. I do 50%/week on all my tanks. Just mean to say most of the advice you're going to get is heavily influenced by opinions and experiences, almost none is due to scientific study and experimentation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimera Posted April 27, 2004 Report Share Posted April 27, 2004 regarding personal experience - too true, hence my comment "only you will know by experience". i still tend to disagree with your "20% minimum weekly". if that is what you are used to, then continue. i started out with 20% every week then changed to 20% every 2 weeks after a couple of years and noticed no difference. fish are still happy, everything still stable etc. 50% i believe is too much. you shouldn't upset the chemistry of your water that much in one hit as it can stress the fish out (it would be hard to tell) unless you 1. have a massive tank or 2. are running into "water balance" problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted April 27, 2004 Report Share Posted April 27, 2004 The only time that would upset the chemistry of the tank significantly is if your tank conditions were really bad to begin with or you normally only make tiny changes so the chemisty drifts quite a bit from the water change water. Making 50% water changes the water is almost the same going in as is in the tank. Only just a bit cleaner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron Posted April 27, 2004 Author Report Share Posted April 27, 2004 considering i only have a 60L tank 20% is 12 or so liter's however what is considered to be heavly planted i have 10 plants in there @ the moment so how does this exactly effect the water, don't the plants absorb nitrates in turn, whitch is the whole point of changing the water to keep the nitrate levels under control? what happens if the nitrate levels drop too low will my plants die? i spose is a bit of a catch 22 situation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimera Posted April 27, 2004 Report Share Posted April 27, 2004 "Making 50% water changes the water is almost the same going in as is in the tank. Only just a bit cleaner." - What!!! have you ever tried dropping one of your fish into a bucket of tap water? did it live? if it did, did it swim around happily? no, i dont think so. as a general rule, stick to 50% in emergencies only (not saying you should change if this is what you usually do - just for anyone else beginning, keep it moderate and keep it regular - oh my god,... that sounds like a tampax ad) Aaron: 10 plants in a 60 litre tank if they are a good size, I would consider reasonably heavily planted (a 2 foot tank Im guessing?). And yes, plants take up nitrates which are produced as waste by fish. Plants use nitrates in smaller quantities than they are produced by fish though and hence the importance of regular water changes. More importantly though to maintain healthy plants, ensure good levels of CO2 and potassium. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted April 27, 2004 Report Share Posted April 27, 2004 Yes, as a matter of fact I have dropped my fish into buckets of tap water and they lived quite happily. My tap water is rain water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Posted April 27, 2004 Report Share Posted April 27, 2004 Ppl with the knowledge of fish keeping, would not use RAW tap water, some will use chemicals to rid it of chlorine. I for one, often do 50% or more water changes, BUT, using water that has been standing after being squirted into the container , for at least three days, often over a week. Most of these changes this size, is done on my baby tanks or containers. If the fish are use to this, they will not react. Alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted April 27, 2004 Report Share Posted April 27, 2004 Some of us have nothing added to the tap water Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimera Posted April 28, 2004 Report Share Posted April 28, 2004 ira - rain water can be worse than tap water - depending on where you live of course :-? auckland has supposedly one of the worst pollution levels in the world... wellies area having all those high winds is likely to carry away any pollutants Some of us have nothing added to the tap water same with me, all i add is 1/2 a cap of "cycle" to every 10-20 litres or so. that is why i opt for 20-25% water changes fortnightly and not anything larger. personally, i think its more detrimental adding dechlorinators and the likes to water than nothing at all (not to mention a high cost) all they tend to do is delay the inevitable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tamboe2001 Posted April 28, 2004 Report Share Posted April 28, 2004 in my 4 foot cichlid tank i only ever changed the water once a month and only bout 15% but i do over filter the tank with a 1600l?hr powerhead and aquaclear 500 hob filter neevr had any probs and always chechk the chemical levels eg. ph nitrates ammonium calcium and so on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyman98 Posted April 28, 2004 Report Share Posted April 28, 2004 chimera-i don't think