Water Changes and Decorations

Do you all take your decorations (hiding spots, etc.) out when you do
a water change and vacuuming? Do you put them back in? How do you
ensure that the aquarium isn't dirtied by the water on the decoration
when you put it back in?

I decided to try to leave the decoration out to see if the ammonia
levels decrease as a result of no old water being put back in. I
rinsed the decoration in tap water and set it to dry outside. What
about the chlorine/chloramine that might be introduced from the
rinsing?

Daniel Phillips

[+]bandito[-]spam = [-]toppler.[+]zworg.com
Be warned, may mistakingly bounce back as spam.

"Daniel Phillips" wrote in message
...
Do you all take your decorations (hiding spots, etc.) out when you do
a water change and vacuuming? Do you put them back in? How do you
ensure that the aquarium isn't dirtied by the water on the decoration
when you put it back in?

I decided to try to leave the decoration out to see if the ammonia
levels decrease as a result of no old water being put back in. I
rinsed the decoration in tap water and set it to dry outside. What
about the chlorine/chloramine that might be introduced from the
rinsing?

Daniel Phillips

Yes I do,but use the water removed by vaccing to wash
all your decor AND your filters.Using tap water kills all the good
bacteria.Let the old water stand for a while until the debris sinks to the
bottom.
Why are you putting the old water back in?
That is the same as not doing any water changes,you should be using fresh
water treated with a good dechlorinator.
I use SafeWater or Aquasafe.How much water are you changing? I usually
change about 20% each week.
Think you should do a little research on the net about keeping
fish,or try your local library.They usually have some good books on the
subject.

John

Hi John,

"Yes I do,but use the water removed by vaccing to wash
all your decor AND your filters."

That's what I was wondering about. I'm not putting old water back in,
though. I was just afraid that putting the decoration back in
unrinsed would contribute to dirtying of water that is in a 5 gallon
tank. Does it make a difference if I put it in right before replacing
the water or after?

I bought two books last week: Barron's _Goldfish: A Complete Pet
Owner's Manual_ and _The Simple Guide to Freshwater Aquariums_. Any
criticisisms about either books?

On Wed, 8 Dec 2004 19:58:12 -0000, "John..." wrote:


"Daniel Phillips" wrote in message
.. .
Do you all take your decorations (hiding spots, etc.) out when you do
a water change and vacuuming? Do you put them back in? How do you
ensure that the aquarium isn't dirtied by the water on the decoration
when you put it back in?

I decided to try to leave the decoration out to see if the ammonia
levels decrease as a result of no old water being put back in. I
rinsed the decoration in tap water and set it to dry outside. What
about the chlorine/chloramine that might be introduced from the
rinsing?

Daniel Phillips

Yes I do,but use the water removed by vaccing to wash
all your decor AND your filters.Using tap water kills all the good
bacteria.Let the old water stand for a while until the debris sinks to the
bottom.
Why are you putting the old water back in?
That is the same as not doing any water changes,you should be using fresh
water treated with a good dechlorinator.
I use SafeWater or Aquasafe.How much water are you changing? I usually
change about 20% each week.
Think you should do a little research on the net about keeping
fish,or try your local library.They usually have some good books on the
subject.

John










Daniel Phillips

[+]bandito[-]spam = [-]toppler.[+]zworg.com
Be warned, may mistakingly bounce back as spam.

Daniel Phillips wrote:

Hi John,

"Yes I do,but use the water removed by vaccing to wash
all your decor AND your filters."

That's what I was wondering about. I'm not putting old water back in,
though. I was just afraid that putting the decoration back in
unrinsed would contribute to dirtying of water that is in a 5 gallon
tank. Does it make a difference if I put it in right before replacing
the water or after?

no it shouldn't. But a 5 gallon isn't big enough for a goldfish!