taking the fish out when doing the water change???

[tagMAN]

hi i did a 50% water change today in my 2.5 gallon mini bow. i took my betta out first and put him in the lil cup that i got him in with some water from thetank after i changed the water and got the ph to 7.0 and waited tell the water warmed up to 78 but befor i put my betta back in the tank i noticed his color was changing like his fins became transparent like white where the fin and body meet is that stress should i not take him out when i do my water change??
and while in the cup he was relly active he was like swiming agenst the wall like he wanted toget out

ok ty

[sawcat]

My two crowntails get really stressed when removed from their tanks. They get the horizontal fear stripes and go pale. The male especially bad. It's why I have big enough tanks to leave them in for the water change. Most times they have enough sense to stay away from the gravel vacumn.

[abm]

Some fish actually seem to enjoy the changes associated with water changes I don't use filters and my tanks are uncycled, so I do 50-75% water changes weekly and 100% changes every 2 weeks...I've found that my guys tend to get way more upset when the vacuum sucks their water level down than when I scoop them into a tupperware cup for half an hour
You have to learn what works best for both you and the fish. Some people get stressed when transferring the fish which can lead to drops and danger to the fish Others I've talked to say their fish chase the vacuum and get close enough to damage fins with the suction.

[tagMAN]

i take him out bc im using tap water and my tap is relly base the ph and also so the temp differnce dosnt shock him i take him out for an hr or so when doing my water change so the water can get back to what it was...i was wondering if i keep taking him out would he later learn that its bc im cleaning his tank and not get stressed and it would just be a routine??? well next week i gotta do the 100pct water change and i cant leave him in the tank if theres going to be no water lol are there fear strips on the male betta i never noticed it but did notice like my red betta if he turns a sertin way yu can see a lil blue and the blue was relly bright

[Thistle]

You could always buy some large jugs of spring water at your local grocery store. Drink the water or dump it, your choice then use the empty jugs to store pre-treated "tank" water for doing water changes.

Slowly add the pre-treated water to the tank as it will be around room temp (68-70F) and you don't want to shock the fish with such a drastic temperature change.

[abm]

Tagman, I have pH issues also...do you let your tap water sit out for just the hour? Mine takes a minimum of 48 hrs before the pH goes down from the 9.0 it is straight from the tap. Try letting your water age a day or two, and you might also try a pH buffer such as Proper pH 7.0, which is a great product. It doesn't adjust pH, it buffers and holds it at a steady 7.0.

There's really no problem with your method, I just wanted to address the pH comment, as I've lost fish to pH spikes

[tagMAN]

well i have a huge 5 gallon bucket that i age the water in over night i cover it with a plastic garbage bag so things dont fall in it and its easyer then a jug to check the ph in bc i have to put glass in to get a sample of water i get the ph to 7.0 the night befor then let it age or should i let it age then ajust the ph? would the ph change if i let it age and dont add the ph down???

[abm]

Really the only way to know what your tap water tends to do is to test it yourself. Experiment by sitting the water out for one, two, three or more days, test pH every 12 hrs, see when it's stabilized. Mine, as I said, takes 48 hrs but I believe every municipality can differ.

If you can avoid adjusting pH, it's always better not to mess with mother nature That's why I use the Proper pH 7.0, it's a buffer which stabilizes the pH level and then I don't have to add anything until next water change. I've used it for a year or more now and zero pH issues

[sawcat]

What is your ph? unless its very drastic different from ideal, you might just as well leave it alone. Mine reads 7.6 from the tap, and goes up to 8.2 in tank. Stays pretty stable and they don't seem to have a problem, so I don't bother changing mine.

[tagMAN]

my ph from the tap isnt on the cart i usualy have to add like 10 ph down drops to get it on the cart and a few more depending

[beta3chg]

I use the cupping method when doing 100% water changes (1x week for my uncycled 1gal tanks), which is where you use suction to scoop them into a cup (dunk it into the tank near them quickly). This works well, and since its their own water it is the right temp and such. I have to use a net to get them back into their tanks though...

[tagMAN]

i got the proper ph 7.0 but the problem is it says "proper ph 7.0 is a phosphate and should not be used with live aquarium plants." and i have some java ferns so i guess i cant relly use it

[sawcat]

Are you using a high range ph test too? If you're reading higher than the colors on the normal test, you should get a high range ph test and it will give you a better reading. I believe peat moss is used by some to lower ph, and it's a natural substance so it might work with plants. You might do some research on that.

[tagMAN]

well right now i have the ph test delux and it comes with a ph down i havent relly put the plant in the tank yet i just got them

[sawcat]

If it only has one test solution and then the chemicals to alter it, you should get a seperate test that say's it's a high range test. When I do mine with the normal test(6.0-7.6), it reads way off the card so I don't really know what it is except it's not on that scale. I have to use a high range(7.4-8.8) to get an 'accurate' reading. I use www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=13523&N=2004+113074 , the red one is the high range. If you get the AP Master test kit it has both ph tests, as well as Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate (if you haven't already gotten them).