That filter supposedly removes nitrates...ok, what about other TDS, hormones, etc?
Are Water Changes Actually Necessary?
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That filter supposedly removes nitrates...ok, what about other TDS, hormones, etc?
Lupin
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- Sep 21, 2006
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You know, folks, it's time to start toning down the criticisms and discuss the mature way.:girl:
i knew i was cruisein for a brusin the minute i read that site that had the pic in it. Dumb me.
It does say it removes organic matter, which is basically what the TDS and Hormones are.
I'm generally weary of any product that claims to solve all your problems, but this claim at least logically holds on this aspect.
JL brings up a good point about what get's flushed down our drains. It's great that you're thinking about it. But aside from a medicated tank with antibiotics in it, I wouldn't really worry about water change water being flushed. I don't think your point is laughable at all though.
My thoughts
While there have been vast and continuing improvements in filtration , we as fish keepers(for the most part) know that our tanks are not suitable alternative to Mother Nature.
We also know, that in Nature bodies of water are always undergoing constant change. we have a small grasp of the nitrogen cycle.
but water also goes thru constant change replenishing constantly(relative term here).
we also understand that compared to nature our tanks are heavily stocked, when you consider gallon/fish.
We also know that sensitive fish will react negatively to degrading water conditions. those of us who keep Wilds are very aware of the dire consequences of this.
because of this we will try to intervene well before the levels can cause terrible consequences.
we as responsible fish keepers, also under stand that this varies from species to species and from tank set up to tank set up.
what this means is, the rate we choose to maintain out tanks varies and we set schedules for our convenience.
We also understand that we "over do it" to an extent but feel secure that if we vary a bit from our schedule the fish will not suffer much.
which is pretty much why we do maintenance.. we don't want our investment to suffer. we err on the side of caution for this reason.
having spent a considerable amount of time in school.. studying biology, chemistry etc. I understand that some things may build up in my tanks and these things over time may prove to be catastrophic... as good as my tanks are I also understand they are fragile..much like in nature but with much less buffering capabilities.
So I will continue to do water changes ..to err on the safe side...my fish depend on it
While there have been vast and continuing improvements in filtration , we as fish keepers(for the most part) know that our tanks are not suitable alternative to Mother Nature.
We also know, that in Nature bodies of water are always undergoing constant change. we have a small grasp of the nitrogen cycle.
but water also goes thru constant change replenishing constantly(relative term here).
we also understand that compared to nature our tanks are heavily stocked, when you consider gallon/fish.
We also know that sensitive fish will react negatively to degrading water conditions. those of us who keep Wilds are very aware of the dire consequences of this.
because of this we will try to intervene well before the levels can cause terrible consequences.
we as responsible fish keepers, also under stand that this varies from species to species and from tank set up to tank set up.
what this means is, the rate we choose to maintain out tanks varies and we set schedules for our convenience.
We also understand that we "over do it" to an extent but feel secure that if we vary a bit from our schedule the fish will not suffer much.
which is pretty much why we do maintenance.. we don't want our investment to suffer. we err on the side of caution for this reason.
having spent a considerable amount of time in school.. studying biology, chemistry etc. I understand that some things may build up in my tanks and these things over time may prove to be catastrophic... as good as my tanks are I also understand they are fragile..much like in nature but with much less buffering capabilities.
So I will continue to do water changes ..to err on the safe side...my fish depend on it
Without reading all of the posts here ...
I believe the reason that WC are absolutely necessary is simply to just remove all the mulm the builds up under the substrate
That black / brown junk that collects needs to be cleaned either through siphoning your gravel or some under gravel filtration (be it plants etc)
As far as I've read and encountered myself...a minimal amount of mulm is always going to be in your tank...but a large amount of mulm in your tank will cause not only problems with your water params...but also with your fish
making them more susceptible (sp) to bacterial infection in the event they get a nick or scratch in their daily adventures
Just my opinion
I believe the reason that WC are absolutely necessary is simply to just remove all the mulm the builds up under the substrate
That black / brown junk that collects needs to be cleaned either through siphoning your gravel or some under gravel filtration (be it plants etc)
As far as I've read and encountered myself...a minimal amount of mulm is always going to be in your tank...but a large amount of mulm in your tank will cause not only problems with your water params...but also with your fish
making them more susceptible (sp) to bacterial infection in the event they get a nick or scratch in their daily adventures
Just my opinion
:thm::thm::thm::mwave:
a bunch of excellent points.
one point i have not seen mentioned is natural filtration through ground saturation and distillation through evaporation that nature provides. i know there's other things and many that we don't quite understand yet, i'm sure. these are proven, understood and non replicable in our setups at this point. so while nature reuses it's water constantly there are forces we can not duplicate that make it possible.
for instance, i doubt anyone is going to hook a bunsen burner to their tank to clean their water... the temps would be slightly more stressful than water changes imo. :FIREdevil:
if anyone would like to see for themself there are obvious parallels yet obvious risks... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distillation
It does claim that, however their discussion only goes as far as nitrate. If they would be willing to share how their filter facilitates the removal of other dissolved solids then I would be more open to the product.
It also says that if you have hard water (high TDS) you shouldn't be using it for a planted tank. This product then saves money because you should be using R/O water.
1) Thats not even remotely accurate
2) Why would you want any denitrifying in a planted tank in the first place?
I find that particular example to be laughable as with this one...
"Then all you have to do is replace the water that is lost by evaporation which should simply be treated with a little water conditioner before being added to the tank."
Why not just do this on a large scale aka a water change? Oh, because your tap contains all those nasty things we don't want.
its funny you bring this up. my dad was nagging at me for doing daily water changes because im still cycling my tank. however, after not doing any WCs for a few days, my nitrites went way down and i can start stocking it now so i guess it depends on bio-load and tank size since larger water volume means more space for the water to saturate with bacteria.
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