Quick question that, I as a cichlid keeper for some time now, have been thinking about. Does buffering your water to a higher ph increase the color of your cichlids. I have been keeping mine around 7.2 because that's my tap water and have never tried to buffer it. I just want to know, even though I probably wont change it because that is what my older cichlids have been used to for some time. Thanks, keep up the good work!
New aquatic momma, it was initially so intimidating and I've had 10g maybe a month, started w 3 tetras 2 paltys and one bossy betta. Lost my platys amd started to worry, after binging your channel it makes so much more sense! I've been overfeeding, had ich treatment for my tetras, afterwards got a bloom wondered why my water looked gross, I've learned about the chemical levels, the importance of the bloom, and agitation for the surface! Ugh I didn't have a wave thing, but now hopefully I won't have the need to go to psp every week and just get my own test kit now. Bless you and thank goodness I found your channel it was a lot of searching and titles that didn't label vids w the point. Yours are SO much easier to follow!! Thank you!!!
@@KaveManAquatics why woul you clean your glass if benificial bacteria are living on it? Also when dechlorinating the water in bucket first would it be safe to put the first 4 gallons out of 20 gallons in first by cup? I mean Ive always poor in my water conditioner while tank is being filled so it mixes in good
My partner always takes the mickey out of me doing tank maintenance, I wear a vest as I have a large corner tank that I use a ladder or I’d never reach the bottom and I hate getting my sleeves wet..😁 I’m a relief manager for a poultry company and save my rest days for doing tank maintenance so I don’t have to rush and can really chill out and spend the day on my routine..
Man Kev I'm starting to believe you're related to that snake in the Jungle Book! Calm smooth voice.... trussst me... water changes are necessary.... keeeping African Cichlids is easssy... Next thing you know I'm at the end of the vid and feel like I learned something new. Thanks as always bro aka my favorite fishtuber!!!
I am a beginner fish keeper and obviously have done days worth of research, watching videos from this channel. And after watching this video I learned I was doing tests wrong and as soon as I saw this I went to my tank, tested it and saw my tank is almost cycled. Thank you very much for your info!
Another great vid Kev! It wasn't until I saw you going 80% that I worked my way there. Currently I'm doing about 60%-70% twice a week. That pump make life so much better too, and not wasting water. Can't wait for the next TANK BOSS live stream. As always happy happy
I have a well planted 55 gallon tank. Between the usual fish, cories, ottos, shrimp, snails and a pleco, I barely need to do any cleaning. Water changes, yes, obviously, onece a week. my cannister gets cleaned once a month at most. Fish are happy, all levels in safe range. Can't complain. For the most part I get to just enjoy my tank and feed the fish.
When showing people how to test pools. I always mention 2 things: 1) myopia or color blindness tests are free online, most people don’t know how red colourblind they are. That can severely effect results. 2) different test kits have different scales on the comparison chart. Always get one that provides the most accurate results. Great vid as always kaveman.
Seachem stress guard is an excellent product especially for african chiclids and their aggression. Ive have catfish in with my african cichlids and the cichlids did not care for those catfish and the tail fins on both catfish were pretty much gone. The stress guard worked not only for the stress but the speed up of their tail fins, it worked very well and will keep buying the product as well as my other favorites by seachem
Even though I have an Oscar tank as well as a red parrot tank, the advice on this video and all other by Kave M A really, really work. Its a commitment and a little discipline but your tank water is crystal clear and your fish that you paid lots of money for are very happy. THANKS K🌟🌹
I usually do around 50% water change per week. I think it was an Adam C video where he lost a lot of his fish after doing a 80% water change since the city/town had done some chemical changes to the water without warning. By keeping at least 50% of the original water it reduced the risk from bad new water (since I'm sure very few of us test the tap water before refilling). Love your videos by the way.
Yea that would be a terrible thing to happen, but the city changing the amount of chlorine in the water doesnt happen to often. But a good fail safe is that I always overdose with my dechlorinator, prime and safe are safe for the fish double or even triple dosed and that would take care of any fluctuations in tap water chlorine.
