Big water change.

[Jewel]

When I woke up this morning the water in my tank was really yellow, and I sort of paniced and changed all the water. Now I've tried to find some information on the net on way the water became yellow, and I've realised that changing all the water at once is not a very good idea...
How can I help my fish to survive this?

[William]

How long has it been since you changed water? If the fish manages the first 24 hours it’s a good chance they make it.

It isn't so much that you can do but don’t feed the fish for a week.
Watch out for the aquarium and remove dead fish immediately.
Also watch for diseases and treat any diseases them immediately.

[Anonymous]

Thank you, I followed your advices and 5 fishes died, but the majority survived. Tuff little creatures. 8-)

[Madonna]

I have a book that contradicts what you read on the internet. The book says that doing large water changes is a good thing rather than just changing small amounts. It recommends doing large water changes at least once a week.

[William]

Smaller more frequent water exchanges are best regardless of what that book say (which book are you refering to?) but a small water exchange means maybe 25% of the water on or two time s a week. Changing more water is not recommendable unless necessary due to extrem circumstances (like the one above) since this can put a too large stress on your fish. This is especially true if you live in an area with water that are less suited for aquariums.

Rapid changes in water conditions put stress on the fish and damage their vitality hich is why changing a lot of water is not recommended as a rule of thumb. The rule can however vary dependent on the type of fish you keep, your aquarium size, and the water values where you live.