Water changes/what to do with fish

**stonecostello** · 10-22-2012, 05:19 PM

I just got my 25 gallon tank set up and going. I don't know what fish i want yet, but i had a question. What do you with your fish when you do water changes. I was thinking about doing a chilid tank.

**Honey Badger 1** · 10-22-2012, 05:20 PM

You can leave the fish in the tank when doing the water changes.

**mizzoutank** · 10-22-2012, 05:23 PM

Welcome to the forum!

glad you are interested in a tank. I would suggest reading up on the fish LESS cycle-it'll be faster for you to add fish and get started.

But back to your question.

My fish stay in the tank.
I have a 45gallon. so I take out about half the water, then add new dechlorinated water back at the same temperature. Takes about 30minutes b/c I have to go down a set of stairs when refilling with the buckets. (I'm young, so it is a good workout

)

**bethyMT** · 10-22-2012, 05:27 PM

First, go check out the cycling stickies, in the cycling subsection. Pardon me if your tank is already cycled.

Next, you leave the fish in the tank when you do water changes. If the tank is cycled, you should never have to do a wc greater than 75% all at once. That doesn't apply if the tank isn't cycled or you are cycling with fish. Actually, moving them is not a good idea at all if you can help it.

My fish are very used to my twice weekly water changes, and actually swim over to the siphon to investigate. They aren't scared or too terribly stressed. No cichlids, but I'd imagine they'd adjust too.

**Lady Hobbs** · 10-22-2012, 05:37 PM

hello.......

You can't have cichlids in a 25 gallon unless you get a couple "dwarfs".

Read my cycling threads below and don't buy fish for the tank until you get some advise first or you'll have a problem.

**stonecostello** · 10-22-2012, 08:45 PM

Thanks for your help. I ment dwarf cichlids by the way. So just basically ad de-chlorinator, watch your ammonia, and nitrates, then when your nitrates hit zero do a water change. Then your ready to add fish?

**~firefly~** · 10-22-2012, 08:57 PM

Nitrites

**mizzoutank** · 10-22-2012, 09:36 PM

Originally Posted by stonecostello

Thanks for your help. I ment dwarf cichlids by the way. So just basically ad de-chlorinator, watch your ammonia, and nitrates, then when your nitrates hit zero do a water change. Then your ready to add fish?

There is a TAD bit more involvement to cycling than what you just said.

Fish LESS is the way to go-and you'll need pure ammonia for that.
You'll need a API Master Test Kit (w/ the liquid and glass tubes)
the sticky goes into depth on that involvement.
See LadyHobbs' signature w/ the links.

**Cermet** · 10-22-2012, 09:56 PM

Originally Posted by stonecostello

So just basically ad de-chlorinator, watch your ammonia, and nitrates, then when your nitrates hit zero do a water change. Then your ready to add fish?

Some problems here - first off, are you cycled (i.e. ran ammonia until the bacteria in the filter was able to convert it and another waste product, nitrite into fairly harmless nitrate)?

Then do water changes weekly to keep nitrates under 20 ppm (under 10 ppm is better.) Only after draining the required water out of the tank, add required dose of dechlorinator, and then directly add the tap water (same temperature!)

Nitrates NEVER hit zero unless you have special filters; dechlorinators will not necessarily make ammonia safe (some may but that is not their primary function.) ONLY a cycled filter (bacteria grown in the filter media) will remove ammonia. Dechlorinator is used to remove chlorates and some types of fixed ammonia chemicals in tap water.