snakes
20-11-2008, 00:28
Hello Guys when I started out I asked these questions and I would like to share them
1.When Doing a Water Change How often should they be done
at least 25% once a week, with a gravel vac. this is especially important with the UGF using treated water
2.Is it safe to keep water that I have taken from the tap and placed in a sealed bucket overnight that I can use for water changes or should something be added like that dechlorinator substance
you should always use dechlor. there is a very good chance that your water treatment center uses chloramine, which does not gas off like chlorine does.
Overnight Water only removes gases like chlorine but other treatment is still in water
3.How Long should a fish tank run before a complete water change is needed or is that never done
You Will Never Replace all the water
you should do a fishless cycle before you add fish. you will need a source of ammoina (either household ammoina or fish food) to allow the beneficial bacteria to start to grow. just letting it run, empty, without any ammoina source will not make the tank safe for fish. it sounds like you are on your way to a fishy cycle though, so you will need to get a liquid test kit (API Master FW kit is the best) and you need to be prepared to do daily water changes if your ammoina and/or nitrite are over 0.25.
4.Undergravel Filter Good or Bad and should it be replaced like I mentioned they say its crap and only keeps muck under the gravel
UGF's are great for biological filtration, but they really should be used along with a HOB filter. just vac through all of the gravel at least once with every water change
5.How Much Food To Feed
The Amount that will be consumed within 2 to 3 minutes twice a day or even once
if food stays longer in tank then you over feeding and vice versa
6.How to Clean Filter
Use the Tank Water that you removed from tank and never use tap water because it kills the bacteria
Always keep some old filter floss in filter for bacteria
Feel Free to Add More FAQ's
1.When Doing a Water Change How often should they be done
at least 25% once a week, with a gravel vac. this is especially important with the UGF using treated water
2.Is it safe to keep water that I have taken from the tap and placed in a sealed bucket overnight that I can use for water changes or should something be added like that dechlorinator substance
you should always use dechlor. there is a very good chance that your water treatment center uses chloramine, which does not gas off like chlorine does.
Overnight Water only removes gases like chlorine but other treatment is still in water
3.How Long should a fish tank run before a complete water change is needed or is that never done
You Will Never Replace all the water
you should do a fishless cycle before you add fish. you will need a source of ammoina (either household ammoina or fish food) to allow the beneficial bacteria to start to grow. just letting it run, empty, without any ammoina source will not make the tank safe for fish. it sounds like you are on your way to a fishy cycle though, so you will need to get a liquid test kit (API Master FW kit is the best) and you need to be prepared to do daily water changes if your ammoina and/or nitrite are over 0.25.
4.Undergravel Filter Good or Bad and should it be replaced like I mentioned they say its crap and only keeps muck under the gravel
UGF's are great for biological filtration, but they really should be used along with a HOB filter. just vac through all of the gravel at least once with every water change
5.How Much Food To Feed
The Amount that will be consumed within 2 to 3 minutes twice a day or even once
if food stays longer in tank then you over feeding and vice versa
6.How to Clean Filter
Use the Tank Water that you removed from tank and never use tap water because it kills the bacteria
Always keep some old filter floss in filter for bacteria
Feel Free to Add More FAQ's