stress coat and conditioning salt

[prgwin00]

Not new to having fish tanks, but new to learning how to maintain them. We have a 55 gal and a 10 gal and a 2 gal. Learned the hard way that weekly water changes are needed. Our nitrate level is through the roof in our 55gal. Nitrite and ammonia levels are really good so that is a possitive...right?

So we changed 25% of our water on Saturday and another 15% last evening (Monday). Our nitrate level in our tap water is higher than I would like, but that is our water source. We live in town so our water is chlorinated.

I have some questions. Do I use my stress coat plus chlorine and ammonia remover everytime I do a water change? And if so, do I use enough for the tank size, or just the added water?

Do I use conditioning salt with water changes?

How often should I do water changes and how much? I have been reading and I have found a bunch of differing information.

Thanks

 

[TabMorte]

You don't really need Stress Coat, just a dechlorinator or water conditioner. But yes you need to use your conditioner of choice with ever water change unless you leave the water out to 'gas out' for at least 24 hours before you use it (this only works if you only have chlorine, if you have chlorimine you need a conditioner like Prime that will get rid of it). You only need to dose for the amount you're putting into the tank.

You should be doing weekly water changes of about 25% in your larger tank and 50% in your smaller tanks and cleaning the gravel when you do it. You should rinse off your filter media as needed but always do it in used tank water NOT under tap water especially if you are certian you have chlorine, it will kill benifical bacteria.

 

[roark fishies]

U don't really need the conditioning salt unless you've got parasites like ich or the slime coat is damaged on fish. It's not something you need to keep in your tank all the time. Oh, and if you have scaleless fish like loaches or catfish then use VERY SPARINGLY. They don't like it. Aq salt is a debatable subject around here!!

 

[midmichman80]

Stress coat removes chlorine and chloramine and so does start right. Other products out there, Prime, do the same. I use stress coat and start right when doing water changes. Which product I use depends on the needs of the tank. If I am doing just a weekly water change, I use the start right, as all the fish have a healthy slime coat. If there is a problem in the tank, illness or high paremeters, I will do a water change and use the stress coat to eliminate the chlorine/chlormine and also give the fish an extra boost keep their slime coat regulated. I find that having plants in the tank really keep the nitrate levels at bay and ammonia and nitrite have been non-existent since the addition of the plants. Water changes are a crucial part in keeping your tank happy/healthy and the feeding regiment and the size and sloppiness of the fish determine how big and often water changes should be made. There is a lot of good information on this website. Take yoru time to visit all links and sticky's that apply to you, even some that don't. This site is a wealth of information and questions are always considered by the members.