| Guys
This is a very important discussion!! I personally waited too long last year (did my cleaning in April) and had nothing but problems.
Tonio - the bacteria (nitrosomonas) doesn't really go dormant as much as we think. Most of the time our water stays around 50F during the winter. It does definitely diminish it's effectiveness though. Of course Nitrobacter is definitely gone (active above 65F) and will have to come on line later (keep an eye on your nitrites) if you start to feed early. I believe feeding too heavily (just because we're having an early spring) gives one a false sense of security. Don't trust the weather now to be the same in a month. We usually get temperature changes around the end of March into April that can cause a lot of problems, such as drastic drops in temperature overnight resulting in "frost warnings". The variance of temps from day to night can really stress the fish out - so be forewarned!!
Personally, I use two different treatments during spring and fall. However, this year I'm going to reverse the protocols I've employed in the past. FIRST, I am going to use PraziPond, as last year all my problems stemmed from a fluke infestation/bacterial gill infection. After 7 day treatment in vitro I will do a 25% water change over 3 days. This gives the fish a chance to relax. Then I will do two separate treatment regimens of 3 consecutive days of ProForm C, with 25% water changes over 3 days in between each regimen. This usually will get rid of Trichodina, Costia and some other bad boys. Then I will do another 25% water change over 3 days. This seems to work really well for my system. Of course all filters get a thorough cleaning before I start! |