This is a question for all you scientific types who can back up your answers. How important are water changes? Now this is a double edged sword here because I have 3 tanks. Two of my tanks require at least a 20% water change weekly for my chemicals to stay in check. My other tank is very heavily filtered but also has a very high evaporation rate. Now my question comes because this tanks evaporation rate is so high that just replacing the evaporated water equals out to about 20% a week. Now this tank is on an overflow system so my water level is always the same I just check my sump on a daily basis and add a gallon or two a day to the sump just to keep it in the right range. My fish in the tank have an amazing growth rate, the water is always crystal clear, and my ammonia, nitrates, nitrites are all in check. Now the question is other than cleaning the tank itself is there a real, proven reason that I should also do a water change every week?
water changes
- Thread starter keaser06
- Start date
dont overcomplicate things, just do a big water change every week and forget about it. or you can go to every two weeks and im sure youll be fine
the whole point is you are giving the tank new water periodically just like the water cycle in nature. rivers always have a flow of freshwater, many other bodies have underground sources which feed fresh water into them, and all bodies of water have evaporation and rain giving them new water. its just good practice to imitate the natural conditions of living things when keeping them in captivity. this makes the quality of life closer to that of their natural habitat which hopefully leads to a long life. plus, vacuuming the tank during WC is essential. no filter will get all the sludge/breaking down organic matter from your substrate. this is a big part of why frequent WC are better for the tank
Ok like I said I have 2 tanks I have to do water changes on already so doing one more change a week isn't a problem. I was just trying to get the science guys to explain this to me a little more. I have a personality flaw in which I want to understand the most I possibly can about everything I do lol. Thanks for your help Jcardona1.
swede;3301295; said:
So in theory the fact that I am adding 20% a week due to evaporation should nullify the whole doing a water change thing other than vacuuming my substrate right?
just so you guys know this thread isnt here for me to be lazy and try to get out of doing the work. i love my fish and will do what i have to, to keep them as happy as i can. i am just trying to figure out the science behind this like even tho my water tests fine is there something i cant test for that may cause problems.
I read an article last week that said evaporation does not remove harmful particals/minerals (ammonia/nitrites/etc.). The reccomendation was not to rely on toppping off a tank from evaporation. Basically, the water that evaporates does not carry the "bad stuff" out with it- it stays in the tank. Idk how true this is, just thought I'd mention it since I just read it a few days ago.
The only real reason to do water changes IMO is to remove the nitrates.
Nitrates do not evaporate.
So if 20% of your tank is evaporating each week and you add new water and thats it, you are never removing any nitrates.
And also if your tank has that big of a evap problem, any untreated wood in your house is going to hate you in 10 yrs.
Nitrates do not evaporate.
So if 20% of your tank is evaporating each week and you add new water and thats it, you are never removing any nitrates.
And also if your tank has that big of a evap problem, any untreated wood in your house is going to hate you in 10 yrs.
keaser06;3301304; said:
When evaporation occurs, it causes the contaminants present in the water to concentrate. When you top off the tank, you merely redilute the contaminants, not remove them. So, topping off a tank is in no way synonymous with a water change. Most of us will perform wcs to keep the concentration of nitrates and phosphates in check. In this sense, nitrates and phosphates act as a barometer of general water quality. However, the nitrates and phosphates are by no means the only contaminants which are accumulating. An aquarium is a CLOSED biological system and as such, will accumulate every conceivable organic and inorganic biproduct associated with biological activity. For example, the bacteria within the biofilter are in a constant state of turnover. When they die, they disintegrate and discharge their internal contents into the water. Some of this material is recycled by other bacteria...but some is not. All living creatures will discharge a variety of organic acids into the environment. If you combine this with the CO2 being discharged by both the fish and the aerobic bacteria (CO2+H2O=carbonic acid), this closed system will often acidify very quickly. This means that routine wcs are also required to reestablish a working KH within the tank. The accumulation of soluble organic contaminants within an aquarium is not well documented because it is complex and variable. However, I can assure you that it is occurring and will have an injurious effect upon the health of your fish.