|
|
Post by lotsofsnails on Aug 17, 2005 9:21:50 GMT
do you have to change the water? my small tank has got a simple filter and it doesnt look dirty but i just wondered cus its been in there like a month now...
kind regards
mike
|
|
|
|
Post by SnailTrail on Aug 17, 2005 14:23:48 GMT
Hi Mike,
Yes, you need to perform partial regular water changes. If not your tank will become high in nitrAtes which will stress out your pets and cause water problems, diseases and even death.
Buy a gravel cleaner (syphon) and use the cylinder end to pick up all the dirt deep within your gravel...go over all the gravel with this and the dirty water will be sucked up into a bucket. Then use this syphoned water to clean your filter and filter sponges in...then tip it away. If you use tap water to clean filter media you will kill off the good bio bugs that keep away nitrIte.
Now fill up your bucket with clean water and treat your water with a declorinator (water conditioner) like Aqua-plus or aqua-safe and make it roughly the same temperature as your tank water. A water conditioner removes harmful heavy metals and chlorine from your water.
I remove almost 50% of the water in my 10 gallon tanks each week and around 40% of the water in my 21 gallon snail tank, also each week. I also run a filter intended for a 4 foot tank to keep the water healthy and extra clean.
Best of luck and feel free to ask any more questions.
Janet
|
|
Paul
Teenage Snail
Posts: 118
|
Post by Paul on Aug 17, 2005 16:48:39 GMT
I can understand that adding something to water can neutralise chlorine but how does it remove heavy metals. You add a liquid to the water, but you don't take anything out so where do they go. Do they get dissolved somehow and converted to hydrogen or something?
|
|
|
|
Post by lotsofsnails on Aug 17, 2005 17:34:46 GMT
gravel cleaner? that sounds complicated and expensive. where do i get it? that wasnt explained in any care sheet ive seen...
so i have to get bacteria onto the filter...and the bacteria are in the gravel....i see...my filter sponge looks a bit dirty is that a problem?
i was wondering...if you have a big tank how do you change the water.
kind regards
mike
|
|
|
|
Post by SnailTrail on Aug 17, 2005 18:17:17 GMT
I can understand that adding something to water can neutralise chlorine but how does it remove heavy metals. You add a liquid to the water, but you don't take anything out so where do they go. Do they get dissolved somehow and converted to hydrogen or something? Hi Paul, I use Nutrafin Aqua Plus and it says it neutralises heavy metals and removes chlorine and chloramine. I'm not exactly sure how it neutralises the metals but it might mention something on their website... www.hagen.comJanet |
|
|
|
Post by SnailTrail on Aug 17, 2005 18:26:15 GMT
gravel cleaner? that sounds complicated and expensive. where do i get it? that wasnt explained in any care sheet ive seen... so i have to get bacteria onto the filter...and the bacteria are in the gravel....i see...my filter sponge looks a bit dirty is that a problem? i was wondering...if you have a big tank how do you change the water. kind regards mike Hi Mike, Gravel cleaners/vacuums vary in price....some are battery powered but I use one of these.... cgi.ebay.co.uk/Gravel-Cleaner_W0QQitemZ7706978221QQcategoryZ20756QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItemThis one is only 99p on eBay. A "dirty" sponge has all your good bio bugs on it so just clean it in some syphoned tank water. I rip or cut half the sponge and throw away one half, replacing it with new sponge that has been rinsed in the syphoned water when they get really mucky. I have two 10 gallon tanks and a 21 gallon....my hubby has a 26 gallon. We have to haul a lot of buckets around every week when we do water changes.  At one point I was doing water changes for the two 10 gallons twice a week because I was slightly overstocked. I should have massive biceps by now. ;D Janet |
|
|
|
Post by lotsofsnails on Aug 17, 2005 20:13:46 GMT
oh im glad theyre cheap i'll try and find them in the pet superstore or whatever, ebay is so annoying and complicated. so i suck up the water from the gravel, and then sqeeze it all over the filter, thats ok. after i get the thingy i'll change the water thanks  mike |
|
|
|
Post by luvfishies on Aug 18, 2005 2:16:39 GMT
In the meantime, just use a juice jug or something and take some of the water out, replacing it with treated tapwater. This is better than NOT doing it, and after a month, it needs doing.
