Unnecessary arbitrary water changes?

[itstrickytorock]

I've thought about this before too, doing readings then doing water changes. I figure if I have the time, why not do a WC once a week, if I had to live in my own waste I'd enjoy fresh water as often as possible, no matter the nitrate level. I try to do 50-75% wc once a week on my fully stocked tanks, but often don't have time, so it'll turn into every other week.

There are also other things in the water that are important to a fish's growth and health that get used up over time, so it's important to do water changes to replace these dissolved solids (i believe it's what they are generally referred to as?). If you do weekly water changes then it allows the fish more access to these nutrients.

 

[spiff]

There are also other things in the water that are important to a fish's growth and health that get used up over time, so it's important to do water changes to replace these dissolved solids (i believe it's what they are generally referred to as?). If you do weekly water changes then it allows the fish more access to these nutrients.

Thanks! This is the first good arguement for doing water changes this way.

 

[IITUFFTOBEATII]

Thanks! This is the first good arguement for doing water changes this way.

i am still waiting for a good arguement not to.....

just because youre params are within 'acceptable' levels doesnt mean they cant be better. my fish dont talk to me but i beleive that better water makes them more comfortable. do you not run your air conditioning when its 105 in the summer because it not going to kill you, or do you adjust the temp of your house to be more comfortable?

 

[jcardona1]

Thanks! This is the first good arguement for doing water changes this way.

and what is your argument against frequent water changes? thats its too much work? wastes too much water? please spiff what are you trying to prove? you dont agree with us and we dont agree with you. end of story. you do you water changes once a month and we'll do them once a week. big deal and everybody lived happily ever after

 

[spiff]

I'm not trying to prove anything... I asked a really simple question and no one answered it..

I already know most people change their water based on their own schedule...

So let me ask again..... has any one ever done their water changes based on parameters only? IF so, what did you find?

 

[Mattyou]

I change 50% or more water in all of my tanks every 2 weeks. If I had the time i would do more, but every 2 weeks is fine. I never have tested my water (not in the last 7 years at least) so I wouldnt know about test strip readings and all that fancy stuff. I just look in the tank and I can tell by the color and even a sniff check will tell you if they are due. Once upon a time I let a 125 go for over a year with only top offs. It was at medium load and most of the fish were close to full grown. They all survived, I am sure it stunted the growth on them some, but I never developed any Hole in the Head, but I had a mighty crop af algea on alot of the tank surfaces, except the front glass. I would not recommend this as a standard to use for maintenance, I was out of the country alot that year and just didnt have the time to take care of it properly. Severums are a hardy fish I found out.
Back on track........visual / smell......best indicators I have found and that test costs nothing but a little time. 50% or more every two weeks, cant hurt anything but your schedule. Ever notice if you change 50% or more and spike the temp up 5 degrees or so followed with a heavy feeding your fish get frisky? Simulated seasonal rains bringing fresh nutrient rich waters in, sign to breed......

 

[cichlaguapote]

if i had a handy guy around the house i would do this set up for.

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

You guys make it sound like my tank is a cesspool when they are as clean as can be. There is never an accumulation of any solid waste. Maybe you feed your fish too much.

I do think that's excessive because its probably unnessessary. I do think it more likely that its a person's over attention to their hobby than a case of finding it to be a requirement. If it is a requirement, then as a fish enthusiast you must admit something is wrong with the setup to require that. Either its massively overstocked or something...


I have a drip system on my other tank. We're talking about manual water changes here... but yeah, the same rules apply. I'm thinking about tappering down the drip factor based on readings... but only after I used my goldfish as a test first. My 2000 gallon is massively understocked.

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.

 

[mojo2776]

So let me ask again..... has any one ever done their water changes based on parameters only? IF so, what did you find?

On a freshly cycled and stocked tank, I'll measure the water parameters frequently and do my water changes accordingly... which over time, becomes the routine that I'll stick to for that tank. From there, I have no need to test the water parameters... I just follow the water change routine that I've already established. And I aim to keep nitrates under 20ppm.

 

[groovitudedude]

The topic on another thread got into a question I was always wondering:

How many people do water changes strictly by following water readings?

It seems most people do a water change on a set schedule whether its needed or not. I used to do this too, until I actively monitor parameters. Then I realized I was changing water at least four times more than I needed.

I have a 140gallon with a medium to heavy bioload of goldfish and it takes at least a month for it to reach 20PPM nitrates. That's when I do a 50% water change. Though I honestly feel from this reading that I could probably wait for another month if I wanted to.

If anyone else does this, how long have you found you was able to go with out a water change?[/quote]
The point isn't to make your life as convienient as possible, it's to make the fish healthy.

Because if its not needed, its just a waste of time and water and chemicals, not to mention an unnessessary stressing of the fish.

An unnessessary stressing of the fish occurs when you don't do WCs for long periods of time.

 

[Nic]

i do 2 x 50% a week.... sometimes a 3rd is added.... i havent checked my water is a very long time.....