does water change once a year!

In my early days of fish keeping, I kept only small non-messy fish like gourami, tetra and live beaers. The only filtration I had was a slow air driven UGF with 2-inch of substrate. I only did water change about once every 6 months when the bottom plate got filled up with black gunk. I didn't lose fish out of ordinary. Something must be doing right then. With light fish load, the system might have achieved complete nitrogen cycling similar to salt water Birlin system.

Today, I am keeping large messy cichlids with high power filtration system. I have to do water change every two weeks. If I delay water change by even a few days, my fish will get sick or go into hunger strike.
 
Originally posted by Aquatick




I Doing 25% + changes weekly could just as easily stop your tank from finding any stability, but there again, it all depends on how big and what you have.
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Exactly what sort of stability will water changes prevent? What nutrient cycles will be disrupted? What biochemical processes will be interfered with?

It seems pretty simply to me: You add fish food to the tank. That food gets converted by fish (and, in the case of uneated food, by bacteria and other microbes) into various organic compounds. Some of these compounds are are broken down by other inhabitants of the tank. Some are not. The longer the interval between water changes, the more these other compounds will accumulate. Assuming that most freshwater bodies don't naturally have high levels of nitrates, pheromones and other dissolved organic compounds, water changes are essential to duplicate as closely as possible the wild conditions from which our fish come.

I'd be interested to hear, in specific terms, how a tank with minimal water changes could be as healthy as one with high volume water changes.

Jim
 
Originally posted by Aquatick

I do my water changes once a month. It isn't just old water out, new water in. Syphoning the gravel etc etc etc, but weekly water changes is excessive and not needed. On smaller tanks, yes...but larger tanks...no. The only time I would do weekly water changes would be in an overstocked tank that recieved new inhabitants weekly. Doing 25% + changes weekly could just as easily stop your tank from finding any stability, but there again, it all depends on how big and what you have. I'm not trying to fool anyone. You can do 100% water changes daily if you like, but don't flame me for having a different and method.
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I've been in the hobby since the 60s and I was in the business for many years. I've done everything from weekly water changes all the way to no water changes at all and pure neglect.
IMO, my fish are more active for their species, more brightly colored, eat better, grow faster, are better breeders, and, in the case of aggressive ones, less aggressive with frequent water changes. I do at least 20% a week. If it is a hectic week, 10 days might pass before I can get to it.

If what one is doing works for them, then don't fix what isn't broken.

I do not understand the "stop your tank from finding stability part." I am not a chemist, but it seems to me that if I do a partial change every week the average water parameters of the aquarium should be closer to the water I'm adding than if I replaced more water but less frequently.
 
It is just sstatements that you throw out without adding any reasons why. Lack of stability?

And other people that point out no deaths out of the ordinary with water changes every 6 months. Well what is a normal amount of death in a tank? Since I have figured out weekly water changes I haven't lost a fish in over a year. And these are tetras and minnows which people generally seem to think of as disposable fish.

Certain fish can tolerate high toxin levels in the water. Gouramis, danios etc.. can live through these. Other fish require pristine water to flourish such as cories.
 
Oh geez, if I knew people would take once a month water changes personally I wouldn't have posted in the first place. Take it easy folks. To each their own.
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Nobody is taking this personally, Thus far everyone is asking for some logical explanation, or scientific reason for your claims. Or dis-agreeing based on their knowledge or experience. Everyone here (including the true Experts) is constantly looking for new information, and better ways to do things. If there is some scientific reason, we want to know. I love to reduce work and stress, that is why I do weekly water changes and maintenance. If I can somehow keep my fish as healthy and my tank as clean without doing maintenance, I'd be very interested. If it can't be done without sacrificing quality, then I'm not interested. There are plenty of myths, urban legends and mis-conceptions in this hobby, when giving advice scientific basis is important in order to dispel myths. We try very hard to continue with good accurate info, and promote good practices within this hobby. I'd be very interested in your nitrate and TDS numbers.
Dave
 
Skipping water changes on unplanted tanks is a bad idea, but if you think the same is true with planted tanks you have something to learn. It is done successfully. A lady named Diana Walstad wrote a book called Ecology of the Planted Aquarium: A Practical Manual and Scientific Treatise for the Home Aquarist. You can find it at Amazon and you can find her as a moderator of the El Natural forum at www.aquabotanic.com

The book is a bit too scientific in places for me, but there is a ton of good information in it. It's really quite revolutionary IMO. She seems like a pretty nice lady as well.
 
Skipping water changes on unplanted tanks is a bad idea, but if you think the same is true with planted tanks you have something to learn.
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Actually, skipping them on planted tanks is a bad idea as well. Plants are no more a cure-all for water changes than filtration. Many of the micro nutrients plants need come from tap water... without weekly water changes, these micro nutrients become depleted... In the maintenance section of Encyclopedia of Aquarium Plants by Peter Hiscock, he recommends small, weekly water changes to replenish nutrients and remove nitrate and phosphate so that they're not building up as fast.

Not doing water changes in a planted tank will not benefit the fish or the plants... plants help purify water, but they don't do everything.


IMO, water changes aren't a big deal. My 75g gets at least 3X week 30% water changes, the 55g will get at least the same, my 38g gets 2X 40% changes, my 30g gets weekly 30%, and my 10g and 4g get weekly 25% changes....
 
I follow the old saying "if it ain't broke, don't fix it!" when it comes to my tank. I do weekly maintenance, have no sick fish and I DO NOT believe in doing daily or weekly water tests. I ONLY test my water if I notice something strange happening. I have the master kits and to be honest I have had it for about 5 months and have never even used it.

In short, nothing can take the place of weekly maintenance and if youi think that is too much then those people shold not have gotten into the hobby. Fish are a commitment and we should do our best to provide a health habitat free of chemicals. There are only 3 things I use in my tanks... Aqua salt, Ultimate water sond and Accu-Clear.
 
I have a 10 gallon in which I've never done a water change ever. I've had it for 2 years with no problems.

I've dumped all kinds of plants, bugs, snails and critters in there.

Right now the top is covered in plants- mostly elodea.

I also have a lid over the aquarium and the water hardly evaporates.

In fact the water got so high I drowned my 2 whirligig beetles. :(

I have a channel cat and gambusia in there as fish.

My other 2 tanks I do water changes- yes.
 
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