Most of us here do at least 25% waterchanges each and every week!
|
|
Paul
Teenage Snail
Posts: 118
|
Post by Paul on Aug 18, 2005 4:25:18 GMT
Here is an idea I had that would make water changes easier. You may have thought about this before but anyway....
It seems to me that the most tricky part would be getting the water out so...
Take a tank, get a glass drill and drill a hole in the tank.
Fit a tap, like you get on wine boxes etc. Silicon seal it in place.
Then you can drain down a hose or into a bucket,
And you can fill up again easy enough.
You could even fit a filter/screen on the inside to stop fish/snails getting through.
I'm surprised there aren't tanks available to buy with that feature. Perhaps there are and I have never seen them. Anyway, the job would cost about £5 including the drill bit. And seeing as you have to do water changes every week, I figured any time saved is a bonus.
What do you reckon?
|
|
|
|
Post by anjieburdett on Aug 18, 2005 8:08:21 GMT
Good idea for straightforward water changes but doesn't help with cleaning the gravel which gets packed full of waste that settles. And a siphon tube does both jobs at the same time. You still gotta fill it up again lol.
Anjie,x.
|
|
|
|
Post by lotsofsnails on Aug 18, 2005 8:21:46 GMT
oh i'll change the water today then, its a small tank so i can pick it up and pour the water into the sink.
kind regards
mike
|
|
|
|
Post by lotsofsnails on Aug 18, 2005 12:00:00 GMT
i just changed the water AHHH its was so stressful i spilt water everywhere. and it just made the water look even more dirty, but maybe the stuff will settle to the bottom
i saw these tiny little worms in the water what are those are they dangerous?
hahaha the apple snails are so funny when they're out of water they move so wierdly
can you buy the filter-sponges in pet shops? mines dirty it looks like its got orange mud on it
kind regards
mike
|
|
|
|
Post by SnailTrail on Aug 18, 2005 12:43:45 GMT
i just changed the water AHHH its was so stressful i spilt water everywhere. and it just made the water look even more dirty, but maybe the stuff will settle to the bottom i saw these tiny little worms in the water what are those are they dangerous? hahaha the apple snails are so funny when they're out of water they move so wierdly can you buy the filter-sponges in pet shops? mines dirty it looks like its got orange mud on it kind regards mike Hiya Mike, The little worms are likely to be planaria. Your guppies will probably eat them. The orange mud on your sponge contains valuable bio bugs which convert nitrItes into nitrAte so please don't throw it all away or wash it in tap water....this will cause your tank to go through cycling again and nitrItes will harm your snail and fish. After cycling regular water changes dilute nitrAtes and ammonia which can also be toxic at higher levels if allowed to build up. Apple snails do look a lot different when you take them out of water....I hand feed mine bloodworms. I just love their little faces. ;D Janet |
|
|
|
Post by lotsofsnails on Aug 18, 2005 14:16:36 GMT
i dont have guppies its just apple snails. ive got a whole 'snail shelf'
doesnt the filter sponge eventually have to be changed though?
kind regards
mike
|
|
|
|
Post by SnailTrail on Aug 18, 2005 15:49:21 GMT
i dont have guppies its just apple snails. ive got a whole 'snail shelf' doesnt the filter sponge eventually have to be changed though? kind regards mike Sorry Mike I confused you with someone else lol ;D. I don't have guppies either now because my snails kept eating them....they even ate one of my beloved hillstream/butterfly loaches so my 21g is strictly snails only. I only feed the minimum now but worry they aren't getting enough food sometimes but if I feed them more the planaria will come back. When my filter sponge gets mucky I wash it and cut it in half...add one half back into my filter with a new piece of sponge and throw the other mucky half away. Janet |
|
At one point I was doing water changes for the two 10 gallons twice a week because I was slightly overstocked. I should have massive biceps by now. ;D
