Unnecessary arbitrary water changes?

[spiff]

No kidding... but if you done enough testing to know which ones reach critical first, then it makes sense to only monitor that one thing.

And no, for goldfish 20ppm isn't super high. I'm thinking of seeing how long it takes to get to 30ppm, because I know that all the other factors are still below threshold at that point.

 

[Cichlaholics Anonymous]

but you shouldn't wait for the nitrates to reach a particular point in order to do the wc. If you just do your routine wc's it will keep the levels low. thats why i personally change 50% a week

 

[Nic]

the fact is the more changes you do the better it is for your fish.....not constantly check for your params to get high just change the water....

 

[Brian Fish]

It's not that hard.. esp. the basic chlorine system..





No one is saying your tank is a cesspool. I think they are saying you prefer to do it per water tests, others don't ever test water and would rather just do a water change every other day, once a week, or whenever they normally do it. Different strokes for different folks. I think you're looking for a flaw in others water change habits but really there isn't one unless over devotion or keeping it simple counts.

Second paragraph: This is Monsterfishkeepers. I'm saying this to brag it up but most of us have a sick devotion to this hobby. This site doesn't just have large predatory fish keepers on it. It has a majority of members who eat sleep and breath fishkeeping. It is the core of this site probably. It's about taking things to the next level. Not just a hobby like the people at petco see it. An obession. Some of us are massivly overstocked. Others just prefer to keep as far away as possible from high nitrates and other bad things.

Even if something is wrong with mysetup to where I need 50% fresh water a day.. I do it knowing it's "wrong" because not many people would take it to that level.

Very well said.

 

[OnceLoyal]

I am a little confused about everyone always thinking that nature keeps the water constantly changed. Althougha fast flowing river or a vast ocean might, you guys have to think about many situations in the amazon during dry season (just for one quick example) when many fish are caught in murky pools and stuff for very long periods of time. Your typical "country" pond during dry seasons is another example.
The same when people say you can't over filter a tank. This is true for the most part but not always. Over filtering can remove trace elements and other nutrients out of the water for reef tanks and ect.
When you add new water you are also adding metals and other contaminents that many people over look. To me the cleanest water you can put in your tank is a couple days after it's been added. Give the filter time to do it's job. I just don't use the filer to remove organic waste from the fish. I use it to filter the newly added water. Even rain water for that matter can contain many contaminants from the atmosphere. Please don't take what I am saying the wrong way. I would much prefer new water over 1 month old. I am just saying that your super hardcore people might get a little to hardcore and over look some things. Baseing your water changes on the "charts" is not a bad way to go. I think changeing water every other day is a tad bit excessive only because it never gives the water time to get clean.
Now if you have a heavily stocked tank and you want to maximize the growth of your fish more frequent changes will help to reomove the hormones that keep the fish from growing... Actually in any tank light or heavy stock.
So I don't get too off track. I change water 1 time per month. I always have a low "stocked" tank and extrememly high filtration. I think once a month at 40-50% works for me. I check my parameters around 1X per month before the change and continue with the change regardless of the readings (which are always great) Each to their own. I don't think anyone needs to get upset at the other for the way they change their water though

 

[greenterra]

I do 70% regardless of nitrates every week.I want the water as best as I can reasonably achieve for 1 weekly water change.I like to know I have provided clean water to the best of my ability.Nitrates or dissolved solids are not the only compounds,chemicals or substances I hope to reduce. I also like to keep any hormones produced from fish as low as possible so it doesn't inhibit any growth of my fish.As for doing water changes solely on the basis of your water params'.I would still do it weekly even if your results are low,it would just be a smaller %.This would achieve a more constant level of water chemistry and of course be less stressful to the fish as opposed to the ups and downs of the water chemistry caused from larger intervals in between w/c's.

 

[dragonfish]

40-50% 1-2x a week. Tested enough times to know what that would keep my water at. Only test now if something drastic happens or I change the bio-load of the tank. Didn't know water could be too clean. Just because an organism can survive certain conditions doesn't mean it will thrive. In the past I've kept tanks that only got topped off when the filter started making noise. Many years ago that's how we were told to maintain the tanks. Sell more fish that way. Guess each to his own. They are your fish, maintain them the way you want, just don't expect everyone to agree or tell people there schedule is wrong because you've arbitrarily decided it's unnecessary. Also different fish have very differing requirements. HFG says she does daily or every other day changes on her ray tank. I understand they are very unforgiving of poor water quality. Goldfish come into a store packed 500 in a bag which they have been in for hours. Talk about a cesspool. They survive, but I wouldn't say they thrive or that it's ok. Got to end this somewhere so lets agree to disagree, will each keep to our schedules that make us happy and leave it at that. One big happy dysfunctional family.

 

[Fish Eat Fish]

its all personal preference as long as its enough to keep the water clean.

 

[drb]

Really? So a test will never show that your parameters are just fine and you don't need a change? I think you should never use the term "common sense"..

Of course a test can show the parameters are fine! If you test and everything is great according to the test you do nothing. Which obviously means that in order for you to do a water change the test must show that the parameters are off, too late you should have done the water change before the test showed it was needed! Again COMMON SENSE!

 

[spiff]

So, according to your logic, tests are only good to show that you're fine, or too late... never that its about time to do a water change....
Astounding.