@@vicpropic it depends on your substrate, plants, and fish. My deep bed substrate tanks never get vacuumed because they are heavily planted and I don't want to accidentally disrupt the deep substrate. None of the fish in my DBS tanks disturb the substrate more than an inch down. My bare bottom tank gets vacuumed a couple of times a week, and I only siphon as much water as I need to get the bottom clean.
@@vicpropic I test my tap water before water changes, as well as my tank water, so I can make a fully informed decision. I haven't had ammonia in any tanks in over a year. Most of my tanks I have to dose with ferts, until I get more fish, because the plants are currently outgrowing the fish😅 Every tank has plants, so I rarely get significant nitrate build up, except in the turtle & guppy pond. Turtle likes to eat the plants faster than they can grow🤦♂️
Irene did an AMAZING job on this. Probably the most succinct and simultaneously thorough overview I've watched of how to do water changes, as well as highlighting why plants can help keep heavily stocked aquariums in better shape. I look forward to seeing more of her videos 😍
I am truly enjoying Irene's AC videos- The information is always relevant, given in easy to understand language and charts, and just the right length to cover the topic. Geat job!💕👍
Very important thing about maintenance: If the reason of your maintenance is to react to things you see are off, you're doing maintenance wrong. Maintenance should be about getting ahead of issues, avoiding them the first place, not troubleshooting.
@@mikefisher4834 Most of those things are avoidable with prevention too. I mean sure, first you have to be aware of the risk before you can lower that risk, but that's easily addressed by actually doing research before you buy a tank and don't just impulse buy this and that...
One of my tanks I’ve never cleaned, I only took up water. Plants are growing fine, water is crystal, fish are healthy and showing signs of breeding. I’ve got an air pump in as the filter is barely working. I set it up in 2017 and it’s still going good.
Haven't cleaned up my main tank for months now. Nitrate dropping, plants growing like crazy and the fish breed the second time... LRB's method works. If it's balanced it takes like no maintenance time 😁
Could I ask what size tank, fish (type and amount), plants (if possible)? Not for judgement but because I am trying to balance my tank in an experiment too. A 55 litre (10 gallon), heavily planted with stem plants and a Anubias nana, with a few floaters. Stocked with 3 male endlers, 3 Pygmy cories, 3 juvenile female platies, 7 cherry shrimp ( although not sure if 7 remain), 2 Amano shrimp, 1 nerite snail and a hillstream loach. So far it’s going well and I hardly get a Nitrate reading ( even though I have nitrates straight from the tap as well). Not sure if I will swap out the female platies when they grow and put one or 2 males in there instead.
@@sshep86 I have to admit that smaller tanks are a bit harder to balance perfectly, but it works, if you pay close attention to what's happening in there. Imagine the tank as a close system (even if it's not). Everything you add has to go somewhere. If you feed the fish the end product should be plant growth. With stem plants you can easily remove that bio mass you added with the food. Don't be afraid to experiment a little bit, there's no ultimate solution for this, because there are too many parameters. Observe what happens and adjust if needed. Also, mulm is a good thing. Don't remove every little bit of it 😉
This is such a brilliant video - thank you! I'm a total newbie and setting up my first tank. Been doing so much research, I feel like I'm studying for a degree lol. This subject was really confusing me but I finally understand it. I'm going to have some happy fish!
Thank you for this video, I loved it. For a year I had stayed away from even trying to understand water parameters and letting this tank maintenance activities take over my time. The Aquarium Co-op have videos have been my preferred and you made this subject so much straightforward.
i said this before in a previous video, but irene really has a gift for teaching. i hope this doesn't sound back-handed, but i wouldn't say she is necessarily my favorite youtuber because her videos tend to be so structured, but i have probably learned the most useful information in an interesting way about fishkeeping from her.
I change 50% of my 20 gallon tank water and filter every 3 months and I have crystal clear water and very healthy fish. I feed my fish once a day and top off my tank with fresh water (2 gallons every two weeks). I have never had a problem. I have 9-tetras 1- Angel fish 1- red tail shark 1- plecko 2- Pearl Origami’s
You don’t even understand how much this helped me. I feel like I’m in school, while i take notes on my notebook. I was lost about cycling and all that stuff, but I finally understand. I’m a ten year old and i understood this perfectly. Thank you so much!!!
Unfortunately my tap water contains nitrates (levels vary throughout the year, but I've measured close to 40 more than once), so it's always a struggle to get nitrates down in my tank. I'm generally a reactive fish keeper...as in, if my fish start looking off, I know a water change is needed. But this video is inspiring me to keep a closer eye on it and test regularly.
Sarah Gilje have you tried adding plants? If you scape is already complete with plants, pothos can be put in HOB filter or otherwise suspended so just roots are in tank. Be certain to wash potting mix from roots or, better yet start with a cutting.
@@adinawatson8544 Totally agree! Floating plants are amazing at consuming nutrients. One time I wasn't watching my nitrates and they ended up starving my other plants in the tank!
Haven't done a water change in a couple months or so, but my tank seems to be staying at close to 0 nitrates. I feel like I *should* be doing water changes, but I haven't felt up to it and it hasn't caused havoc, fortunately. My tank is heavily planted and understocked though! I should probably be fertilizing more. Right now I'm recovering from surgery and won't be able to lift a bucket of water for a few weeks, so it's so good that it's stable. I'm going to have my mom top off my tanks, but I don't feel comfortable trying to teach her to do a water change, especially with shrimp.
