OK so here's the deal. I have a small 20 gallon tank that is overstocked and under cleaned. I haven't really done anything except add water with Stress Coat & Zyme whenever it gets low. I don't ever clean it. I don't ever do water changes. I Haven't lost a fish for one year. My water is very clean though slightly high in nitrates its not off the charts killer. Lol. Am i doing something right that i just don't know? All my fish are healthy looking and growing well so i don't think that the tank is not functioning right. soooooo i'm so lost as to why this working.
Good Tank Setup?
- Thread starter Toodleypops
- Start date
its working now because you have not added new fish.
the fish you have are living in an environment where the pH is slowly dropping and the nitrate level is slowly rising.
they are used to it because it is a very slow gradule change.
but once you add new fish, they can die from pH shock/nitrate poisoning in less than 24 hours.
I have seen it happen many times, including myself back when I was starting.
it works for the fish you have (for a while) but its generally a big problem if you try and add new stock to the tank.
its referred to as "old tank syndrome"
be careful though: eventually the pH gets too low and the nitrate gets too high and you will start to lose the fish you have now
it doesn't work forever
the fish you have are living in an environment where the pH is slowly dropping and the nitrate level is slowly rising.
they are used to it because it is a very slow gradule change.
but once you add new fish, they can die from pH shock/nitrate poisoning in less than 24 hours.
I have seen it happen many times, including myself back when I was starting.
it works for the fish you have (for a while) but its generally a big problem if you try and add new stock to the tank.
its referred to as "old tank syndrome"
be careful though: eventually the pH gets too low and the nitrate gets too high and you will start to lose the fish you have now
it doesn't work forever
how long it takes to crash depends on stocking levels and feeding.
more fish = more food = more waste = faster time to crash if you are not changing water
more fish = more food = more waste = faster time to crash if you are not changing water