KonaBoy

Quick question.

I was told to change the water in my 15 gallon tank about once a week. So to do this, do I just put back in the same amount I take out? (Like if I take out 4 cups, put 4 back in). If I do, do I need to let the water sit, or can I just put it in? Thanks,


Cory

steveangela1

I am a waterchanging obsessor... and when I do it I take out 25-50 percent of the water and no you don't have to let the water sit before you put the new water back in it, just ad the declorinator (start right, stress coat) just make sure that whatever you use has a chlorine and clorimine remover (some city water companies use clorimine to keep the clorine in the water longer). I have a bucket that I use just for fish tanks only, and that way no chemicals get put in it (cleaners, etc) and I use that to put my water to refill my tanks.

I also test the water enough after water changes w/ a clorine test kit to know that it is a safe way to do your water changes, I always show 0 on my clorine.

AggieYen

Also, part of the water change process is to vacuum your gravel to get the waste/gunk out of it. As uneaten food and waste decomposes in your gravel, it releases ammonia which is harmful to your fish. To do this, there are many gravel vacuums available - what they do is siphon water out of your tank, while sucking out the yucky stuff from your gravel (you have to stick one end deep into the gravel to get at the yucky stuff). That way you don't have to scoop out the water from your tank, which can be quite tiring on the arms if you have a bigger tank I have two buckets - one to collect the old water siphoned out, and another bucket only for new water. Make sure you put dechlorinator/conditioner in the new water BEFORE pouring it into the tank. One of the best conditioners out there would be Prime, although there are many other good ones out there.