Daily Water Changes Safe?

[Yinzer]

I'm battling an algae bloom and am interested in opinions about the safety of doing 25% water changes on a daily basis until my water is clear.

I posted earlier about cloudy water and somebody recommended using ProClear to eliminate a bacterial bloom. I looked for it at my LFS but could not find it. When I asked the store employee if they carried it we got into a very long discussion about what is going on in my tank. He seemed very informed giving extensive explanations that would suggest he came by this knowledge first hand and was not simply repeating things he had overheard.

He suggested that my problem was algae, not bacteria due to the decidedly green cast to the water. He recommended battling algae and bacteria with water changes, not additives. I'm willing to give it a try as I've tried three different - albeit equally ineffective - additives to clear the cloudiness. He also recommended getting rid of my undergravel filter because all the gunk that's trapped underneath it is contributing to the algae problems. I know plants will help with the algae, but I've lost so many fish over the past 3-4 months that I'm not putting another living thing in the tank until I get my act together water-wise.

So my question: are daily water changes in a 49 gallon tank safe? I use Novaqua conditioner per instructions with new water.

Secondly: was removing my undergravel filter a bad idea? It sure did stir up a lot of gunk that will take at least 3 or 4 vacuumings to clear up.

Regrettably I don't have my water test results - I wrote them down, but can't remember. None of the readings were in the danger zone.

 

[Cearbhaill]

Nothing at all wrong with daily water changes provided temps and parameters are considered.
And if green water is your problem- a diatom filter (some LFS "rent" them) would clear it up really quickly. Course you'll need to correct whatever started the problem to begin with (overfeeding?) but for a quick fix a diatom filter can't be beat.

 

[TKOS]

Daily water changes are fine for any tank, but probably won't help a algae bloom. Each water change will bring in fresh nutrients as help the algae grow more. What you need to do is a total tank black out for 4 days. Shut off all tank lights, and cover the tank with a dark towel. Do not feed the fish during this time (they will survive fine). The algae will use up the nutrients and should die off.

This of course is if your fish are healthy. If they aren't then you may have to wait until they are. The algae itself won't hurt anything but the cause of it might. If this doesn't cure the bloom then you have to look further to see the cause of the algae. In my tank it turned out to be a grass plant that had died and the strands were rotting. Once i removed that the bloom cleared right up.

Do a search for algae bloom as well in the forums as this topic comes up a lot.

 

[Yinzer]

Thanks for the info. I have done blackouts before, and while they seemed somewhat effective, the problem returned. I think the water clarity was due more in part to the 25% changes every other day for a week, however. And it never was crystal clear.

Regarding the health and well-being of my survivors (below) how can I tell if they're healthy? What should I look for?


The few, the proud, the not-yet-dead:
1 golden gourami
1 neon tetra
1 serpae tetra
2 cories
2 plecos
2 black tetras

 

[TKOS]

Well basically they should eat fine, swim in straight lines and look healthy (shiny, no wounds, no rapid breathing, no rubbing on racks etc...).

If you have tried blackout before (a true 4 day blackout with no water changes or any light) and it come back then there must be some other source to look for. A massive garvel vacuuming, and fast growing live plants might help.

 

[daveedka]

Thanks for the info. I have done blackouts before, and while they seemed somewhat effective, the problem returned. I think the water clarity was due more in part to the 25% changes every other day for a week, however. And it never was crystal clear.

A couple of comments to this just FYI. The blackouts will kill algea very effectively, but will not prevent it from returning, if the conditions that allowed it in the first place aren't changed.

Green water blooms don't always look green, but do always grow to become green if nothing is changed. Look longways through your tank, or put a water sample in a clear glass and hold it up to a sheet of white paper. you should be able to see if the cloudiness is green.

bacteria blooms are usually white, but generally take care of themselves pretty quickly.

While Uv sterilizers and diatom or micron filters will effectively clean the water of algea, they require money and additional maintenance. A blackout will achieve the same result without the cost.
Daily water changes are by all means a good idea but as said they won't get rid of the algea once it has bloomed. When you do a blackout, it must be a complete blackout. many people don't go to the extra effort to ensure that none of the water is exposed to light. This means if you are using aquaclear or any other tranprent filter you need to cover them as well. make sure whatever you use to blackout the tank is completely opaque, and don't let more than 1/2 hour of light per day in during the blackout period. I usually do a daily water change during the blackout, and that is the only time light gets into the tank. pitch black otherwise.
In order to prevent re-occuring algea blooms, concentrate on nutrient levels in the tank, and reduce all excesses through water changes, and new feeding habits.
Dave

 

[Leopardess]

"Daily water changes are fine for any tank, but probably won't help a algae bloom."

Daily water changes can help get rid of an algae bloom. Yes, you are introducing a few new metals and nutrients, but the problem (the phosphates, nitrates, nasties in the tank) are not going to be in any high amounts in your tap water and will help get rid of them in the tank.

Daily water changes are a common method of getting rid of green water. Works for me.