Regular Member visualkeirockstar Posted March 20, 2015 Regular Member Share Posted March 20, 2015 Does it affect how you do water changes now? I'm just curious what you guys think. I don't change my water very often like many people do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member DieselPlower Posted March 20, 2015 Regular Member Share Posted March 20, 2015 If you have fancy foldfish and your nitrates start to get above 50 or so I'd start to get concerned. They can be negatively affected. A drought does not mean your fish can be neglected. I hope you test for nitrates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Hidr Posted March 20, 2015 Regular Member Share Posted March 20, 2015 It have been raining here for three weeks. So no worries at this time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helper FishyMandy Posted March 21, 2015 Helper Share Posted March 21, 2015 (edited) Even when we had strict water restrictions, I still did my regular large water changes. My fish need it and I used the old water on the garden so it wasn't wasted. Edited March 21, 2015 by FishyMandy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member dnalex Posted March 21, 2015 Regular Member Share Posted March 21, 2015 Even when we had strict water restrictions, I still did my regular large water changes. My fish need it and I used the old water on the garden so it wasn't wasted. This Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member goldfishgirl82 Posted March 22, 2015 Regular Member Share Posted March 22, 2015 (edited) I live in California too, and I am very concerned with the drought... but I think my concerns are more in the area of what will happen if they start implementing mandatory water restrictions and how that will affect my fish keeping. Will I at some point be forced to give up some of my tanks because they don't allow people to use water like they used to, or because the water rates go to high for it to be feasible to keep them. Also, it has made me more water conscious... I do more to make sure in the process of changing water that less gets wasted. But when it comes to cutting down my water usage, I cut my showers, laundry and other things first before my fish water changes. Edited March 22, 2015 by goldfishgirl82 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member number20121 Posted March 22, 2015 Regular Member Share Posted March 22, 2015 I live in California too, and I am very concerned with the drought... but I think my concerns are more in the area of what will happen if they start implementing mandatory water restrictions and how that will affect my fish keeping. Will I at some point be forced to give up some of my tanks because they don't allow people to use water like they used to, or because the water rates go to high for it to be feasible to keep them. Also, it has made me more water conscious... I do more to make sure in the process of changing water that less gets wasted. But when it comes to cutting down my water usage, I cut my showers, laundry and other things first before my fish water changes. I am not in a drought area, but I was thinking about the issues in California just recently, especially with the predicaments NASA is making about the water there. One thing we clearly do is wasting water. Not on fish, but other things. Cutting down on showers does not mean that you are dirty. You can clean yourself just as well with a small 2g bucket of water, some soap, and a wash cloth. That is how I was raised. (on an unrelated note; love the quote in your current signature!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member DieselPlower Posted March 22, 2015 Regular Member Share Posted March 22, 2015 For those worried about having to give up tanks or facing water restrictions, one thing to remember is that reducing your fish load will reduce your water change requirements by basically the same amount. if you have 4 fish and find you have to change the water every week to keep nitrates under control, reducing to 2 fish (assuming all about the same size) would allow you to go 2 weeks before nitrate levels required a water change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member GoldenSpoiledRotten Posted March 24, 2015 Regular Member Share Posted March 24, 2015 For those worried about having to give up tanks or facing water restrictions, one thing to remember is that reducing your fish load will reduce your water change requirements by basically the same amount. if you have 4 fish and find you have to change the water every week to keep nitrates under control, reducing to 2 fish (assuming all about the same size) would allow you to go 2 weeks before nitrate levels required a water change. This is not necessarily true, unless you're keeping the same tank. If you reduce by 2, and reduce the tank size as well, you'll still wind up doing the same amount of WCs because you'll accumulate Nitrates quickly. Another thing to keep in mind is the things we don't test for that can foul the water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member DieselPlower Posted March 24, 2015 Regular Member Share Posted March 24, 2015 I never said anything about reducing tank size. And what "things" are you referring to. What I said is true. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin koko Posted March 24, 2015 Admin Share Posted March 24, 2015 I never said anything about reducing tank size. And what "things" are you referring to. What I said is true. For those worried about having to give up tanks or facing water restrictions, one thing to remember is that reducing your fish load will reduce your water change requirements by basically the same amount. if you have 4 fish and find you have to change the water every week to keep nitrates under control, reducing to 2 fish (assuming all about the same size) would allow you to go 2 weeks before nitrate levels required a water change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member GoldenSpoiledRotten Posted March 25, 2015 Regular Member Share Posted March 25, 2015 (edited) I never said anything about reducing tank size. And what "things" are you referring to. What I said is true. Dissolved solid contaminants, mainly. You know, the things that give fish water its particular smell. In a goldfish tank the smell should be light and mulmy due to the consistent WCs, but will increase if WCs are left for too long and start to smell 'fishy.' There is also the issue of the fish using up the minerals in the water. Edited March 25, 2015 by ChelseaM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member DieselPlower Posted March 25, 2015 Regular Member Share Posted March 25, 2015 Please, someone tell me, when is the last time someone said they went two weeks