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An
Article by George J. Reclos & John G. Reclos
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For
many reasons, water changes are a must if someone is to expect a
healthy aquarium. A healthy aquarium could be defined as one in
which fish prosper, spawn, feed and live as they would in nature (or
very close to that). It is also an aquarium in which diseases are
rare and the fish look (and are) healthy. Everybody knows that to do
this you have to take into account many parameters, among them the
kind and number of fish you have, the tank size, the filtration
system, even the kind of food you are using. All these parameters
have to be taken into account if we are to maintain our tank
correctly.
The
first question any serious fish keeper should ask himself is
"How often" to change water and "How much" water
to change. Let's make something very clear from the beginning. I am
not an expert, I do not have a degree in Ichthyology, I have lost
some fish, too, and definitely I have learned (and continue to
learn) from others. What I am depositing here is the way I work with
my tanks, the reason I am doing it and how does that pay back. There
are tens of ways to maintain your tanks effectively - I know that. I
am about to tell you how I organized my water changes, the penalty
for loving fish. |
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Top photo: A regular water change
in the 1300 liter non-mbuna tank. Lower photo: It is easier to
perform water changes with water hoses (one adding water and the
other one - left - removing it). |
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Take
notes.
If
you have many tanks (as I do) then you must get organized. You can
schedule your water changes to alternate or to do them all at the
same time. You can also make
a list the
previous day (after closely examining your tanks) what must be done
during the water change in each tank and when it should be done. I
always have a notebook to keep notes. For example, if algae must be
removed, this must be done before the water change, not after. If
you have to remove your filters, net the floating leaves or uproot a
plant, this must be done before, too. If you need to add plant
fertilizer, this must be done after the change. Taking notes will
make sure that you will not forget anything and that everything will
be done in the correct order. Furthermore, keeping these sheets in a
file will be a great help when you want to check when was the last
time you changed your filter material, added a medication or
activated charcoal (sort of maintenance log). |
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Prepare
the stuff you will need. Use
a table with a large surface and arrange the tools and chemicals.
All tools should be cleaned before, a towel, bucket and notebook
should be at hand. As you can see in the picture, I use my own
chemicals and mix them. Of course, I belong to the lucky ones, since
I only keep cichlids from the African Rift Lakes (95% from Lake
Malawi) therefore I have only one chemistry to deal with. Chemicals
include (but are not limited to) : Calcium Chloride, Calcium
sulfate, Magnesium sulfate, Sodium bicarbonate, Sodium and Potassium
Chloride. The ready made products include Activated carbon, Tap
water conditioner, Clear Ease, Green and Grow, Wound protection etc.
You can probably substitute all these jars and bottles with your
favorite aquarium salt. In the two metal bowls you can see the tools
(which are only
used in the tanks -
not in the household). These include (among others): syringe barrels
(1, 5, 10, 30 and 60 ml), tea and table spoons, scissors, tonsils
(large and small), thermometer, nylon bags, empty test tubes,
special sponges, Teflon bands etc. |
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First
I check my list for every tank I am to deal with. The first stage is
to mix
the chemicals and
dissolve them (usually in hot water). Never pour the chemicals in
the tank in their powder form. You may even "burn" your
fish. Then the jar is left aside to cool a bit. If a chemical is not
completely dissolved in your pot, wait a minute till the not
dissolved part precipitates and then pour the dissolved part in a
bigger canister (like the 4-liter orange one in the photo). Add more
hot water in your pot and mix it again till all salts are dissolved.
Repeat as many times as needed. You may also add the tap water
conditioner at this stage.
Continued
in next page |
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