Irene rules!….just watched a load of videos about water changes and was starting to feel a bit dizzy with all the information. This video makes it all a lot easier to understand. Thankyou!!! ☺️
Brilliant video. Cory said about cutting strips before. Great tip. Was just doing 25% every week without really knowing why. Thanks so much for putting this together.
Love the idea of using a syringe to draw the right amount of water for the API tests. I never get it right the first time just dipping the tube in. Great tip!
lol right! I always use a cheap little pipette, and I have one for each tank to minimize risks of cross-contamination. I only have 3 tanks so it's reasonable but probably less reasonable in a fish room. Works great.
I got a ton of syringes from using medications for my young kids, so that's where I got the idea! I like how you can take the syringe apart to more thoroughly wash and dry it, compared to a pipette.
Same here! Decades of trying to fill the tube just right when I had syringes stored from dog meds and plant fertilizer and could have bought more at the vet supply store anytime 🤦🏼♀️
Thank you thank you thank you for something so simple and concise. Here’s what to do and when, and why. I’ve been worried about my tank but never purchased test kits because I didn’t know what to do if out of parameters. Now I do!
+1 for live plants. We have had an 8 gallon for 3 weeks. It has 2 mollies and 2 platy. There was a surface of bubbles and a film when I put my fingers in the tank. I bought a moneywort last night and inserted it into the tank. This morning the water is clearer and the surface bubbles are gone. AMAZING!
Very good info, it works for people that have had fish for a long time, or new fish keepers. I live in a drought prone area of the country, so managing water changes is very important. Thanks!
Hi! In my 3 gallon betta tank, heated, airated, filtered : PH 7.6 - ammonia .25 - nitrite 00 - nitrates 00. This reading is after I added hornwort . Before nitrate was 5.0. It's been up and running since 5 months ago. And is cycled.
If you clean a little bit of it every couple of days, it will stay clean, it will give you something to do, it gets you closer to your tank to see and "feel" the things going on in there and it never becomes a huge overwhelming chore. I actually enjoy maintaining my tanks, its a zen thing for me and I've been doing it for over 50 years, it never gets old..
I enjoy doing maintenance too, I always spot something that I hadn't seen when I was just admiring and looking at the tanks, even if it's just something like a dying leaf I need to trim off. I personally wouldn't want to eliminate having to do water changes. But I haven't been in the hobby for that long, so also happy that you still enjoy that aspect after so many years!
I've never cleaned my tank, one a month I'll do a fifth of tank water change while vacuuming the grave, that's it, I also only have the air bubbles on for an hour a day. My tank is thriving the plants doing well, and it's been that way for over a year.
Personally I'm horrible about testing and water changes BUT what I do have is a heavily planted tank. My biggest advice for anyone who is new to the hobby is always PLANTS, PLANTS and then MORE PLANTS!Unless they want cichlids or some other type of fish that doesn't work well with plants. Plants for me are the unsung heroes of the hobby, not only do they help with fish waste but they also give cover for the fish helping them feel less stressed and secure.
I have plants that are always making more plants. My problem is keeping the plants planted in the substrate. Any advice on this? I will get it just right and the next morning they are floating.
Hi enjoy show. My 6 tanks have been running for 2years plus. First I use tap water and let set for a week 12 1gal bottles I vacume every Saturday and clean filter elements same. Fish are doing great. Thanks jim
Good video and good advice. I'm fortunate that nitrates from tap go down in the main tank, not up. 50% water changes every 2 weeks regardless. Tank been running since 2006. I don't clean the filters, they appear to be self cleaning and holding the bio that is consuming the nitrates. No plants.
I've never tested my water in the 20 years I've.been keeping fish. I never have any fish that die premature. A ton of pothos works for me. Once a week 20% change. Cory's are laying eggs and everyone is super energetic. People call me crazy for never testing. But people say do what works for you. **THIS IS NOT THE NORM just figured to put my experience with it all you should do as she says**
I wish you would've added to test the tap water as well. If not using RO you could be adding nirtrates and most new fish keepers wouldn't think of that.
This is by far the best video out there on water changing. Thank you so much!! So simple and to the point, also very easy to understand. Thanks again for sharing with us. This helps me so much!! Your awesome! (BTW, you have a great camera face and voice😉). Your such a pleasure to watch and learn from! Have a beautiful day🦋🌻
It's amazing how many people don't get this. People who have been in the hobby for years. I've read posts from FB page members asking what percentage of water they should be changing out so many times and people who should know better, throwing out random percentages based on what they do. News flash, Bub - what you do probably won't help them in what they they do. It's ALL about the nitrate creep. I even had a guy yell at me, asking what was he supposed to do, test every week? Ummm, yeah. Every week until you can get a feel for what the creep is in your aquarium. Then, once you have that figured out, you can back off to once a month if you want, just to be sure nothing is going aideways. Great information!
Hello! I'm sure you're not checking these comments anymore, but I have to ask. My tank has been fully cycled for 2 months. I have tons of plants and am using the recommended amount of fertilizer per week. My plants are thriving and my fish are happy. However, my tank is SO cloudy! It is a generally white cloudiness which suggests it is a bacterial bloom, but it has been happening for weeks. Any recommendations for what might be causing it? Thanks!
