Is Daily Water Changes Possible?

[Jorged0712]

Hello all! I am new to this forum but not really, I've been using it for guidance for about two years since I began this journey. I have a 125g planted high tech community tank (had, rather). I had a mishap about a month ago where I did my regular 50% water change on Sunday. Except this time all of my rummynose tetras and GBR died almost instantly. Only my cories, otos, and 3 CAE I'm temporarily homing survived. The otos looked dead but were just super shocked. I'm pretty sure this was caused by PH shock. Since then I've been running the tank without the co2 or ferts and therefore all my plants look like they've been through nuclear holocaust.

So here it is.... my tap water PH is a whopping 9.3. Yep. My tank ranges from 6.6-7.0 throughout the week thanks to the co2. Without it, it ranges from 8.0-8.3. I'd never had a problem with water changes before as I just tried to pour the new water in as slow as possible. But I think this time it finally caught up with me. I'm tired of this chasing game it feels like I'm playing with my tank and I don't want any more dead fish, I become extremely attached to them once I name them .

The point: In my case, I clearly can't make the 50% water change in one day. Would instead changing 10% every day for 5 days mess with the Estimative Index? I know the fish will enjoy it lol, but I honestly cannot enjoy the fish without the plants or the plants without the fish. It's an addiction I need a fix to

 

[EdWiser]

You can do daily water changes. It will require some equipment to do it thou.
Don’t know if you want to go that way or not. This is a common task in the saltwater world. An there are several systems that allow you to do.
First is a dual peristaltic pump system.

https://www.aquariumcomputer.com/usa/product/ghl-maxi-standalone-black/
This can be programmed with a smart phone. The pump can remotely pump water out of the tank. An then add water back into the tank.
Next option is more expensive.

https://genesisreefsystems.com/

It is a measured system to do an exact amount of water each time.

I would also get a Ro/Di system to get a better control on your water parameters

 

[toads74]

A couple thoughts, fwiw. 1, temperature swings. Are you matching the tap water with the tank? A few degrees difference isn’t usually a problem, but some fish are more sensitive to swings than others, especially tropical. 2. Dissolved gasses or low oxygen content can kill pretty rapidly. If you can, try aerating it vigorously overnight first with a pump or air stone. 3. The one that bit me when I started was a water softener. Large swings of gh can kill much quicker than you would think. This leaves a high kh/ph but with little to no gh and should be remineralized to a safe level. 4. Chlorine/chloramine. Dechlorinator is a must if you have city supplied water Municipalities sometimes “flush” the water system with large doses so you have to be on guard for this. Chloramine is infamous in this regard. It is a combined form of chlorine and ammonia. Many dechorinators don’t neutralize the ammonia it contains, which is also toxic to the fish.

Im not a fan of the ph shock theory in general, but ph is sometimes a symptom of an underlying issue. No issue doing daily water changes. Ei is very tolerant of frequency, just keep it consistent.

 

[EdWiser]

I have a whole water holding system. The holding tanks are maintained at the same temp as the tank and the GH/KH is match along with PH.
This is common practice in saltwater so I do the same with my freshwater.
No chances are taken.