I dont feel like changing water ... yet I do it anyway...

hcgirl80

hcgirl80

i is a gud righter lyke leela.
Jun 3, 2004
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Well I have high nitrites and I am working on getting them down to very very low, that means 1.5g water changes once a day.

UGGGHHH!! SUCH A PAIN!!

I know some of you might think it is fun, how do you make it fun???

~Paige
 
Water changes are a necessary evil. Before I had my son I faithfully did weekly water changes, fixing decorations (like my bubble wall that comes unsuctioned etc...). After I had him I was like UGH, water change day. For the first few months after he was born, I did water changes like every 2-3 weeks... it was a well established tank and I didn't lose any fish, but still that's somewhat of a stretch.

Then I realized that pets (be it fish, dog, cats etc...) need humans to take care of them, much like babies need grown ups to take care of them. That put a whole new spin on my fishies.

I HATE doing water changes still to this day. I have to go down to my basement and drag up my python, do the change, then drag it back downstairs. But I do the water changes when I'm home alone (well, the baby is in bed, but no hubby). I turn the music up loud (baby can't hear anything when his door is shut), and just kind of rock out and take care of my tank.

The past 3 months I've found my tank to be very relaxing. I think it all came together once my son started going to bed at a reasonable time (by 8:30) and my having some "spare" me-time to work on my hobby... usually Fridays are my fish days, and Tuesdays are my scrapbooking days! :D

~Tara
 
1.5 gallon water change is comparatively pretty low. And I seriously doubt anyone thinks its fun.

I use old drinking water bottles (the 1 gallon ones shaped like milk containers) and it takes me 15/20 minutes, even when I end up doing more than 50%. The longest part is trying to match the water temperatures.

If that is that 2.5 gallon you've got stocked with a pair of goldfish, good luck with that. You probably won't be able to keep the nitrites low unless you keep the tank under a faucet.

Water changes are necessary part of keeping the fish, and unfortunately (unless you're blessed by a close faucet and a python) part and parcel of the hobby.
 
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Since Mrs. LongTime will not let me chase her around the house with the python, I don't get any fun out of it either.

I also don't get any fun out of cleaning up after the dog, cutting the grass or any of the other chores I have to do. I do find the fish more entertaining than looking at my nice gutters. :) Plus, the fish are also more wonderful when they are active and not upside down. Doing water changes help to keep them right side up!
 
I also use a 1g jug to refill. I don't think I'd be worrying about a 1.5g water change every day...especially when I start thinking that I need to do 50%'s on the 55g, 29g, 4 10g's and 4 5g's in the next hour or so;) They're not fun but they're my responsibility to do.

Yah, been meaning to tell you...those goldfish are probably one of the worst things you could put in a tank of 2.5gs:( There will be no such thing as low nitrates and they are probably already stunted or will outgrow that tank in about a week...and that's assuming that you don't consider them outgrown the minute you put them in. Goldfish require a 29g minimum - for one. Then 10gs extra for every other goldie you put in it.

Sorry, but it's true:(... Just seeing that someone's keeping two goldfish in a 2.5g tank makes my eyes go blurry and my skin crawl. But hey, your fish:D
 
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I end up doing about a weekly four gallon change on both of my tanks (relatively small aquariums compared to others), and I certainly don't consider it fun. However, I would much rather do the water changes than have to deal with sick or dead fish, which is definitely no fun at all.

1g bottles are how I currently refill my tanks as well, but something tells me I'll probably not be doing that with my future twenty gallon. No sir!

Leopardess is right. Goldfish in a 2.5g aquarium is exactly the illustration that should be placed next to the word "Overstocked". I had three orandas in a 10g (I know, I know!) when I was a kid, and what an absolute nightmare that was. I could never keep the water clean, and the fish were always coming down with some kind of illness. :thud:
 
At my friends house his dad has a 150 gal. tank and he told me "i havent done a water change (of course he tops it off) for 6 months ....at first i thought HOLY ****....but then he proceded to test a sample of his water....everything checked out...his nitrates were a little higher than i would do but only 30ppm....amonia and nitrites were 0....he showed me a "denitrator" that he uses and then another thing (cant remember the name) that almost looks like a tall pole with different levels in it that heavily aerate the water...and remove nitrogen....all the fish looked really healthy.

He had a HUGE pleco...5 Bala sharks...12ish cory's and like 30 tetras....is this safe.... i mean i assume it is because they parameters of the water look safe.....
 
C'mon folks - I change at least 50 gallons in the tank room every other day, not including the other tanks elsewhere in the house. Water changes are like washing your hands - no big deal in time or effort.
 
I agree completely. That was my point. Water changes are part of the deal with having fish. I mean, changing a 1.5g jug of water a day is like pouring yourself a few extra drinks...no big deal.

Seaman - there are other reasons why the water should be changed than just nitrates. There are organic wastes that we do not test for that can build up over time. Also, fish absorb their minerals/vitamins through their skin, in addition to taking them in orally. Those should be replaced. Old tank water can contain rising levels of phospates which can lead to a lot of algae and topping the tank off constantly can, I believe, leave a lof of things that do not evaporate in the tank (like metals) which can upset the osmotic pressure of the water.

At any rate, yes, do water changes anyway. Fresh water is fresh water.
 
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