My overstocked, heavily planted, under filtered (single box filter) 25 gallon rarely needs water changes, just top-offs, and I haven't gravel vacc'd in forever. Nitrates always at 20ppm. But my over filtered, understocked, lightly planted 29gallon constantly has major nitrate issues and requires more water changes than I've been doing. I need to add more plants, probably pothos, too. My 5 gallon betta tub has no substrate, a cheap tiny filter, and Java moss and is lit with a desk lamp on a timer. I don't do water changes on it often and don't even need to do top-offs because the lid is so tight-fitting so water rarely evaporates. Nitrates are under 20.
I find you guys one of the best if not the best source for information when it comes to aquarium hobby to a point where I have my son watch your video's so he can learn you guys rock many thanks for sharing.
I think these numbers are to high. We here in Germany have strict water control's and guidelines and our tap water is allowed to have up to 50 mg/l. On average it's around 35 mg/l. Means, that water changes wouldn't change anything, if you try to stay below 40. I run my tanks with reverse osmosis water anyway, so I have zero nitrate in it and that allows me to lengthen my water changing intervals. Also, feeding live food helps too.
After experimenting I found that a big sharp pair of Dress Making scissors does the job, cut half way from both ends. With a bit of practice you will become good at it.
This video was awesome! The information was explain clearly so the audience of all skill levels can understand it. Everything production wise was a notch above your previous videos. This is type of high quality videos people should be striving for! Keep up the great work Cory and team! #fluvalstrippin
awesome video, Irene! I like the way you break it all down, cuz I have a major problem with high nitrates (like over 80) in my 20 gallon. I guess I'll do bigger water changes , more often. Its heavily planted also. Thanks!
Thanks for the clear and informative video Irene. I did have two questions. I have a heavily planted 55 gallon tank that Is stocked with about nine hungry rainbow fish and some a half dozen cardinal tetras. I am pumping about 4-6 pumps of easy green. It seems to be working because the pants are growing and very healthy and the algae eaters and snails take care of the minimal algae. My question should I test the water just before I add easy green, or does it not matter. Also, how will the easy green impact my water quality tests if at all? Thanks for your help.
Good system. Only if you change two times 25% is in total not 50% but 42% change.. Because after the first 25% you wil dilute the old water with new water.. So the second 25% is 1/4 'new' water and 3/4 old water.
Awesome explanation, thanks for making this video. If a planted tank was high in nitrates would increasing the light cause the plants to absorb more nitrogen?
It might. I recommend increasing it slowly so you don't get algae breakout. Plants need many things to grow and running out of any of them will slow it down. Increasing light will only do so much if you don't have enough Iron or another micro/macro/carbon. Algae will happily consume any in-balance
Forgot to add, if your plants look healthy, then it probably will help bring it down until you run out of something. Just remember fish need the light off too sometimes, light on 24/7 is not a good option, its all about balance
Oh my ... Aren't you a freaking genius! Cutting that teststrip in half is just ... Can't finish the sentence, I need to get some scissors. Thanks for the tip :)
I have been doing 20% water change weekly in a 20 gallon long planted tank with nitrates at 5% or below. (API test kit.) Now I'm wondering if that's too much, and maybe my plants aren't getting enough nutrient. On the other hand, I do have algae, though not a big problem amount. I also have been using Flourish Excel to help combat blackbeard algae. Maybe I should cut out the Excel, as the blackbeard is under control, and also reduce the number of water changes?
My tank is 5 weeks old, cycled for 1-2 weeks with quick start API, parameters were good. Added 6 neon tetras in week 2. Parameters still good 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, 0 nitrates due to plants. Week 3 added a betta fish and two guppies, parameters were the same. Week 4, ammonia appeared at .50, did a 50% water change. Week 5 ammonia at .40, added prime, the next day ammonia at .25, nitrite at 0 and nitrate at zero. Added Prime. Now waiting to see if it will go to zero. If it does not what do I do? I did fast the fish yesterday.
I like to just do mine once a week, and i use thrive for my plants which is like easy green, and since i have a eco-complete substrate and some plants, I just don't vacuum it and only change the water and do 50%. also squeeze out the sponges and maye scrape the walls if there's some algae buildup going on, trim the plants and stuff. fish don't seem to mind and i typically get the water really close to the right temperature right out of the tap by feeling. I don't really do the test kit stuff cause it's expensive for me I can't really fit it in, but the LFS will do all that stuff for you for free.
thank you for the video, i have a question: how do you treat the new water ? add tap water to the aquarium and then water conditioner / treat the water before add to the aquarium? what s better?
you could also add more surface area to your filtration for more beneficial bacteria and even dose a beneficial bacteria bottle to speed up the process assuming you have room for it.
I like videos like this - very good! Even if someone has been keeping fish a long time, reminders are often welcome. I have planted tanks and really don't need to do water changes every week, but I do water changes every week because it became a habit. I usually have between 0 ppm and 10 ppm of nitrates, so no need for me to do water changes every week... would also save on fertilizer, lol... habits die hard, I guess, but thank you for the reminder I will do less. I test water weekly so would know when anything is off, which nothing ever is... planted tanks are the best!
Hi I'm a beginner I have 2 betta fish in a 10 gallon tank and has a divider I dont know how to do water changes so I might get test kits. To see if the nitrate is good or bad. Thanks for helping
The only thing I'd add to this is to also keep an eye on your kh if it's low in your area (mine is). If it drops too low you could have your ph crash in your tank.
