Water Changes

[Muz SA]

My new system i am planning is just over 1000L, I have been reading a lot about water changes, some guys doing from 30% twice a week to 30% daily.. this seems to be quite a big difference in husbandary.

I wanted to know with such a large water volume, will it still be necessary to achieve a 30% daily water change ??? I only have a small R/O unit that can maybe do 100L a day if i always look after it and it runs most of the day.. so in order to keep discus successfully will I have to get to 30% daily or can I get away with less due to water volume.

Appreciated

Muz

[taksan]

Depends on stocking level but if its fully stocked WC % levels don't change. If your R/O makes 700L a week I'd be doing 2 x 350L WC's a week and stocking accordingly.

[Barry N]

1000L capacity will cushion some of the fluctuations you would get in a smaller tank. Use all of your RO over 2 water changes like Taksan said.

Watch your stocking levels though, but the big capacity will help. If it's planted well,make sure your maintenance is up to speed. Dying or decaying plants are a shocker, even in a big tank.

I change 300L 2 times a week on my 1200L, but on my 450L, change 200L 4 times a week. Breeding tanks get lots more. Just seems to be the magic formula. :)

[Gone Fishing]

1000L capacity will cushion some of the fluctuations you would get in a smaller tank. Use all of your RO over 2 water changes like Taksan said.

Watch your stocking levels though, but the big capacity will help. If it's planted well,make sure your maintenance is up to speed. Dying or decaying plants are a shocker, even in a big tank.

I change 300L 2 times a week on my 1200L, but on my 450L, change 200L 4 times a week. Breeding tanks get lots more. Just seems to be the magic formula. :)Hi all,
Surely you don't have to change that much water, that often?
I keep a 200ltr planted tank with (3) small bristlenose, (2) congo's, (2) clown loaches and (1) small discus and (2) medium sized discus. They are doing well all doing well and they look happy, but only do (1) 50% water change every weekend.
Believe it or not the medium discus are a couple and they have just started to spawn. So, I must not be doing too bad.
Mind you, I did make a small addition to my trickle filter setup. I drilled many small holes in some plastic container lids and popped them just on top of the filter pads, which NOW utilizes the whole surface area of the filter system and I change the filter pad once a week.
I also use a "Purigen" pouch and "Eheim" filter media under the filter pad. I think this is a must, and it was recommended to me by my LFS(Local Fish Shop), who had over 25years experience and I heard many good write ups about these two products and I have not been disappointed either.
I was going to setup a breeding tank about 2 foot tank with sponge filter and you know, they're not going to get more than three 50% water changes a week.

[Barry N]

Congratulations on the pair in the tank :D

The amount of water changes depends on stocking/filtration/personal preference. Trickle filters help go a long way to keeping the water 'happy' for discus. Sounds like a great setup you have there.

I'm a bit old school so like my water changes - I also feel that my current regime is best for my discus. EG A 4x2x2 has 10 x adults, 15 rummy nose, 15 black neons, 15 corys and 10 BN - overstocked so I need the water changes - from the adults I have 3 true pairs = chaos in a display tank!

Breeding and grow out tanks are more suck it and see - personally i find better growth on daily W/C's.

Still trying to talk the better half into more breeding and grow out tanks. :lol:

[Gone Fishing]

Yeh... Ha Ha!

Right...Good luck in that venture!

I can only dream of that. The best I can do, so far, is to convince her of the desperate neeeeeeed of a breeder tank.

What do you know I got good advise from Bruce from 'Strictly Aquariums' at Yagoona, who had over 20yrs of personal experience, and also from Wayne from 'Extreme Aquariums' at Taren Point.
Wayne quoted me; $45(1-24"/18"/12") tank
$12.95(sponge filter MED)
$25 (100w heater)

and suggested I paint all sides (except the front-OF COURSE)

The last place I priced this combination it cost me about $150.
If you do your sums, this is about $82
Thats where I'm going!!

Thanks for the kind words!
Jason

[ILLUSN]

Surely you don't have to change that much water, that often?

That actually sounds about right i go through 500L EVERY NIGHT with changes in the fishroom (total capacity 3000L)

[Greggy]

If you are keeping Discus I would not advise doing less than a single 50% water change each and every week. It is even better to perform two 33% water changes a week compared to a single 50% water change, however I know how difficult it can be finding the time, so I just do a single 50% water change on Saturday mornings as part of my weekly 'ritual'.

As stated above the fish load, filtration used and how heavily the tank is planted will also have an large effect on what water change regime you can get away with. For example, some heavily planted tanks (like mine) do not build up Nitrate (NO3) as the plants consume more than the biological filtration produces from the fish waste etc, so NO3 is not a worry for me at the moment. I actually have to add some KNO3 once or twice a week just to keep NO3 levels at around 20ppm!

However other undesirables (such as fish hormones and TDS etc) in the water are not removed by plants (although most nasties actually are) and so water changes are still very important even in heavily planted tanks.

If my 650L Discus tank was not planted I am sure I would need to do two 50% water changes per week to keep the system healthy, but right now once per weeks seems to be enough.

But at the end of the day each and every tank is different. If you would prefer smaller water changes less often I strongly advise you go with a lightly stocked but heavily planted tank with strong light (and perhaps CO2 injection) as that way your plants will take care of many of the problems faced with small infrequent water changes.

Regards,

Greggy

[ozarowana]

Feeding regime, age of your fish and what you want to achieve will also affect how much water you change.