SERIOUS water shortages

[Hendre]

Hey guys. My province has SERIOUS water shortages right now, and I have to really cut down on my WC schedule. Like really

I have found a well recieved probiotic bacteria product to help remove sludge and organics. But I'll still have to cut down on feedingand waterchanges.

Now my polys are still small, 5" and 6"
In a well planted tank with only 3 meals a week and one big (+-75%) waterchange a week would I stunt them at all? Nitrate is still manageable but I may not have a large water supply for some time...

Regards, Hendre

 

[Wailua Boy]

How about setting up a small catchment system, if you do happen to get rainfall...

 

[Hendre]

I want to set up something on the balcony. Water tank prices went through the roof.

A lack of rainfall is why we are so short right now

 

[Burbotman]

Hey guys. My province has SERIOUS water shortages right now, and I have to really cut down on my WC schedule. Like really

I have found a well recieved probiotic bacteria product to help remove sludge and organics. But I'll still have to cut down on feedingand waterchanges.

Now my polys are still small, 5" and 6"
In a well planted tank with only 3 meals a week and one big (+-75%) waterchange a week would I stunt them at all? Nitrate is still manageable but I may not have a large water supply for some time...

Regards, Hendre

You will have no issues with the above, what WC frequency do you think you may have to reduce to?

 

[Hendre]

Fin level every 3rd/4th week

 

[Burbotman]

Feeding daily would be a problem, but with yours you sill should be fine. Test water weekly Good luck

 

[Zilch]

I wouldn't worry much about the polys, maybe your other stock (assuming the worms get under control). Polys are ridiculously Hardy and can handle dips.in water quality for quite a while ... You don't exist on the fossil record as long as they have if you aren't capable of dealing with periods of less than ideal conditions

 

[tlindsey]

Hey guys. My province has SERIOUS water shortages right now, and I have to really cut down on my WC schedule. Like really

I have found a well recieved probiotic bacteria product to help remove sludge and organics. But I'll still have to cut down on feedingand waterchanges.

Now my polys are still small, 5" and 6"
In a well planted tank with only 3 meals a week and one big (+-75%) waterchange a week would I stunt them at all? Nitrate is still manageable but I may not have a large water supply for some time...

Regards, Hendre

Doing 50% a week will work and if you feed every day just feed lightly and only once a day if your not already doing that. They will not be stunted.

 

[Hendre]

I wouldn't worry much about the polys, maybe your other stock (assuming the worms get under control). Polys are ridiculously Hardy and can handle dips.in water quality for quite a while ... You don't exist on the fossil record as long as they have if you aren't capable of dealing with periods of less than ideal conditions

Fair enough. I have a tank of toughies

Doing 50% a week will work and if you feed every day just feed lightly and only once a day if your not already doing that. They will not be stunted.

I would but I can't do more WC due to the shortage

 

[skjl47]

Hello; Sorry to hear things have gotten worse since the last time water was discussed. May I ask if the issue is more the lack of available water or the cost or perhaps both?

This may be a situation similar to what I was doing in ignorance many decades ago. I started off not knowing of nor understanding the concept of regular water changes (WC). For that matter the other fish keepers I knew did not yet know of the value of WC. We just topped off the water.

I would take a tank down after many months, often a year, for cleaning. This included rinsing the gravel. You might be able to imagine what the gravel was like after a year of slight overfeeding and only a UGF. I did note that the fish were much more lively for a time after a cleaning. That was a clue that made me accept regular WC when I finally became aware of the concept.

I guess you question is how much less frequent and at what reduced volume can your WC schedule be. An answer is quite a lot but with a caveat. That being while fish may not die right away the water conditions will be less than ideal.

Back to my history. My first regular water changes were on a schedule of around three to four weeks. From a base line of practically no WC this was a big improvement. Fish did better and it took much longer for a tank to get nasty and need a teardown. Bear in mind that water test kits for home testing were not yet around.
A side story. I was doing graduate study in the late 1970's. My plan was to get a masters focused on ecology. We did water quality surveys. The techniques were primitive compared to today. Some water samples had to be fixed immediately at a stream and then taken back to a lab. Best I can recall I was lucky to do a set of water tests in 90 minutes.

Back to WC schedule. On my own I settled on a WC schedule of two weeks. This along with an understanding that lighter feedings worked better seemed a decent fit. I guess that two weeks with light feeding may be a first might be he first compromise for you to consider. At maybe 20% to 25%. My recollection being that my fish did well enough for a long time at this level. I did and still do have live plants so keep that in mind.

What happens next will be a function of the weather. Fish and tanks are an unnecessary thing we do for enjoyment. At some point you may have to cut back on the tanks you have or even quit altogether. I have been down to a single small tank a few times and no tanks at all for brief periods. The tanks and much of the equipment do well in storage and the hobby can be picked up again.

Good luck