I was testing water frequently when I started again in this hobby, but weekly testing can get expensive. I'd say it is important to do at the beginning to understand your tap water and another test to see how much it changes in a couple of weeks, and once again a couple months down the road. Stores like PetSmart do free tests, three tests should be enough to understand the water parameters and how it changes with time. In my personal opinion, it is more important to do 10-20% weekly or 25-30% every two weeks water changes than actually test it every week.
@@lillianmonet5952 Do you have only one tank? :) I have seven at the moment and seven is not that many for someone who is into this hobby. I believe the test kit you are talking about is $20+, which would last me a couple months for nitrate and ammonia bottles if I did the tests weekly. It gets a bit more expensive to buy individual tests as well. I just think understanding the water parameters that you have and have a water change schedule is more important.
The only tests I do regularly are TDS and pH. Those 2 tests will pretty much tell if there is something out of balance. Then you can do the hardness, NH3, NO and NOx tests to find the culprit.
Except with city water sometimes they add in stuff and it can change all the time but well water is pretty stable as long as your not having droughts and flooding
Hi Irene, I usually use "Bio-Support" once I do a water change, is it a good thing? I want to add that my aquarium is not new, it has been running for some years now. Thanks a lot
Great video. I thought you looked familiar 😊I follow your other channel and always appreciate the knowledge you share. Thanks for being here and for taking the time to help all of us.
Once a week I had a fantail goldfish named Orange Crush and I cleaned his tank out one day out of each week then did water changes 2-5 days later to keep the bacteria down Unfortunately he passed away from a sickness that a good friend did try her best to save him and finally let him go last christmas She adopted him cause he couldn’t go to South Jersey w/me almost 2.5 years ago (Got his name from my employment at a grocery store I used to work at for 18 years)
If the only issue is nitrates, cant i just put a few hydroponic grow baskets and a grow light on top of the acquarium and have lettuce, bok choy and cilantro to handle the nitrates?
i am making AQUARIUM BACK GROUNDS... they will trap alot of water causing the trapped water to not circulate at all.. is this stagnated water actually good for your Aquarium or must it be periodically drained out ?
This reminds me of when I use to have five Guinea pigs that had to be re-homed due to the work load in caring for these critters. It was a nightmare. They pooped and peeped 24/7. It made me feel like a zoo keeper work a paycheck.😫
*Download our free infographic for figuring out your water change schedule - **geni.us/WaterChanges*
Quick question, do I have to siphon the gravel with every water change? Thank you @Aquarium Co-op you rock!
Your fish will loooove you if you do water changes daily!
@@vicpropic it depends on your substrate, plants, and fish.
My deep bed substrate tanks never get vacuumed because they are heavily planted and I don't want to accidentally disrupt the deep substrate. None of the fish in my DBS tanks disturb the substrate more than an inch down.
My bare bottom tank gets vacuumed a couple of times a week, and I only siphon as much water as I need to get the bottom clean.
@@Lazy_Fish_Keeper thank you so much for such an insightful response.
@@vicpropic I test my tap water before water changes, as well as my tank water, so I can make a fully informed decision.
I haven't had ammonia in any tanks in over a year. Most of my tanks I have to dose with ferts, until I get more fish, because the plants are currently outgrowing the fish😅
Every tank has plants, so I rarely get significant nitrate build up, except in the turtle & guppy pond. Turtle likes to eat the plants faster than they can grow🤦♂️
Irene did an AMAZING job on this. Probably the most succinct and simultaneously thorough overview I've watched of how to do water changes, as well as highlighting why plants can help keep heavily stocked aquariums in better shape. I look forward to seeing more of her videos 😍
Irene, you are great. Clear, concise and very engaging. More Irene tutorials please 👍
Thank you so much! I'll be combing the comments section to see what people have questions about, so let me know!
Amen to that lets get some vids!!
seconded!
Simp
Also I love Irene's way of presenting content. Informative, easy to understand.
Geek Alotl I agree. Having her write things down in addition to saying them is helpful.
Thank you sooo much! P.S. I don't think I've ever mentioned this, but I love your avatar. 🐉
Me too :)
I am truly enjoying Irene's AC videos- The information is always relevant, given in easy to understand language and charts, and just the right length to cover the topic. Geat job!💕👍
Awww, thank you so much! Hopefully it'll help some of the newer people on this channel. :)
Very important thing about maintenance: If the reason of your maintenance is to react to things you see are off, you're doing maintenance wrong. Maintenance should be about getting ahead of issues, avoiding them the first place, not troubleshooting.
Exactly but with aquariums things have a way of sneaking up on you sometimes Especially with newbies💯
@@mikefisher4834 Most of those things are avoidable with prevention too. I mean sure, first you have to be aware of the risk before you can lower that risk, but that's easily addressed by actually doing research before you buy a tank and don't just impulse buy this and that...
@@dominic.h.3363 Impulse buy. Nobody does that do they? Research before buying. Doesn't everyone do that especially regarding pets? 🤪
Definitely, maintenance is to make sure things stay stable and you don't give problems a chance to become acute.
Better to be proactive than reactive.
@@James_Hande Fewer people do than you'd realize.
Never thought to cut test strips. Now I use the drops.
