Cloudy water- changes every day
- Thread starter Trackerman
- Start date
Because you'd be adding a LOT of water with possibly different Ph, KH, and GH levels. depending on how you treat it, there can be more isk of copper being in there. plus the old water does contain (ok a minute amount) but still contains some beneficial bacteria.
I know such water changes are OK when breeding some fish, but i dont think its a good idea on changing that much so often.
I know such water changes are OK when breeding some fish, but i dont think its a good idea on changing that much so often.
Really, you should already know the pH, GH, and KH of your tap water versus your tank water. Instead of guessing that there's a problem, why not just test it periodically. Easy-peasy. Unless you have a lot of decaying organic matter in your tank (for instance a piece of driftwood or a whole bunch of crud in the sustrate), or if you are raising the pH by keeping crushed coral or some similar substance in your filter media box, the pH is not likely to be much different in your tank than that of your tap water, assuming you keep up with your water changes, anyway. Some tap water experiences a change in pH after sitting out for a day, and if it does you need to age your water before adding it to the tank anyway.
As far as copper, if you don't have copper water lines it shouldn't be an issue. If you do, then just don't do your water change first thing in the morning or right after you get home after work. Do it after you've run a load of laundry or had a shower, so that the water hasn't been sitting in the copper lines or in the water heater. That's pretty much how it gets copper in it. We have some municipal water quality experts here, maybe they'll chime in with an expert opinion soon.
As far as beneficial bacteria -- pshaw. I've never ever had an ammonia spike from getting rid of a large amount of used tank water, and I used to be a bit obsessive about testing. As a matter of fact, the decrease in nitrates is a measurable benefit to said water changes. I'll take measurable benefits over a bugbear any day.
I prefer 50% water changes, but I don't hesitate to do 75% water changes whenever I see a need for them. I can't even tell you the last time I had a fish death.
Know your water chemistry. That's really the bottom line. If you do, you will have a good understanding of how much of a water change, and how often, and how to do it best for your tank.