auckland has one of the worst pollution levels in the world i can think of tons more places around the world that are far more polluted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wok Posted April 28, 2004 Report Share Posted April 28, 2004 With regards to water changes I only change on a monthly basis. i can usually tell it needs changing cause my orandas have a lot of poo floating around the bottom and when i do change I change around 50%. Fish have no problems with this as I also use about 6 squirts of Aquaplus and 3 table spoons of Salt. Fish are very happy after their water change. Then again i do give them some blood worms as a treat. Once again trial by error. if fish seem to be healthy then why bother. especially if you have a big tank. 4ft+ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron Posted April 28, 2004 Author Report Share Posted April 28, 2004 I also use about 6 squirts of Aquaplus and 3 table spoons ok then so whats the deal with adding salt then? and when can i do my first water change my tank is in its second week now with the fish in it onece i get a routine going all should be well ......i hope Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimera Posted April 28, 2004 Report Share Posted April 28, 2004 salt just keeps fish happy and healthy. a handful every water change in your tank should be sufficient do your first water change in another 2 weeks, or perhaps 10% now wouldnt hurt? andy - i said it has one of the worst, not the worst.only going on what i've read... "The health effects of air pollutants are a major concern in the Auckland Region because of the prevalence of respiratory and heart disease in our population. The Auckland Region has one of the highest asthma rates in the world. Between 12 and 23% of adults in the Region are asthmatic, and asthma is the fourth highest cause of hospitalisation in the region. Overall, New Zealand has the fifth highest rate of chronic obstructive respiratory disease (CORD) in the world, and as a group, Maori have the highest rate of CORD in the world. The highest cause of death in the region is coronary heart disease. Any increase in the rate of hospitalisation or the use of medications due to air pollution is a huge cost to society." http://www.arc.govt.nz/arc/environment/air/air-pollution/ "In Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch air pollution levels regularly exceed levels deemed safe by the World Health Organisation. The Auckland Regional Council states Auckland's carbon monoxide pollution is higher than London's and that living in Auckland cuts around one year off the average life expectancy." http://www.greens.org.nz/searchdocs/PR3335.html Good to see we are keeping that clean green image. We dont even have emissions standards in our cars, I think we're the only country in the OECD that dont!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish_Tank Posted May 2, 2004 Report Share Posted May 2, 2004 a handful every water change in your tank should be sufficient erm.....I think a "handfull" in a 2' tank would kill the fish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Posted May 2, 2004 Report Share Posted May 2, 2004 Depends how big ya hand is doesn't it? Let's get specific. I use one teaspoon of rocksalt, not iodised, per gallon. WorK that out for a ten gallon tank. About a handful? Don't forget that every gallon you take out, to replace the equivelent salt. BUT any water that is being used to replace evaporation doesn't have salt. Alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tamboe2001 Posted May 2, 2004 Report Share Posted May 2, 2004 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- salt just keeps fish happy and healthy. a handful every water change in your tank should be sufficient -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- there have been scientific tests done that states that salt i freswater tanks attacks the gills and respitory system in fish so i say if you want to suffocate your fish dont bother with the salt just throw them out the back on the lawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbo w Posted May 3, 2004 Report Share Posted May 3, 2004 Chimera, I use dechlorinators in my water when I do partial water changes (about 15% weekly). What do you mean the "inevitable"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MGilchrist Posted May 3, 2004 Report Share Posted May 3, 2004 Depends how big ya hand is doesn't it? Let's get specific. I use one teaspoon of rocksalt, not iodised, per gallon. WorK that out for a ten gallon tank. About a handful? Don't forget that every gallon you take out, to replace the equivelent salt. BUT any water that is being used to replace evaporation doesn't have salt. Alan hmmmmm one teaspoon = little pixie hands 100 gallon tank = call a giant :lol: :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Posted May 3, 2004 Report Share Posted May 3, 2004 Ummmmmm Gilly I tspn / gallon ~ten gallons / ten tspns. OR Ten pixie hands = One trolls hand. Alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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