mizuno53

Someone correct me if I’m wrong. I’m very new at this. I’ve only had my Neon’s for not even a week. But when I do the water change don’t I put the water out the night before with a cover on it. So the temperature isn’t a shock to them, and with the Aqua Safe, Black Water Extract, and Aquarium Salt already mixed in so they won’t stress out, and the water going in is already conditioned. I also have a heater in the tank that I have not turned on yet because the temperature has stayed a constant 75/76 in the tank. Should I turn it on and set it to 73 so it doesn’t drop below 70? I know I’ll need it this winter.

Gargoyle

Um... To the best of my knowledge you don't need to do all that. This is what I do... Also please forgive me if this sounds silly to you I am just listing the steps I take.

1) drain water
2) Fill bucket with water and add "dechlorinate" while I am filling
3) test water temp of water in bucket to ensure it is within 1 degree of the tank water
4) Pour water into tank until tank is full again

I do not add anything else to my water. To me this is "new" water and needs nothing but the chlorine to be removed form it. I have never added "salts" for any reason as I believe it is not needed in anything but saltwater.

I would also set the heater to 74 just to be safe. Large temperature fluctuations can sometimes stress fish leading to sickness.. "sometimes".

Hope this helps some.

Faye Rod

Hello and welcome - This is a great place to get all of the info you need to have a healthy aquarium.

It says in your info that you don't know about the nitrogen cycle - a first step is to read the beginner's articles. It sounds complicated at first but as you get advice everything goes back to learning about the cycle.

Do you have a liquid test kit to know what is happening in your tank? The API kit is recommended on this site and the tests will let you know if the ammonia is beginning in the tank - most people recommend to do the cycle fishless. That is covered in more of the beginners articles.

Back to your original question:
I do water changes exactly the same way as Gargoyle and the fish seem to love the fresh water. No salt or other additives besides Prime or Aquasafe or other water conditioners that take away the chlorine and heavy metals in the replacement water.

susitna-flower

Faye Rod and Gargoyle both have good points....The nitrogen cycle is particularly important to understanding what your tank needs.

I am lucky, don't have chlorine in my water, so I just hook up to my faucet, syphon water out and reverse the flow with water that is near the same temperature as is in the tank, and let it flow in.....Most on city water wouldn't be able to do this...I don't recommend any conditioners on a regular basis except a dechlorinator......

COBettaCouple

Welcome to Fishlore.

You don't really need to let the water sit overnight, you can put the tap water conditioner in the container that the water goes in and pour water in it, then add it to the tank.

Your tank is currently cycling so I'd recommend an API master freshwater testing kit and switching to Prime for your tap water conditioner, plus 25-40% water changes every 1-2 days. Test the water before each change for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates to track your progress in getting the tank cycled.

Tavel

I would bring that tank up to 78F, that way the heater is controlling the temperature instead of your air conditioner. It'll keep the temperature more stable, which makes fish happy.

Also, you don't need to let it sit out overnight or add salt.

Actually the water can be (+/-) 5 degrees off and still be just fine. a 20% water change with a 5 degree temperature deviation will only change the final temperature by just one degree. Since you can detect temperature differences with 2 degree margin, if it feels the same then it's good enough.

mizuno53

Thanks everyone that helps