Water changes?

[DeboraBremner]

I've recently set up a 50 (fully cycled) with 6 juvenille boesemani's. I am used to my old ways with large water changes in a coldwater tank. My lfs has told me to "cool it" with my 50% water changes saying that boesemani's are sensitive to large changes... Could someone give me their thoughts on this. I really do want to do this right. I do my changes with a python and use Prime. Thanks!

[Trillianne]

Unless you have drastically different ph from the tap than what's in the tank, I don't see the issue with large water changes.

If/when they say that you should ask them why they believe that to be true.

[DeboraBremner]

I thought the same....my ph is all but identical....and when I asked he just said they were sensitive fish?

[KingFisher]

Large waterchanges will cause no problems. Some people with discus do 75% waterchanges every other day, and rainbows are nowhere near as sensitive as discus.

[sheamurai]

Fresh water, like fresh air, is never a bad idea, whatever type of creature you are talking about. So long as parameters are matched, fresh water can only be positive.

[gronlaura]

I have neon dwarf rainbows, which are very sensitive and I do a weekly 40% PWC. No problems, fish never look stressed and seem to enjoy the fresh water when I'm done.

[DeboraBremner]

I like what I'm hearing..... thanks for the info! I am a fanatic about low nitrates!

[Cermet]

Water changes are the absoultly best way but if the tap water isn't the best (has some nitrates and/or other bad guys like ammonia or nitrite) an algae filter will remove these. Unlike regular bio-filters that produce nitrates, algae filters consume nitrates (and even some other organics besides the ones I listed) and only an once a week cleaning of old algae is all that one has to do (no foods/chemicals or special upkeep at all.)

[Samoyed789]

Some rainbows might be sensitive, but I've kept Boesemani in the past and have found them to be a pretty hardy variety. This summer I actually had one get sick right before leaving vacation, and ended up taking him with me in a travel container for the 16 hour car ride and treating him for the few weeks we were away. He adjusted no problem to the water parameters, beat the infection, and survived the trip home. Sure you don't strictly need to be doing 50% water changes each week, but if it keeps the tank clean and the fish seem fine I see no problem why not. I tend to do pretty large water changes myself.

[Samoyed789]

I also had another boesemani that jumped out of the net and onto the floor when I was trying to move tanks. He survived no problem.