I was doing 30% weekly water changes and my Nitrates were keeping around 20 with 0 Nitrites. I added Pura complete which eliminated my Nitrates and kept my Nitrite level at 0 too, no amoinia either. I haven't changed the water in two weeks and the water reads perfect. Is there any reason to do a change? Thanks for the advice..
Water Changes Vs. Nitrates Levels
- Thread starter roombo
- Start date
yea fish take in minerals from the water and other nutrients, only have to do them probably 2 times a month
Water changes do a lot more for our fish than just remove nitrates from their water. Nitrate build up is just one of the easier ways to monitor general water quality (it's easy to test for). Fixing the nitrate problem alone removes our monitoring ability, without addressing the big picture.
Also only pure H2O will evaporate out over time... but when we top off with straight tap water we are replacing more than pure H20... So as we do this amounts of dissolved solids and such will continually increase.
Nothing will ever replace the importance of regular water changes.
Also only pure H2O will evaporate out over time... but when we top off with straight tap water we are replacing more than pure H20... So as we do this amounts of dissolved solids and such will continually increase.
Nothing will ever replace the importance of regular water changes.
So, for my set up (below), do you think 30% every two weeks is considered good, I know once a week is better. It seems that my fish get stressed after the change from all the movement. Thanks
I generally suggest to simply watch the nitrates and do water changes as needed to keep them 50 or under...
But in your case your using Pura Complete to remove nitrates... So I'm not really sure what to suggest you monitor... I'm also not fluent on African Cichlids so I don't know what to expect from your fish...
... but all that being said, in the 80's before we really understood aquarium chemistry most of us didn't do many water changes on a regular basis and our fish survived. With that in mind 30% every other week isn't that bad at all...
But in your case your using Pura Complete to remove nitrates... So I'm not really sure what to suggest you monitor... I'm also not fluent on African Cichlids so I don't know what to expect from your fish...
... but all that being said, in the 80's before we really understood aquarium chemistry most of us didn't do many water changes on a regular basis and our fish survived. With that in mind 30% every other week isn't that bad at all...
How much does your water evaporate? If you need to fill your tank on a weekly basis then do weekly. In your case you may even be able to stretch to monthly. Keep in mind that the longer you go between changes the more likely the water chemisty will differ between the tank and the tap water you are doing changes with. This can be stressful and sometimes dangerous for your fish.
It depends on the make up of your tap water. If it's hard, then mineral depletion could become an issue. Your fish get their minerals and vits from their food for the most part, but the bacteira thta process the waste also need some of this to a degree as well. If you're losing 10% weekly to evaporation, then replenishing that will be sufficient. If you drastically reduce your water changes, I would monitor ph or total dissolved solids. Tap water provides a buffer that will eventually breakdown if it's on the soft side. You don't want to lose that buffering capacity and end up with unstable water parameters.