water changes

[Larry]

Happy New Year everyone! First time poster. I set up a 26g tank
recently with 7 small cichlids. Went to the freshwater cichlid ng and
got the FAQ (should have read the information before I posted to that
group)

Anyway I realize now that I might have to do battle with the ammonia
and nitrites til things get worked out. My question to the more
experienced members is do you check these levels every time before you
do a partial water change or have you found that a regular schedule
usually takes care of your water quality. Maybe I am also asking how
often do you test your water. I know there are not hard and fast
rules but am just curious if there is a general consensus. In the
mean time I will continue to read the FAQ section for beginners.

I knew that I would have to spend some time taking care of these
little beauties, but I am now more aware of the scope of the attention
they will require.

TIA

All the best,

Larry
Southern Ontario

[NetMax]

"Larry" > wrote in message
...
> Happy New Year everyone! First time poster. I set up a 26g tank
> recently with 7 small cichlids. Went to the freshwater cichlid ng and
> got the FAQ (should have read the information before I posted to that
> group)

Happy new year Larry. The newsgroup r.a.f.c. is a good place for very
specific advice on cichlids, but I think r.a.f.m. takes better care of
newbies ;~).

> Anyway I realize now that I might have to do battle with the ammonia
> and nitrites til things get worked out. My question to the more
> experienced members is do you check these levels every time before you
> do a partial water change or have you found that a regular schedule
> usually takes care of your water quality. Maybe I am also asking how
> often do you test your water.

What to test and how often to test always varies by situation. Generally
anything which is prone to change should be measured at a rate which
determines its rate of change, and its magnitude before it has bad
effects. In your case, until you are cycled, you will be measuring NH3/4
and NO2 quite often. Once the tank is established, you might not measure
NH3/4 or NO2 again for years, but will instead be watching your NO3. In
some cases, where your water source is municipal, you might want to watch
your kH and pH. Living in the country, gH is more commonly checked, so
you can see how it depends on the particular circumstances.

If your tank is not too heavily loaded and their growth rates have
levelled off, you might reach a state of equilibrium with regular water
changes that you do not regularly measure anything at all. This is not
as uncommon as it sounds.

> I know there are not hard and fast
> rules but am just curious if there is a general consensus. In the
> mean time I will continue to read the FAQ section for beginners.
>
> I knew that I would have to spend some time taking care of these
> little beauties, but I am now more aware of the scope of the attention
> they will require.

As long as you are having fun with it :o)
--
www.NetMax.tk

> TIA
>
> All the best,
>
> Larry
> Southern Ontario
>

[Amateur Cichlids]

Larry,
Here's a couple links for you.
http://www.fishaholics.org/articles.php?ArtId=12
http://www.fishaholics.org/articles.php?ArtId=6
http://www.fishaholics.org/articles.php?ArtId=1

You can do a real nice cichlid tank with a 26 gallon tank. Research is one
of the most important things you can do before buying any fish. Read as much
as possible, filter out the stuff that is way off the wall, then try to take
the best of what's left. Good luck with your new tank.
Tim
PS-Happy New Year.

"Larry" > wrote in message
...
> Happy New Year everyone! First time poster. I set up a 26g tank
> recently with 7 small cichlids. Went to the freshwater cichlid ng and
> got the FAQ (should have read the information before I posted to that
> group)
>
> Anyway I realize now that I might have to do battle with the ammonia
> and nitrites til things get worked out. My question to the more
> experienced members is do you check these levels every time before you
> do a partial water change or have you found that a regular schedule
> usually takes care of your water quality. Maybe I am also asking how
> often do you test your water. I know there are not hard and fast
> rules but am just curious if there is a general consensus. In the
> mean time I will continue to read the FAQ section for beginners.
>
> I knew that I would have to spend some time taking care of these
> little beauties, but I am now more aware of the scope of the attention
> they will require.
>
> TIA
>
> All the best,
>
> Larry
> Southern Ontario
>

[Dick]

On Sat, 01 Jan 2005 14:28:01 -0500, Larry > wrote:

>Happy New Year everyone! First time poster. I set up a 26g tank
>recently with 7 small cichlids. Went to the freshwater cichlid ng and
>got the FAQ (should have read the information before I posted to that
>group)
>
>Anyway I realize now that I might have to do battle with the ammonia
>and nitrites til things get worked out. My question to the more
>experienced members is do you check these levels every time before you
>do a partial water change or have you found that a regular schedule
>usually takes care of your water quality. Maybe I am also asking how
>often do you test your water. I know there are not hard and fast
>rules but am just curious if there is a general consensus. In the
>mean time I will continue to read the FAQ section for beginners.
>
>I knew that I would have to spend some time taking care of these
>little beauties, but I am now more aware of the scope of the attention
>they will require.
>
>TIA
>
>All the best,
>
>Larry
>Southern Ontario

I never check the water unless there is some indication of trouble
which means I almost never check the chemistry at all. I don't add
any chemicals into my tanks. I don't even have charcoal in my
filters. I rely on the fish and plants plus water changes for healthy
tanks. I don't rely on my careless self to control the water
qualities.

I do change change 20% of the water twice weekly.

Since you recently set up your tank, you can expect cloudiness for
several weeks. It is harmless. Just get into a regular routine of
changing some of your water.

dick