Water Change Dangers
- Thread starter labont865
- Start date
One of my favourite things about ACforums is the attention paid to scientific facts and not myths that have existed for way too long.
It really isn't surprising that people believe it unsafe to change more than 30% of their water weekly, after all, even gravel vacs have "Don't change more than 1/3 of the water" on the box!
I think that the debate has essentially drawn to a close and any more comments on one side or another will not further clarify anything. However, I do believe that something of this nature is extremely informative because of the amount of factual information and science involved. A great deal was covered, from the nature of nitrifiers to a healthy dose of skepticism towards written material, especially anything based on anecdote. Someone can keep fish for many years and not really know what's going on in the tank or filter, do the sheer number of years qualify them to publish aquaria info? IMO, no, but I have a tendancy to not believe anything until it's proved to me unless of course the statement already jives with my existing knowledge. In any rate, I think that the thread itself would be a good read for a newbie with a discerning eye.
On another note, what are the Title and Author(s?) of this book?
It really isn't surprising that people believe it unsafe to change more than 30% of their water weekly, after all, even gravel vacs have "Don't change more than 1/3 of the water" on the box!
I think that the debate has essentially drawn to a close and any more comments on one side or another will not further clarify anything. However, I do believe that something of this nature is extremely informative because of the amount of factual information and science involved. A great deal was covered, from the nature of nitrifiers to a healthy dose of skepticism towards written material, especially anything based on anecdote. Someone can keep fish for many years and not really know what's going on in the tank or filter, do the sheer number of years qualify them to publish aquaria info? IMO, no, but I have a tendancy to not believe anything until it's proved to me unless of course the statement already jives with my existing knowledge. In any rate, I think that the thread itself would be a good read for a newbie with a discerning eye.
On another note, what are the Title and Author(s?) of this book?
I'd like to know too - I'm always curious where information comes from (good or bad).
Just to illustrate that you can change a lot of water and clean the filter without issue: yesterday I changed over from my 45g to the new 65g (yay!). The substrate is flourite, and with a larger footprint I had to add a lot more. Even though I rinsed it over and over, the tank still ended up getting so cloudy it looked like liquid mud. I didn't want to subject the fish to this, so I ran the diatom filter and the canister at the same time to clear it, and afterwards cleaned the canister media - I rinsed the bio-media in (clear) old tank water, floss under the tap.
Since almost all the water in the tank was new, the fish effectively experienced a 90% water change, and showed few signs of stress - they were back to full colour and acting normally within a few minutes of being moved.
Huge water change, thorough filter cleaning, no problems.
Just to illustrate that you can change a lot of water and clean the filter without issue: yesterday I changed over from my 45g to the new 65g (yay!). The substrate is flourite, and with a larger footprint I had to add a lot more. Even though I rinsed it over and over, the tank still ended up getting so cloudy it looked like liquid mud. I didn't want to subject the fish to this, so I ran the diatom filter and the canister at the same time to clear it, and afterwards cleaned the canister media - I rinsed the bio-media in (clear) old tank water, floss under the tap.
Since almost all the water in the tank was new, the fish effectively experienced a 90% water change, and showed few signs of stress - they were back to full colour and acting normally within a few minutes of being moved.
Huge water change, thorough filter cleaning, no problems.
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I think I found the article causing all the 'hull-a ba-loo' or whatever....
Quote:
"Many inexperienced aquarists (and some who should really know better) use the "kill 'em with kindness" approach. They allow the aquarium water to go unchanged for months until it is almost unbearable for the fish. Then they strip the aquarium and virtually sterilize everything, often putting their poor fish in various buckets and bowls about the house while the cleaning is being performed. The result is often disastrous. If the fish somehow survive the ordeal of being netted twice, put in water which is dramatically different from that to which they've become accustomed, and just being terrified in general, they find that the worst is yet to come. Their nice, clean home is actually too clean, as the aquarist has eliminated all of the "good guy" bacteria that normally break down fish waste. As the bacteria re-establish themselves during the following weeks, fish waste accumulates, ammonia or nitrite levels shoot up, and the fish weaken, and perhaps die.
Link: http://www.bestfish.com/wtrchang.html
....And, if that's not it, it's pretty dern close.....
>>>>> 1996 James M. Kostich
Quote:
"Many inexperienced aquarists (and some who should really know better) use the "kill 'em with kindness" approach. They allow the aquarium water to go unchanged for months until it is almost unbearable for the fish. Then they strip the aquarium and virtually sterilize everything, often putting their poor fish in various buckets and bowls about the house while the cleaning is being performed. The result is often disastrous. If the fish somehow survive the ordeal of being netted twice, put in water which is dramatically different from that to which they've become accustomed, and just being terrified in general, they find that the worst is yet to come. Their nice, clean home is actually too clean, as the aquarist has eliminated all of the "good guy" bacteria that normally break down fish waste. As the bacteria re-establish themselves during the following weeks, fish waste accumulates, ammonia or nitrite levels shoot up, and the fish weaken, and perhaps die.
Link: http://www.bestfish.com/wtrchang.html
....And, if that's not it, it's pretty dern close.....
>>>>> 1996 James M. Kostich
Absolutely true!! It is sad but true that many, many people who keep aquariums do not change water for months at a time and they do not realize how different the present water parameters are (in the tanks) compared with the new water source. To make it worse, as Joe mentioned, they clean the tank too good figuring 'it's been a long time, so I better do a good job'!!
Its not the same article but I believe it is the same author. It sounds very similar but he got into much deeper detail of what to do and what not to do, to lower the risks of killing all the good bacteria and so-on and so-fourth. This article that you posted is almost the same just missing the actual do`s and donts. Still I will check and see at my LFS what book and author it was for sure.
The underlying point is sound - regular maintenance is key, and it's damaging to neglect and then 'super clean' an aquarium.
Regular maintenance, IMHO, can include rinsing filter media and a large water change at the same time - as long as things are done sensibly, the fish will be just fine.
Regular maintenance, IMHO, can include rinsing filter media and a large water change at the same time - as long as things are done sensibly, the fish will be just fine.