I learned that trick from Cory. ;)
@@GirlTalksFish same. Genius
Girl Talks Fish what’s your method for cutting them? Regular scissors or some other shears? All at once or as you use them?
@@GirlTalksFish me too..if I was using them that is. I only have liquid API
@@JohnFX3 i personally used scissors. I cut 1 at a time to be safe
One of my tanks I’ve never cleaned, I only took up water. Plants are growing fine, water is crystal, fish are healthy and showing signs of breeding. I’ve got an air pump in as the filter is barely working. I set it up in 2017 and it’s still going good.
Haven't cleaned up my main tank for months now. Nitrate dropping, plants growing like crazy and the fish breed the second time... LRB's method works. If it's balanced it takes like no maintenance time 😁
Could I ask what size tank, fish (type and amount), plants (if possible)? Not for judgement but because I am trying to balance my tank in an experiment too.
A 55 litre (10 gallon), heavily planted with stem plants and a Anubias nana, with a few floaters. Stocked with 3 male endlers, 3 Pygmy cories, 3 juvenile female platies, 7 cherry shrimp ( although not sure if 7 remain), 2 Amano shrimp, 1 nerite snail and a hillstream loach. So far it’s going well and I hardly get a Nitrate reading ( even though I have nitrates straight from the tap as well). Not sure if I will swap out the female platies when they grow and put one or 2 males in there instead.
Who is LRB/what is the method?
@@sshep86 I have to admit that smaller tanks are a bit harder to balance perfectly, but it works, if you pay close attention to what's happening in there.
Imagine the tank as a close system (even if it's not). Everything you add has to go somewhere. If you feed the fish the end product should be plant growth. With stem plants you can easily remove that bio mass you added with the food. Don't be afraid to experiment a little bit, there's no ultimate solution for this, because there are too many parameters. Observe what happens and adjust if needed. Also, mulm is a good thing. Don't remove every little bit of it 😉
@@horsepanther LRB aquatics. A man with a passion for way too many tanks 😂. Corey knows him well and visited him in one of his videos.
@@edwardtddo7890 Ohh...thanks--I'll have to check him out!
This is such a brilliant video - thank you! I'm a total newbie and setting up my first tank. Been doing so much research, I feel like I'm studying for a degree lol. This subject was really confusing me but I finally understand it. I'm going to have some happy fish!
Love this. I never used a log. I'll start that and use this formula. Great video every fish keeper needs to see
I change 50 % weekly on my heavy loaded tanks and 30 % on my lite loaded tanks. Your video explained it perfectly
Thank you for this video, I loved it. For a year I had stayed away from even trying to understand water parameters and letting this tank maintenance activities take over my time. The Aquarium Co-op have videos have been my preferred and you made this subject so much straightforward.
i said this before in a previous video, but irene really has a gift for teaching. i hope this doesn't sound back-handed, but i wouldn't say she is necessarily my favorite youtuber because her videos tend to be so structured, but i have probably learned the most useful information in an interesting way about fishkeeping from her.
I love Irene, she's becoming my aquarium mother
Awww, thank you! 👩👧👦
Same!
I change 50% of my 20 gallon tank water and filter every 3 months and I have crystal clear water and very healthy fish. I feed my fish once a day and top off my tank with fresh water (2 gallons every two weeks). I have never had a problem.
I have
9-tetras
1- Angel fish
1- red tail shark
1- plecko
2- Pearl Origami’s
This was one of the most informative videos I've ever seen on water changes. Loved it!
I love how natural you are and informative. Keep it up!
You don’t even understand how much this helped me. I feel like I’m in school, while i take notes on my notebook. I was lost about cycling and all that stuff, but I finally understand. I’m a ten year old and i understood this perfectly. Thank you so much!!!
Unfortunately my tap water contains nitrates (levels vary throughout the year, but I've measured close to 40 more than once), so it's always a struggle to get nitrates down in my tank. I'm generally a reactive fish keeper...as in, if my fish start looking off, I know a water change is needed. But this video is inspiring me to keep a closer eye on it and test regularly.
Sarah Gilje have you tried adding plants? If you scape is already complete with plants, pothos can be put in HOB filter or otherwise suspended so just roots are in tank. Be certain to wash potting mix from roots or, better yet start with a cutting.
Floating plants are great if you dont mind the natural look especially duckweed and water lettuce
@@adinawatson8544 Totally agree! Floating plants are amazing at consuming nutrients. One time I wasn't watching my nitrates and they ended up starving my other plants in the tank!
ever thought about getting an RO water filter or some product to lower the nitrates? i think the RO filter would be better as a long-term solution
An Anoxic filter would be ideal for this scenario. Check Kevin Novak's anoxic filter videos.
I’m pretty new (about a year) in fish keeping. This was SO helpful!! Thanks 😊
Nicely done! For the tetra strips, the directions used to read 30-60 seconds - but now my tetra strips say to wait 60 seconds.
Amazing video.. ive been in this hobby for 20 years and i still learnt so much from this! thanks!
Wish I had seen the test strip trick before I had used all my strips. So clever, great way too save money.
Haven't done a water change in a couple months or so, but my tank seems to be staying at close to 0 nitrates. I feel like I *should* be doing water changes, but I haven't felt up to it and it hasn't caused havoc, fortunately.
My tank is heavily planted and understocked though! I should probably be fertilizing more.
