Hi
I maintain a 150 in the house year around with GF. I use a 350 GPH filter system but mostly depend on water changes I change about 100/125 gallons every week or so replacing with tap water using prime dechlorinator..
Room is always kept above 70 as I use it for plants during cold spells. GF are very messy so water changes are very necessary gary

Wow -so that's like a 70% water change ev week. Well actually that might be the way to go since I don't think the beneficial bacteria are active at 40-50 degrees (are they?) - so how else could I get rid of the ammonia except for water changes. There's the ammonia neutralizer but Ive never quite trusted that stuff - you cant rely on ammonia tests after using it so how are you supposed to know the ammonia is really gone. thnx

Hi

Id o that mainly because of the temps . GF do much better in cooler water which also maintains higher oxygen levels.
Assume you;'re using tap water for changes?? In my case have a pH of over 8 heavy chlorination as well as some heavy metals b ut Prime handles that easily Have you checked tap water for ammonia?? Some cities use chlomine as a stabilizer which can result in ammonia..
I use that regimen because I keep the temps so high
.If you keep it cooler you could use a lot less. But if no ammonia in the tap you can change as much as you like
using the prime . gary

We've kept koi (babies) in a tank over the winter and did aggressive water
changes each week. The tank was in our house, so they were active
all winter...we fed them everyday.
We stored water in gallon water jugs and after a couple of days, changed out the water. We did this at least twice a week...resulting in at least 50 percent
water changes per week ( maybe more) The water was always crystal
clear.