Water changes

[mike h.]

I've heard different stories... When making a water change, are you supposed to stir up the "sub floor." ?? I have Gravel... :happyfish

 

[boomper]

I try my hardest not to disturb the sand on my floor.

 

[prncalbrt]

I have been told not to do any more changes than you have to, is this correct cause I havent done one in welllllll uuuummmmmm since i set mine up and put the live rock in.

 

[puffer32]

You should do at least monthly water changes. More is even better.

 

[prncalbrt]

how much water should I be changing at a time ? (what % i mean)

 

[bigarn]

I do weekly 10% water changes.

 

[prncalbrt]

cool!! guess I will be changing water from now on lol.....

 

[mike h.]

Originally Posted by bigarn
I do weekly 10% water changes.
Does Nitrate cause ammonia, and vice versa? I have .25% ammonia, but Nitrate, and NItrite is kinda normal. O.K. Nitrate is high. Will weekly water changes bring them down?

 

[mike h.]

I do water changes once a month. I'm reading .25 ammonia and Nitrate is very high! Will bi-weekley changes bring them down?

 

[who dey]

first how old is tank, what size and what are your inhabitants

 

[mike h.]

55 Gal. tank. Approximatley 7 Months old. Nothing but clean-up crew inside...

 

[murph145]

its a whole cycle....
amonia is produced from the fish.... then the bacteria convert it into nitrate then another diff bacteria convert the nitrates into nitirites....
water changes and a good filtration system are the best way to keep and maintain good water quality...
i recommend doing a 10% water change every other week.... then depending on your tank either you need to add more LR to add in the nitrate cycle.... add more to your sump or add some macro algaes.... if you have canister filters like i run.... then clean them more often and replace or run an activated carbon to help....
i clean my media floss in my canisters every 2-3 weeks and use chemi-pure carbon i replace that every 2 months.... ( i know 2 months sounds long but the company and the LFS where i get it from swear its good for 3+ months but i decided 2 was long enough for me.... my water always stays constant and clean....