Right now I'm recovering from surgery and won't be able to lift a bucket of water for a few weeks, so it's so good that it's stable. I'm going to have my mom top off my tanks, but I don't feel comfortable trying to teach her to do a water change, especially with shrimp.
Irene rules!….just watched a load of videos about water changes and was starting to feel a bit dizzy with all the information. This video makes it all a lot easier to understand. Thankyou!!! ☺️
Brilliant video.
Cory said about cutting strips before. Great tip. Was just doing 25% every week without really knowing why. Thanks so much for putting this together.
Love the idea of using a syringe to draw the right amount of water for the API tests. I never get it right the first time just dipping the tube in. Great tip!
Same here but some time ago I got one from dollar store
lol right! I always use a cheap little pipette, and I have one for each tank to minimize risks of cross-contamination. I only have 3 tanks so it's reasonable but probably less reasonable in a fish room. Works great.
I got a ton of syringes from using medications for my young kids, so that's where I got the idea! I like how you can take the syringe apart to more thoroughly wash and dry it, compared to a pipette.
Same here! Decades of trying to fill the tube just right when I had syringes stored from dog meds and plant fertilizer and could have bought more at the vet supply store anytime 🤦🏼♀️
API TESTS lol,
Thank you thank you thank you for something so simple and concise. Here’s what to do and when, and why. I’ve been worried about my tank but never purchased test kits because I didn’t know what to do if out of parameters. Now I do!
As a newcomer to the hobby, this video is a HUGE help. Thank you! 👍🏽
Bruh, you just blew my mind on cutting the test strips. Never have I ever would've thought of that.
+1 for live plants. We have had an 8 gallon for 3 weeks. It has 2 mollies and 2 platy. There was a surface of bubbles and a film when I put my fingers in the tank. I bought a moneywort last night and inserted it into the tank. This morning the water is clearer and the surface bubbles are gone. AMAZING!
Very good info, it works for people that have had fish for a long time, or new fish keepers. I live in a drought prone area of the country, so managing water changes is very important. Thanks!
I can tell your personality has the trait of being exact and precise 👍🏽
Hi! In my 3 gallon betta tank, heated, airated, filtered : PH 7.6 - ammonia .25 - nitrite 00 - nitrates 00. This reading is after I added hornwort . Before nitrate was 5.0. It's been up and running since 5 months ago. And is cycled.
This is so helpful to expand on what the nitrogen cycle numbers mean.. I am not a math person but this is easy to understand! Thank you!
Cutting testing strips in half. Brilliant!!! Great tip 👍🤗
If you clean a little bit of it every couple of days, it will stay clean, it will give you something to do, it gets you closer to your tank to see and "feel" the things going on in there and it never becomes a huge overwhelming chore.
I actually enjoy maintaining my tanks, its a zen thing for me and I've been doing it for over 50 years, it never gets old..
I enjoy doing maintenance too, I always spot something that I hadn't seen when I was just admiring and looking at the tanks, even if it's just something like a dying leaf I need to trim off. I personally wouldn't want to eliminate having to do water changes. But I haven't been in the hobby for that long, so also happy that you still enjoy that aspect after so many years!
I've never cleaned my tank, one a month I'll do a fifth of tank water change while vacuuming the grave, that's it, I also only have the air bubbles on for an hour a day. My tank is thriving the plants doing well, and it's been that way for over a year.
Personally I'm horrible about testing and water changes BUT what I do have is a heavily planted tank. My biggest advice for anyone who is new to the hobby is always PLANTS, PLANTS and then MORE PLANTS!Unless they want cichlids or some other type of fish that doesn't work well with plants. Plants for me are the unsung heroes of the hobby, not only do they help with fish waste but they also give cover for the fish helping them feel less stressed and secure.
I have plants that are always making more plants. My problem is keeping the plants planted in the substrate. Any advice on this? I will get it just right and the next morning they are floating.
Thank you so much. I’m a new fish mom and this has been so enlightening!!
Hi enjoy show. My 6 tanks have been running for 2years plus. First I use tap water and let set for a week 12 1gal bottles I vacume every Saturday and clean filter elements same. Fish are doing great. Thanks jim
Good video and good advice. I'm fortunate that nitrates from tap go down in the main tank, not up. 50% water changes every 2 weeks regardless. Tank been running since 2006. I don't clean the filters, they appear to be self cleaning and holding the bio that is consuming the nitrates. No plants.
That was SO useful! Cory good job in hiring this girl! Please increase her pay to 40 ppm
I've never tested my water in the 20 years I've.been keeping fish. I never have any fish that die premature. A ton of pothos works for me. Once a week 20% change. Cory's are laying eggs and everyone is super energetic. People call me crazy for never testing. But people say do what works for you. **THIS IS NOT THE NORM just figured to put my experience with it all you should do as she says**
I wish you would've added to test the tap water as well. If not using RO you could be adding nirtrates and most new fish keepers wouldn't think of that.
This is by far the best video out there on water changing. Thank you so much!! So simple and to the point, also very easy to understand. Thanks again for sharing with us. This helps me so much!! Your awesome! (BTW, you have a great camera face and voice😉). Your such a pleasure to watch and learn from! Have a beautiful day🦋🌻
I have watched aquarium coop everyday for like months now hahaha totally got me through quarantine y’all are awesome guys please keep it up
It's amazing how many people don't get this. People who have been in the hobby for years. I've read posts from FB page members asking what percentage of water they should be changing out so many times and people who should know better, throwing out random percentages based on what they do. News flash, Bub - what you do probably won't help them in what they they do. It's ALL about the nitrate creep. I even had a guy yell at me, asking what was he supposed to do, test every week? Ummm, yeah. Every week until you can get a feel for what the creep is in your aquarium. Then, once you have that figured out, you can back off to once a month if you want, just to be sure nothing is going aideways.
