i change 50% of the water in my tank every week. is that too much?
this post can be answered. im new to fish keeping as well, and one of the best purchases ive made is 'The Simple Guide to Freshwater Aquariums, by David E. Boruchowitz'. Mr Boruchowitz is a very big advocate of water changes. here are a couple of exerpts from this book:
"It would be wonderful, however, if you could manage an even greater rate of change, say half of the water each week; then 75 percent of the water in your tank would be two weeks old or less, and close to 90 percent will always have been added in the last three weeks. Your fish will truly thrive on such a regimen."
Chapter 13, page 157
"No amount of filtration can make up for a deficiency in water changes, but water changes can make up for deficiencies in filtration. If you change water often enough you wont need any filtration at all. Yet even I - water-changing fanatic that I am - recognize that such systems are practical for maybe only one hobbyist out of a thousand, and almost never for the beginning hobbyists. Too bad."
Chapter 13, page 156
on flow-through systems... "Such a setup is typically found in commercial operations, but it is often used in a modified form as a drip overflow system by home aquarists with several tanks. The only difference here is that the water flows through the system at a much slower rate. Instead of making up for a filtration system, it serves as an automatic water-changing system. Each aquarium still has a filter, but the water is kept fresh without periodic changes."
Chapter 7, page 106
David E. Boruchowitz is the editor of Tropical Fish Hobbyist magazine and has a few other books under his belt as well. here is a link to some of his other books:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/s...hor=Boruchowitz, David E./103-1153900-1720618
ive looked through this book again, but cannot find anywhere where it says that you can change your water too much. i'll continue to look, and if i find anything concerning this, i'll post it.
you'll notice at the top of the list is a book written with Dr. Herbert Axelrod. i think this says alot about him and his recommendations. i'll go out on a limb and say that Boruchowitz knows as much as or more about fishkeeping than anybody on this board. i highly recommend this book. its very easy to read and reasonably priced as well.
id also check around the internet and maybe post this same question on some other forums.