Also can add a filter to ur kitchen tap under the sink 😅 clean drinking water for u, is also is good water for fish, n beneficial if ur area has horrible tap water, reducing the fluoride and chloride. Awesome videos, 👌
Wow, so much fantastic information in such short time! I have had to give up my aquarium and I miss it so much. But I can at least enjoy you videos, thank you so much!!
So i recently did an 80% wc, fish were fine afterwards, I added 10mls of prime as I normally do.... however I got a small ammonia spike within 2 days afterwards ( .25ppm - point two five parts per million ) the small ammonia spike disappeared within 36 hours... all has been well ever since ... so for my tank I'll be sticking to 50% water changes, & if that's not enough I'll just do them more frequently. . Cheers & happy fish keeping
BRO ! ! ! ! ! Thank you soooooooooooooo Much on everything you have taught me on Aquariums from 10gl to my 130gl. The fact is that you gave one thing that has helped me reduce water changing. PLOY FILL in a PLOY FILL filter cartridge instead of the carbon filter. The other was snails and a deep good sand gravel mix. BUT DAMN my RED TAIL likes eating Exotic Fish and not the COMETS ! ! ! ! !
For people who don’t have any dechlorinator on hand if you have a smaller tank you can also fill up a bucket(s) and leave it in the sun for the day and by night time your water will be dechlorinated. You could also boil your water and wait for it to cool but that wouldn’t be a great method unless you have only like a 5 gallon nano tank or something. Luckily i have a private well at my house and as long as I use the outside water faucets I have as much naturally dechlorinated water as I need which is sweet.
Remember to shut off your heater several minutes before you drain, and wait several minutes after the refill to turn on. Or... just push the heater to the bottom while doing the water change and don't let it rise above the water level.
Thank you bro! Glad you're finding the channel helpful! 😁💪 BTW, you should check out my new Aquarium Keeping APP designed for beginners! - aquabuildr.com
That Jumbo Krill is the exact same food i use for my picky eaters such as my Peacock Bass and my Arowana(no longer have). Good food for fish that only want live to switch over.
My book on getting crystal clear water can definitely help! 😁 It's short, to the point, and covers all the causes and solutions for cloudy water. Comes in eBook and Paperback. I promise you won't be disappointed! Check it out here - bit.ly/clearH2O
I,m going to try this. Glad we dont have chlorine here. Did 25 and 50% change, now i going to try your way because i dont like how my water is right now
"My family and I found this video extremely helpful with the method you do tried it, and our water has never been clearer in the 55-gallon African Cichlid Tank. "-
Grow some pothos in your sump if you have one They suck up all the nitrates like fertilizer. My nitrates stay on zero.... Over stocked african cichlid 120g tank plus 40g sump.
The thing about vacuuming gravel/sand is, 1) don't the plants need ti for their roots to suck up nutrients? and 2) what if you have a lot of shrimp? It's impossible to not suck them up in the siphon.
You’re spot on Kev.. I have a puffer display of dwarf puffers and a MBU, they are extremely messy feeders and I do an 80% water change once a fortnight my nitrate peaks at around 50-70 ppm using a test strip test, I also have the benefit of fast growing dense plants, debris on my sand bed gives me my indication of a needed water change. I’ve been curious and just like your vid I’m doing the same test before and after/next day test. Take care mate great work..👏👏
Great video bro!! Just perfect and I think the same, the beneficial bacteria houses in the biological material and not in the water column! I can't wait for the next video!
Why didn't you blackout the sides of the tanks? I've heard sometimes fish attack their own image thinking it's another fish. Wouldn't blacking out the sides give you more of a up closer look at the fish aswell?
Great video Man a lot of good information on my case I have a mixing valve under my kitchen sink I have it set 82° every time I do water change in my fish tank it’s equal no problem makes life so much easier I have it one of those quick disconnects for my Python
Hello I really need help . I recently got into aquarium's and went and bought a 125 gallon tank with African cichlids I'm trying to do weekly water changes and ive watched your videos on doing them but every time i do a water change a couple of my fish die within two or three days after. I use prime and have safe on the way .my question is what am i doing wrong? I love these fish this hobby is so relaxing i hate seeing my fish die and im to the pont im lost i know i need water chenges but im scared to do any more please any advice woukd be gold .
