Are Water Changes Actually Necessary?

Do you change your water?

  • No

    Votes: 3 0.7%

  • Not unless conditions require it (like high nitrates)

    Votes: 60 13.8%

  • Yes, I do it on a specific timeline (daily, weekly, whatever)

    Votes: 358 82.3%

  • Undecided / Other

    Votes: 14 3.2%
  • Total voters
    435
Status
Not open for further replies.
Also, if we do manage to get some data from someone we're going to need kazvorpal's tank specs and params to compare. Not sure that'll happen though after the repeated requests though.
 
12 Volt Man said:
not only that, its clear from the OP's posts that they honestly do not have a clear understanding of what they are trying to argue.

for example, when asked about other methods to keep nitrates down, they started talking about 'deep sand beds, protein skimmers, plenums etc' most of which are not applicable in a normal freshwater setup.

when faced with the issues of hormone buildup and other organic dissolved solids that can lower the pH to lethal levels, they just brushed it off. I do not believe that they even considered anything other than nitrates when they started this thread. no doubt they had not even heard of 'old tank syndrome' before this thread. sorry, but based on their posts, thats what it looks like.

as has been stated many times over, its a lot more complicated than simply keeping the nitrates down.

as far as ecosystems go, the closest we can get as hobbyists is a properly maintained reef tank, with a deep sand bed.

the deep sand bed can reduce nitrates back to nitrite (giving off nitrogen gas in the process, the protein skimmer helps to remove organics before they can be broken down into nitrates, the live rock acts as a great substrate for nitrifying bacteria to live on etc etc etc.


but that is not what this thread is about.
Click to expand...


Agreed.
 
Barnacle said:
Back on topic or I'll have you all flogged! :) I'm sure there's still some good discussion to be had here. The OP is asking for readings and whatnot as proof, so maybe someone that is really adamant about their water changes has some sort of a log with all the standard readings? This may be something no one really does at home but I know plenty of people here work with fish for a living so maybe they have readings like that from their work?

Here's the OP' opening statement for review of what he wanted:



Quote:
Originally Posted by kazvorpal
I just engaged in a wordy debate with a few guys who were insisting that frequent, regular water changes are absolutely necessary...yet could not explain why.

They could not give any specifics on what was being altered by the water change, that could not be done in some other fashion.

There was some vague talk of "replenishing and renewing" and "electrolytes", but of course you don't "replenish" anything with a generic water change. The only thing you're guaranteed to be adding is H2O, which does not age...and "electrolytes" sounds like a question of specific gravity, to be taken care of with sea salt.

The actual reason people used to change water regularly was that they were killing their fish with poorly-managed Under-Gravel Filters, and were fighting the nitrate buildup they were causing.

But that's no longer the case, thanks to deep sand beds, open-celled ceramic foam, planted tanks, et cetera. There are many ways to remove nitrates so efficiently that they can become TOO low.

So what reason is left?

What is the reason to do a water change?

And I mean some measurable, explainable reason. Something you can choose to do under specific conditions. Giving a timespan for doing them without reason is meaningless.

Since water changes place stress on fish and ecosystem, by altering the tank's self-imposed balance of micro-organism density, reducing the amount of nutrients, et cetera, water changes were never anything better than a necessary evil.

Are they STILL a necessary evil, and if so, why?
Click to expand...

This is why the burden of proof is on us for our actions. The OP asks a question we must answer with specific reasons why it is done and on the schedule we do it. So all the arguments about his view are in err because he did not post a view he asked a question. From what I can tell the replies I have seen from the op was to point out that no measured documented proof was given in that instance for the reason the W/C was needed at that time. Just my .02 aboout what I see.
 
Fishfriend1,
I assume you are really from Bridgeport; and if that is true, your public water comes from the Schuylkill river.

No wonder your fish do not like water changes, the water that most people remove during a water change is cleaner than the water out of your tap.

I know, as I live across the river, and my fish do not water changes.

So you original point, that there is no one right way, is correct. However I believe the reason is that we all have different quality of water out of our taps, and in some extreme cases (like ours), it is better for the fish to avoid water changes and seek alternative methods if possible.
 
CWO4GUNNER said:
People do water changes or fish die, its that simple..
Click to expand...

Not to re-start this argument but not true. I rarely change my water (once every month or so 20% except for goldfish they dirty a tank too much) and i have never lost a fish due to Water Problems. I have had diseases like ich of course but not lethal ones. Every in a wile when i buy a fish from the store it dies but they are usually the last one in the tank and already not in the best condition. I still think that u need to do WCs but not every day or even week that just scares the fish.

To refer to the last post does the water go though a cleaning plant first? I hope so and my poor fish! They were getting water from the SCUKILL? Holy crap i feel so sorry for them. I thought it was from some underground river or something not that polluted dump of a river. I once saw a TRASH DUMPSTER in it. Im surprized i dont have any 3 eyed fish lol.
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom