water changes in winter

[D&RW]

mild winters up here for the most part. water temp about 40-42. do i still need to do water changes on ??? basis.

 

[sissy]

I don't do water changes in the winter here even with the temps going up and down .I get plenty of rain for that .I just don't want to change the pond temps because my well water can be really cold in the winter.But I do live in VA so not to sure about your area .But since fish are resting and not eating they should be fine

 

[fishin4cars]

I do them still in the winter but not as often, here maybe once every three weeks during winter and never if the temps are below 40. But considering how far south I am, I feel like it's beneficial. being that far north I would want to know what the Nitrates and nitrites and ammonia are doing for one, also wouldn't want to do one if there was ice on the pond as the water would actually be far warmer coming from a source than the pond water. This could cause a shock to them.

 

[Waterbug]

Hopefully you have a good understanding of toxic (un-ionized) ammonia (NH3) and nontoxic (ionized) ammonia (NH+4). Most test kits only tell you the total. To know the toxicity you also need to know the pH and temperature. There are lots of a charts online.

I don't know your fish load or pond, but the bottom line is if the fish are in real danger of poor water, whatever the cause, you have little choice in the matter. If a water change is your only choice then it doesn't matter what the temperature is or whether there's ice or not. Just be sure the danger is real and is greater than that of a water change.

 

[D&RW]

I'm no expert for sure. I haven't tested for a few weeks, duh. will do that today. lost my thermometer so last test on water temp was 42 F. i usually test weekly with water changes as often. flush both filters at the same time. i shut off the waterfall filter in winter and the bottom drain. I only run the Aqua bead filter and the O2 pump.. if i had to guess i'd say the water quality is just fine. the gH and kH are probably down a bit from rains, but otherwise i doubt there's any spikes in ammonia or by products. However, i hadn't thought about the temperature difference factor. i don't know but i'll bet the house water would be warmer this time of year. probably not enough to shock, but still.

i'll go out and get another thermometer and test the water and report back.

 

[sissy]

You can use a regular thermometer.I used one i got from the dollar store

 

[D&RW]

temp today was 44.4. used a digital marine aquarium i picked up at Petco. it has an extension of about 24 inches. i mount it on a 1x2. handy. i also got a water sample, but haven't tested yet. will do and report

 

[sissy]

I tested mine today and 0 for everything and 8 for ph .I can say that i think it really helps putting the bags of oyster shells in the filter does work good .

 

[sissy]

I sometimes wonder if soaking and cleaning the quilt batting in peroxide and leaving to drain is why my water fall rocks get very little algae on them .

 

[addy1]

I would think so Sissy, algae does not like peroxide.

 

[sissy]

never dawned on me I was killing to birds with one stone .I usually let it set and drip dry and when it's done I put it back in .I go back and forth with them meaning when one is dry i take the other out and do it again .i just figured the peroxide would be gone after it dries up .I really never thought about it ,just did it and went about my way .I guess it is easier than shutting down the waterfall and spraying the rocks and waiting for it to work .

 

[Jareety]

It's definitely out of my league but as you've said in the above post, it's good to know about the options and then choose based on one's capability.



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