How do you change the water in an aquarium?

Answer 1

A new aquarium needs to be cycled before fish can live comfortably in it. Cycling refers to establishing the nitrogen cycle (Ammonia (fish waste) turns into Nitrite (NO2) turns into Nitrate (NO3) Ammonia (fish waste) is poisonous and, once it builds up to a high enough level, it will kill your fish. However, the presence of ammonia will eventually cause bacterias that feed on ammonia to grow. These bacteria are quite beneficial and, when the colony is large enough, will be able to convert ammonia into Nitrite (NO2). The presence of Nitrite will eventually cause beneficial bacterias that feed on Nitrite to grow. When this Nitrite-eating colony is large enough, they will convert Nitrite to Nitrate. Nitrates can only be removed from the water through water changes. A properly cycled tank with regular water changes will have beautifully clear water almost all the time. There are several ways to cycle an aquarium, some use fish, some use chemicals. I prefer using fish because it always works and gives you something other than an empty fish tank to look at while the tank cycles. I'll assume the aquarium is set-up with a light, a filter of some kind, and is filled with water. Let the water sit until the substrate dust settles (if used) and then turn on the filter. Let the filter run for a day or two. Go buy a bunch of feeder goldfish from the local fish store (1 per 5 gallons in the tank is the ratio I use) and some goldfish flake food. Dump the goldfish in the prepared tank, feed them once or twice daily, and wait. The water will cloud up as the goldfish poop and the water gets dirty over the next few weeks. Algae will begin to grow and so will that invisible beneficial bacteria colony. Goldfish are very hardy fish, able to survive an incredible range of conditions, and they eat and poop alot (ALOT). I leave the tank in this condition for a month or two. I do not change the water or the filters, but I do add water when needed. Simple "dip" test strips should be used once a week during this time period. You will see the ammonia level rise, then the nitrite levels will rise, then the nitrate levels will rise. When they all settle back to zero, your tank is cycled.

Answer 2

It is not the tank as much as the filter that needs to be cycled. The quickest way is I know to get some live bacteria from a balanced aquarium. (Used Filter medium is best)There are also products in pet shops that you can add to your water to hasten things along.

AnswerTo cycle your fish tank, you need a source of ammonia. It can be either fish food, or a piece of raw fish or shrimp. However, the best recommended way is to use pure ammonia. It is less messy, and can help you to cycle your tank faster. You also need a liquid test kit in order to monitor the change in your water.

To start the cycle, you need to set everything up. Make sure your filter is running properly. Add a few drops of pure ammonia to bring ammonia concentration to anywhere between 2~6ppm. Any more than that will actually stall the cycle. It can take up to 6~8 weeks for the tank to be cycled. You need to make sure there is a constant source of ammonia during the entire cycle. Once you get a reading of 0ppm on both ammonia and nitrite after you have added ammonia on the same day, your tank is cycled.

Answer 3

take the fish out of the tank, store them in plastic bags with water, dump all of the water from the original tank, and then refill it with new water. Put the fish back in.

Or you could just buy a filter and never change the water.