Great information!
You are extremely helpful for beginners, thanx so much!
Hello! I'm sure you're not checking these comments anymore, but I have to ask. My tank has been fully cycled for 2 months. I have tons of plants and am using the recommended amount of fertilizer per week. My plants are thriving and my fish are happy. However, my tank is SO cloudy! It is a generally white cloudiness which suggests it is a bacterial bloom, but it has been happening for weeks. Any recommendations for what might be causing it? Thanks!
My overstocked, heavily planted, under filtered (single box filter) 25 gallon rarely needs water changes, just top-offs, and I haven't gravel vacc'd in forever. Nitrates always at 20ppm. But my over filtered, understocked, lightly planted 29gallon constantly has major nitrate issues and requires more water changes than I've been doing. I need to add more plants, probably pothos, too. My 5 gallon betta tub has no substrate, a cheap tiny filter, and Java moss and is lit with a desk lamp on a timer. I don't do water changes on it often and don't even need to do top-offs because the lid is so tight-fitting so water rarely evaporates. Nitrates are under 20.
Irene, I do so enjoy your aquarium presentations. Thank you!
This math was well explained. This is the only video I’ve come across that’s broken down water changes .
Irene is awesome! Also got confused thinking I was watching her other channel but happy to have her in more places :)
I adore you. You saved my betta with your other video. He was on his way out.. hes almost back to normal again..
I find you guys one of the best if not the best source for information when it comes to aquarium hobby to a point where I have my son watch your video's so he can learn you guys rock many thanks for sharing.
I think these numbers are to high. We here in Germany have strict water control's and guidelines and our tap water is allowed to have up to 50 mg/l. On average it's around 35 mg/l. Means, that water changes wouldn't change anything, if you try to stay below 40. I run my tanks with reverse osmosis water anyway, so I have zero nitrate in it and that allows me to lengthen my water changing intervals. Also, feeding live food helps too.
50 mg/l = 50ppm(ish), 40ppm < 50ppm.
After experimenting I found that a big sharp pair of Dress Making scissors does the job, cut half way from both ends. With a bit of practice you will become good at it.
Cutting the strips in half is a nice pro tip. Cheers.
This video was awesome! The information was explain clearly so the audience of all skill levels can understand it. Everything production wise was a notch above your previous videos. This is type of high quality videos people should be striving for! Keep up the great work Cory and team!
#fluvalstrippin
awesome video, Irene! I like the way you break it all down, cuz I have a major problem with high nitrates (like over 80) in my 20 gallon. I guess I'll do bigger water changes , more often. Its heavily planted also. Thanks!
This is so technically well done and detailed. Thank you so much!
Thanks for the clear and informative video Irene. I did have two questions. I have a heavily planted 55 gallon tank that Is stocked with about nine hungry rainbow fish and some a half dozen cardinal tetras. I am pumping about 4-6 pumps of easy green. It seems to be working because the pants are growing and very healthy and the algae eaters and snails take care of the minimal algae. My question should I test the water just before I add easy green, or does it not matter. Also, how will the easy green impact my water quality tests if at all? Thanks for your help.
Good system. Only if you change two times 25% is in total not 50% but 42% change..
Because after the first 25% you wil dilute the old water with new water.. So the second 25% is 1/4 'new' water and 3/4 old water.
Highkey mad I didn't think of cutting the tester strips in half myself. Cleverrrrr
Very educational! I've been a fan for a long time and this woman rarely age 😊
I absolutely love your shop. Every time I order I am blown away. This time the delivery was a day early lol
Thanks so much for this tutorial. This helps me a newbie so much!
The most informative and clearly explained video I have found. Really good.
Awesome explanation, thanks for making this video. If a planted tank was high in nitrates would increasing the light cause the plants to absorb more nitrogen?
It might. I recommend increasing it slowly so you don't get algae breakout. Plants need many things to grow and running out of any of them will slow it down. Increasing light will only do so much if you don't have enough Iron or another micro/macro/carbon. Algae will happily consume any in-balance
Forgot to add, if your plants look healthy, then it probably will help bring it down until you run out of something. Just remember fish need the light off too sometimes, light on 24/7 is not a good option, its all about balance
Oh my ... Aren't you a freaking genius! Cutting that teststrip in half is just ... Can't finish the sentence, I need to get some scissors. Thanks for the tip :)
I have been doing 20% water change weekly in a 20 gallon long planted tank with nitrates at 5% or below. (API test kit.) Now I'm wondering if that's too much, and maybe my plants aren't getting enough nutrient. On the other hand, I do have algae, though not a big problem amount. I also have been using Flourish Excel to help combat blackbeard algae. Maybe I should cut out the Excel, as the blackbeard is under control, and also reduce the number of water changes?