Hey Kev! Super aware that this is an old video but I've been making my way through your channel because the information you provide is solid. I just wanted to stress the importance of you adding in the malawi buffer powder (at 9:49 in the video) to anybody watching this video. The addition of the buffer is what allows your pH to stay stable at 8.2 after adding in 80% new water! For example, if you started off with a dKH of 10 (this is your buffer capacity) and you changed 80% of the water with source water that has 0 dKH, your final dKH will be 2. A dKH of 2 is not enough buffering capacity to resist significant pH changes! If the source water you used to perform the change also has a pH of 7, this can cause a shift in the pH of your overall tank water and you will notice your cichlids getting stressed (a common symptom is flashing). Simply put, the addition of malawi buffer powder is a sure-fire way of preventing any sudden pH shifts during & after a water change. By using a buffer, you could safely do 90% water changes even! EDIT: Best practice here would be to put the buffer powder into the source water that you use to change your water and mix it around for a bit eg. into the tub that Kev uses for his water changes. This will help match the pH levels in your tank + source water so there will be very little stress on your cichlids.
Very good info Andrew! Thank you for sharing it with us! Thats exactly how I do my big water changes now that I dont have aragonite sand anymore. I add the malawi buffer directly to the tank as it fills next to the wave maker to get it mixed in well and quickly 😊
Hi Kev, thank you so much for your videos - they’re helping me A LOT as a newcomer to the hobby! I’m in UK and have inherited 4 Angelfish and a Bristle-nosed Pleco. I do water changes on Sunday, and just want to ask if you clean your decor with tap water before putting it back in the tank? Some advice is to clean with tank water to not disturb the good bacteria. Do you have any advice? Also do you have a diet day for the fish one day a week, when they don’t get fed? I’ve heard of this too. Thanks in advance!
Ever thought about adding some pothos plants to your sump or on top of your aquarium to keep those nitrates down? I never done it, but I heard it works.
My cycle crashed when I removed my filter cartridge to dose Paraguard. My fish were gasping so I removed them, and put them in a a hospital tank “5 gal tub”. My tap water is really high in ammonia so I put them in purified water. My OG fish tank was testing between .25ppm and .50ppm. My fish tank is a 29 gallon, I changed out about 14 gallons yesterday with purified water and it’s still testing at .25ppm. Should I do another water change? Or should I wait to see if the beneficial bacteria does its thing?
I scored a three month old fx6, 7 fish, 45 gallon tank, stand, accessories, UV killer, and extra filters, air pumps, lights, and more for $100 that fx6 is bad ass.
I have a 54 gallon corner tank. And it’s become a nightmare to get the water flow right even with an aqua clear 110 the shape makes it a lot harder. put in a small bubble wall which moved the sediment buildup issue from the back to front I’ve got to experiment with where to put the air stones can’t wait to replace the tank with a 180 or at least 75 regular shaped tank
Hey kev ive been doing 80 percent water for a very long time I'm heavily stocked too in my 125 but the only difference is i do one every two weeks it tests out at about 40 parts before i do one. I do have a sponge filter a fx5 cannister and a large tidal hob filter. Also plenty of biological filtration with mechanical and chemical it works for me. One other important point i have a large jebao sine-cross power bar for strong water movement it definetly helps move my detritus and it helps control some of the aggression africans have. Thats about it kev. Later bro!
Love your videos. Just recently changed my 75 gallon to an African cichlid tank. Wanted to know where you got your rock decor. They look like one piece. Thank you.
i don't have the roper fitting for my python hose, are you saying that just allowing that syphoning to get going allows you to complete a water change without using your sink as a vacuum?
I have yellow water and I was thinking if I change 50% water 1 time each day, until the water is clear but during the water, I will add some bacteria to the water. I wonder if this will work to change out the yellow without killing my fish.
