The Puffer Forum

We have quite a few fish tanks, my mother has been doing good sized water changes every Tuesday *today is water change day* - it's getting tedious for her and I can't help clean them, so 7 tanks a week is rough, please let me know if these changes can be cut back on these (or any) of these tanks.

55G: Aquaclear 300 GPH, Protein Skimmer, some LR - one 3" GSP. - 1.022-1.023
55G: Aquaclear 300 GPH, aqua tech 120 GPH, one 2.5" Figure 8. - 1.008 or so
45G: Aquaclear unknown GPH 2 Platy's, 8 Tiger barbs, 1 Golden barb, 1 Synodontis Catfish, 1 Red Tailed Shark
45G: 3 Comet Goldfish, two Fantail Goldfish - unknown on the gallon per hour rate but it's running a good sized double sided filter I believe and then a smaller one that I believe is rated for about 110 GPH.
14G: 2 Danios, 2 Corydoras, Ghost Shrimp, Assorted Snails, 1 Angelfish - not sure but I believe it's a 15G filter.
10G: 1 Male Betta, Ghost Shrimp, Trumpet Snails - standard 10G filter
10G: 1 Male Betta, a few Trumpet Snails *two 10G Betta tanks* - standard 10G filter


Thank you.

Also, is pre mixed saltwater OK? We're using instant ocean right now and making our own but it would save some time etc - thanks for any input.

That's quite a mom you have there! Premixed is fine but $$$.

OK, and the water changes?

You could probably go 10 days but I find having 1 day/week is more dependable.

Your full marine tank can be converted to fish-only with live rock by increasing the LR mass in the tank or in an added sump, provided that the skimmer is operating well. It could further be improved by a lighted refugium w/macroalgae on 12hr/24 or 24/7 constant lighting. Once the LR and refugium are fully functional, you could reduce the water partials significantly - depending on what your water parameters read, but likely down to 25-30%.

The 45 gallon goldfish tank is grossly overcrowded. Even if upgraded to the 55 currently used for the F-8, it is still massively over crowded. I would not attempt to manage such a tank without daily or alternate-day 50% or larger partials. I would suggest trading off the comets ad holding only the two fantails, then you might manage with one 50% partial weekly if the water parameters are all good on that schedule.

The F-8 does not need such a large tank. I would downsize it to a 45 and upgrade the goldfish. It also does not need 1.008 specific gravity, that is wasting salt mix and not the best for the F-8. That fish would be best at 1.003-1.005. Even after the down sized and lower density BW, you are unlikely to require the standard 50% partials weekly. Depending on the water parameters, you might go as low as 25% weekly partials provided your nitrate titer stays at or below 10ppm and you KH stays stable.

The mixed FW 45 will continue to need 50% weekly water partials. Ditto the 14 and the two betta tanks.

We really cannot offer very good advice without knowing the water parameters on all the tanks, plus you do not mention what percentage of water is currently changed. So all the foregoing suggestions assume weekly 50% partials for all tanks.

Thanks for the detailed response Robert, I didn't feel like typing so much.

Don't have a test kit currently but when I bring it into the LFS it seems the tanks are staying at 0, 0, 5 - the partials depend on the tank itself, don't think they're anywhere near 50%, though.

That's just nuts! How can you have all those tanks & none of your own test kits?

Heh, we DID have tests at one point.. Within the next few days I'll stop into my LFS and get a kit and some more LR, etc.

Let's face it, you do have MTS - multiple tank syndrome. Test kits are not at all something I use daily, but I check all of the tanks periodically to be sure that I really am accomplishing what I want to do in tank management. At any given time, most of my tanks are mature. They do not require the frequent testing of "young" tanks - those less than a year or two old. Once a tank stabilizes, checking periodically is all that is really needed. mature fish grow slowly, but they do continue growing, so we have to make sure the water quality is staying up.

May I ask why you are not able to help?

sevenyearnight wrote:May I ask why you are not able to help?

Yes, you may ask - I have a brittle bone disorder - am unable to stand or move around much. Cleaning a fish tank would be remotely impossible.


@RTR: I'll try to get a test kit tonight or tomorrow night. Thank you.

My GSP is absurdly aggressive and I'm looking for a fun meal for him that I can get from my LFS. Any recommendations? Baby crayfish? Some sort of crab? Any advice is helpful, thanks. I have fed him ghost shrimp before.. I only put 2 in as he swallowed them whole and nearly exploded, the figure 8 ate 6 and didn't get a gut nearly as big as the GSP. Looking for a different meal - thanks

Fiddler crab.