My tank is 5 weeks old, cycled for 1-2 weeks with quick start API, parameters were good. Added 6 neon tetras in week 2. Parameters still good 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, 0 nitrates due to plants. Week 3 added a betta fish and two guppies, parameters were the same. Week 4, ammonia appeared at .50, did a 50% water change. Week 5 ammonia at .40, added prime, the next day ammonia at .25, nitrite at 0 and nitrate at zero. Added Prime. Now waiting to see if it will go to zero. If it does not what do I do? I did fast the fish yesterday.
Sweet thank you I’m gonna try this :) just to clarify I do a 50% water change for three weeks to find the average? Will that harm my fish?
This is such an amazing video for beginners. I can’t wait to share it!!
I like to just do mine once a week, and i use thrive for my plants which is like easy green, and since i have a eco-complete substrate and some plants, I just don't vacuum it and only change the water and do 50%. also squeeze out the sponges and maye scrape the walls if there's some algae buildup going on, trim the plants and stuff. fish don't seem to mind and i typically get the water really close to the right temperature right out of the tap by feeling. I don't really do the test kit stuff cause it's expensive for me I can't really fit it in, but the LFS will do all that stuff for you for free.
thank you for the video, i have a question: how do you treat the new water ? add tap water to the aquarium and then water conditioner / treat the water before add to the aquarium? what s better?
you could also add more surface area to your filtration for more beneficial bacteria and even dose a beneficial bacteria bottle to speed up the process assuming you have room for it.
I like videos like this - very good! Even if someone has been keeping fish a long time, reminders are often welcome. I have planted tanks and really don't need to do water changes every week, but I do water changes every week because it became a habit. I usually have between 0 ppm and 10 ppm of nitrates, so no need for me to do water changes every week... would also save on fertilizer, lol... habits die hard, I guess, but thank you for the reminder I will do less. I test water weekly so would know when anything is off, which nothing ever is... planted tanks are the best!
Hi I'm a beginner I have 2 betta fish in a 10 gallon tank and has a divider I dont know how to do water changes so I might get test kits. To see if the nitrate is good or bad. Thanks for helping
Appreciated the video. Would appreciate the graphic to help with measuring nitrates
The only thing I'd add to this is to also keep an eye on your kh if it's low in your area (mine is). If it drops too low you could have your ph crash in your tank.
thanks for the info , I have a simple question, Do you know why my little green tetra always at the corner beside the filter?
When your hobby becomes your career, AGW, GTF then FULL Co-OP :)
Lol, thank you for the support, Colin!
@@GirlTalksFish such a pleasure watching Chris @fish for thought and yourself crushing it on UA-cam, I remember that magical microphone interview :)
I was testing water frequently when I started again in this hobby, but weekly testing can get expensive. I'd say it is important to do at the beginning to understand your tap water and another test to see how much it changes in a couple of weeks, and once again a couple months down the road. Stores like PetSmart do free tests, three tests should be enough to understand the water parameters and how it changes with time. In my personal opinion, it is more important to do 10-20% weekly or 25-30% every two weeks water changes than actually test it every week.
How is it expensive? Not trying to be rude, just genuinely curious (I use API liquid test kit)
@@lillianmonet5952 Do you have only one tank? :) I have seven at the moment and seven is not that many for someone who is into this hobby. I believe the test kit you are talking about is $20+, which would last me a couple months for nitrate and ammonia bottles if I did the tests weekly. It gets a bit more expensive to buy individual tests as well. I just think understanding the water parameters that you have and have a water change schedule is more important.
The only tests I do regularly are TDS and pH.
Those 2 tests will pretty much tell if there is something out of balance.
Then you can do the hardness, NH3, NO and NOx tests to find the culprit.
@@MichaelClark-uw7ex Do you use digital testers for both?
Except with city water sometimes they add in stuff and it can change all the time but well water is pretty stable as long as your not having droughts and flooding
perfect! most helpfull, thank you. i wasnt understanding it from anyone else... i will deffinately be having a look through your infographic page x
Hi Irene, I usually use "Bio-Support" once I do a water change, is it a good thing?
I want to add that my aquarium is not new, it has been running for some years now.
Thanks a lot
This was amazing information! Thank you!
Great video. I thought you looked familiar 😊I follow your other channel and always appreciate the knowledge you share. Thanks for being here and for taking the time to help all of us.
Once a week
I had a fantail goldfish named Orange Crush
and I cleaned his tank out one day out of each week then did water changes 2-5 days later to keep the bacteria down Unfortunately he passed away from a sickness that a good friend did try her best to save him and finally let him go last christmas
She adopted him cause he couldn’t go to South Jersey w/me almost 2.5 years ago
(Got his name from my employment at a grocery store I used to work at for 18 years)
Nobody else explains this like you. Mega kudos, was already subs
Thank you 😊
Great tips. I change it once a week, 30-40%
my daugter loves fish and this is good to know thank you
If the only issue is nitrates, cant i just put a few hydroponic grow baskets and a grow light on top of the acquarium and have lettuce, bok choy and cilantro to handle the nitrates?
This was incredibly helpful! Thank you for sharing this info! :)
i am making AQUARIUM BACK GROUNDS... they will trap alot of water causing the trapped water to not circulate at all.. is this stagnated water actually good for your Aquarium or must it be periodically drained out ?
Very well presented video. Thanks for all the helpful information. 📺👍
This reminds me of when I use to have five Guinea pigs that had to be re-homed due to the work load in caring for these critters. It was a nightmare. They pooped and peeped 24/7. It made me feel like a zoo keeper work a paycheck.😫