I have a 125 Gallon with about 60 small tetra's with 2 canister and a aquaclear 110, as well as a sponge filter, you still have to keep an eye out on high nitrates, especially after feeding heavy... Where did you get your fake rocks? Great vid. Thank you
Kev I always watch your videos when I’m on break lol. If one uses there fx to fill thier tank attaching a hose to the utility valve you can’t declorinate the water going in It but you delcolorinate the water in tank is that ok?
My guppy tank is massively overstocked but I almost never do water changes. I've got lots of plants including bamboo growing in there hob filter. Maybe try a sump with bamboo and other plants to eat the nitrates.
Yea If you have plants they will definitely help with nitrates, especially a heavily planted tank. Problem with African cichlids is they either eat them or pull them out so very difficult to find a plant that works...And yes the other option is to put a sump on with a refugium...That project may be coming soon. Just have to pull the trigger on it 😊
I’m having issues and after googling I need a cichlid expert so I’m hoping you can help. There like yours peacocks 13 adults and some babies in a 150 gallon number 14 died Wednesday he looked fine but out of the tank I noticed peppering on him and then looking closer they all have peppering Ph and everything has always been great the only thing I am having issues with is phosphates are extremely high very high I do 50% water change a week and there’s a overflow and sump I keep it well maintained but still issues with phosphate they are not over fed The fish do fight very badly and I didn’t know if separating the males and females would help or not but one is beat up so bad I’m going to move him tomorrow so he can heal there such beautiful fish and I feel like things are getting worse and I don’t want to lose anymore Oh and there was a dead young one in the overflow box they looking like it had been there a while and I only found it because I dropped a sponge in there so idk if that caused the peppering or if it’s the phosphate but I really wish I knew why the high phosphate gets that high that fast for no reason it’s stressing me out
The small ones came with my 3D background, havent seen them anywhere else. Maybe you can order just them, try it and let me know - aquadecorbackgrounds.com
I hope you are getting those dried krill soak in water for 5 to 10mins before feeding as that will help the fish from not getting any bloat or constipation issues....
Nope, I’ve never soaked them and never had any issue with bloat. Why do you think this would cause bloat? Can you provide a link to an article or source? I’m curious
@@KaveManAquatics I have seen few RU-vid videos in the past and couldn't recall those link's now but they stated that dried food actually sucks up all the moisture in their gut leading to issues and soaking them in water avoids that.
@@sudhakarvytla6665 To reduce your risk of fish having bloat fasting once a week solves that problem. I feed same exact freeze dried daily to my bass/picky eaters with pellets.
I usually get down to about 20-40ppm. This is because my source water already has 15ppm nitrate in it. Also the reason why I must do big weekly water changes 😊
It's important to note what Kev is saying works for him, his size tank, the fish type, bioload, filtration type etc. Depending on the specifics of your tank, set up, fish type and load, etc there's lots of different methods which don't require this level of water change.
Absolutely correct! If you have live Plants for example they will take care of a lot of the nitrates and big water changes like this one aren't necessary. Thanks for the added clarification 👍
I keep a South American Cichlids. Do about a 50% every two weeks. What do think would be a benefit to do a large water change? Like the 80%. My nitrates are about 40ppm at the time of the water change.
Hey awesome videos they are very helpful I was wondering if you could do a video on api products vs seachem products as far as water conditioner and the api stress coat vs the seachem stability? Thanks in advance.
I really dont have the testing capabilities to know wether one is better than the other...so the only way to know would be if my fish start getting sick, stressed, or dead...and I wouldnt want to do that lol I can tell you they are both great companies that have been around a long time so you're fine no matter which path you take. P.s. stress coat and stabiltiy have different purposes...you would really want to compare stress coat with Prime
Hi Kev. Have you tried the FX Gravel Vac system add-on with your FX6? Do you see any benefit to vacuuming the substrate without also doing a water change at the same time?
Not really, If you're vacuuming and removing water might as well water change as well. I havent tried any new kind of vac because the good o'll fashion gravity syphon does a great job