between filter cleanings and they were advised that was too long. Please. Just show me one time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member dnalex Posted March 25, 2015 Regular Member Share Posted March 25, 2015 Hello all Please remember that can we agree to disagree, sometimes even bitterly, but let's do so nicely, OK? Thank you! This is actually a very timely topic, and just a forewarning, I am about to offer what may be an unpopular opinion. So read on at your peril The drought in CA is a very real thing, and it's a huge problem, unless rain comes soon. Water rationing is getting even stricter, so the issue with what to do with your fish is a very important one. I personally do not think that in a drought situation we can go on as if there isn't a water shortage. That means going longer with water changes, replenishing minerals if you worry that it's an issue, and conserving the fish water for other uses. You also need to feed a lot less to try to stave off the build up of nitrates, and you need to have more plants in the tank to eat up more ammonia/nitrates. And, you could have less fish, or alas, no goldfish at all... These are not happy measures, but these are not happy times, as far as water is concerned in California. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member DieselPlower Posted March 25, 2015 Regular Member Share Posted March 25, 2015 Man I love it when dnalex agrees with me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member dnalex Posted March 25, 2015 Regular Member Share Posted March 25, 2015 Man I love it when dnalex agrees with me! Haha From what I've been reading, this is a huge problem right now, and there is a push for people to go down to 30-60s showers, AND saving that shower water for other purposes. In that light, I think it would be reckless and extremely irresponsible of me (and I only talk about me, here) if I don't point out that we simply cannot go on as normal in terms of water changes for goldfish. It simply cannot be done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member DieselPlower Posted March 25, 2015 Regular Member Share Posted March 25, 2015 Wow I don't know how I could shower that fast! I like to soak for a while! It seems odd that a state on the ocean is in a huge draught. I know the ocean is salt water but dang, can't some genius invent something to remove the salt quickly and in massive quantities? I mean we can send a man to the moon but water is problem??? I heard a large amount of the problem is due tobwater being rerouted to save some obscure bird or something but that probably isn't true. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member GoldenSpoiledRotten Posted March 25, 2015 Regular Member Share Posted March 25, 2015 (edited) Please, someone tell me, when is the last time someone said they went two weeks between filter cleanings and they were advised that was too long. Please. Just show me one time. I don't think you read my whole post, and would ask that you go re-read it please. I explained how the filter ties in. Not happy measures indeed, Alex. Edited March 25, 2015 by ChelseaM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member DieselPlower Posted March 25, 2015 Regular Member Share Posted March 25, 2015 Nope. Done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member dnalex Posted March 25, 2015 Regular Member Share Posted March 25, 2015 Wow I don't know how I could shower that fast! I like to soak for a while! It seems odd that a state on the ocean is in a huge draught. I know the ocean is salt water but dang, can't some genius invent something to remove the salt quickly and in massive quantities? I mean we can send a man to the moon but water is problem??? I heard a large amount of the problem is due tobwater being rerouted to save some obscure bird or something but that probably isn't true. I think at least one place is now gearing up to de-salt sea water. The process is really inefficient and expensive, but they have gotten desperate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Chai Posted March 25, 2015 Regular Member Share Posted March 25, 2015 Wow I don't know how I could shower that fast! I like to soak for a while! It seems odd that a state on the ocean is in a huge draught. I know the ocean is salt water but dang, can't some genius invent something to remove the salt quickly and in massive quantities? I mean we can send a man to the moon but water is problem??? I heard a large amount of the problem is due tobwater being rerouted to save some obscure bird or something but that probably isn't true. I think at least one place is now gearing up to de-salt sea water. The process is really inefficient and expensive, but they have gotten desperate. I was wondering when this would happen. Perhaps from desperation can come innovation and more efficient methods are tested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member dnalex Posted March 25, 2015 Regular Member Share Posted March 25, 2015 Wow I don't know how I could shower that fast! I like to soak for a while! It seems odd that a state on the ocean is in a huge draught. I know the ocean is salt water but dang, can't some genius invent something to remove the salt quickly and in massive quantities? I mean we can send a man to the moon but water is problem??? I heard a large amount of the problem is due tobwater being rerouted to save some obscure bird or something but that probably isn't true. I think at least one place is now gearing up to de-salt sea water. The process is really inefficient and expensive, but they have gotten desperate. I was wondering when this would happen. Perhaps from desperation can come innovation and more efficient methods are tested. I hope so. But in the mean time, let us all hope for the return of rain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member goldfishgirl82 Posted March 25, 2015 Regular Member Share Posted March 25, 2015 (edited) Edited March 25, 2015 by goldfishgirl82 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Pearlscaleperfect Posted March 25, 2015 Regular Member Share Posted March 25, 2015 I can't remember the last time we had a serious drought around here. A few years back it was really hot and dry and a bunch of corn died but I don't think it ever moved into drought category. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member GoldenSpoiledRotten Posted March 25, 2015 Regular Member Share Posted March 25, 2015 It almost makes me feel guilty that I am looking outside and seeing a TON of snow just melting down the drains... when it could instead be trucked to places where the water's needed and purified. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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