I have heard several people on here claim that frequent water changes will help a fish grow quickly. Is this true? and if so how can changing clean water help. Or are these people just running underfiltered?
Water changes
- Thread starter Diamondhitch
- Start date
I have never heard that one. I thought the purpose of water changes was to dilute toxins in the water.........
Off the top of my head, I read that this is due to fish secreting hormones or chemicals into the water that limit their growth depending on how concentrated it is. Water changes would dilute them and toxins as well, and removing nitrates to finish the nitrogen cycle.
I think you are looking at filtration the wrong way.
The filters job is to convert amonia into nitrite, and nitrite into nitrate. The nitrate is what you remove (dilute) with water changes (along with other impurities and hormones). underfiltered tanks will have nitrite and amonia present. There isnt a GOOD filter (besides plants) that will safely and reliably remove nitrates.
I have noticed differences in growth by keeping the nitrates on tanks low. I installed a drip system which keeps nitrates at a constant ~30ppm, and I noticed an increase in growth with that.
I'm sure someone can back it up with scientific data, I'm just going by experience.
The filters job is to convert amonia into nitrite, and nitrite into nitrate. The nitrate is what you remove (dilute) with water changes (along with other impurities and hormones). underfiltered tanks will have nitrite and amonia present. There isnt a GOOD filter (besides plants) that will safely and reliably remove nitrates.
I have noticed differences in growth by keeping the nitrates on tanks low. I installed a drip system which keeps nitrates at a constant ~30ppm, and I noticed an increase in growth with that.
I'm sure someone can back it up with scientific data, I'm just going by experience.
I have never heard that one. I thought the purpose of water changes was to dilute toxins in the water.........
Exactly, and Diluted toxins means better water quality
And better water quality allows you fish to grow more naturally rather than growth stunted by poor quality water...
Does not mean change your water twice a day... But allot of people will do 10-30% every other day, some do 90% 2-3 times a week.. SOme even go monthly.. I myself change my water once a week about 30-50%.
It also depends on the max growth rate of each particular fish in optimum water conditions
Every species is diferent And some just grow really slow no matter what and some grow really fast no matter what Shekes, where ya at...............we need some SCIENTIFIC PROOF (equations, formulas etc)...............
Yeah, water changes increase the growth rates of fish because the less toxins in the water means that the fish are healthier and happier!
If the fish is swimming around in crap water, it can't put it's energy into growing, just living!
Cheers,
Pete.
If the fish is swimming around in crap water, it can't put it's energy into growing, just living!
Cheers,
Pete.
Routine water changes are an important part of aquarium maintenance. Even with impeccable care and feeding and a wonderful filter, fish produce wastes that build up in the water and can eventually kill them. Routinely changing some of the water will clean out the toxins and protect your fish.
* In a new tank, ammonia is your biggest concern. Fish wastes contain ammonia which can quickly build up and hurt or kill the fish, sometimes in a matter of a day or two. If your tank is less than 6 months old, be sure to check the ammonia levels often and change enough water to bring the ammonia down to a less dangerous level.
* In tanks more than a few months old, a biological filter will develop. Basically, the tank will flourish with bacteria that eat ammonia and turn it into nitrites and nitrates, which are less toxic to fish and can be used by plants in the tank. You can jump start this process in a new tank by adding special bio filter starters or adding water from an established tank.
* Even with a good mechanical and biological filter, water will still need changing, just less often than a new tank.
* A gravel vacuum is a great way to clean the tank while changing the water. It uses the pull of the draining water to suck debris from the gravel.
* With a new tank, use your test kits to gauge how much and how often to change the water. A small tank with a heavy load may need half of the water changed every 3 days, where a large tank with just a few fish may only need a small fraction of water changed every week or other week. Testing the pH and ammonia levels before and after water changes will give you a good idea if you have changed enough water.
* It may seem like a good idea to clean your filter while you are busy doing 'fish stuff' but try to ignore this urge. The filter media is a prime area for bacteria growth, so a portion of the biological filtration may be happening in the filter. The bio filter also 'lives' in the gravel. If you clean both the gravel and the filter at the same time, you may lose a large portion of your bio filter and risk an ammonia spike in the tank. Wait a few days between water changes and filter cleaning to allow the bio filter to bounce back.
Lots of factors can influence how fast your water quality declines, and there is no hard-and-fast rule about how much or how often you should change your water, because everyone?s system requirements are different. The only rule is to maintain your water quality so that it is as stable as possible in the artificial environment of the aquarium.
To find out how much and how often you should change your water, test your water using test kits that are available at aquarium supply stores. Many aquarists use one of the following indicators to determine when to do a partial water change:
pH
In a soft water, low alkalinity (KH, buffering capacity) system, pH tends to decline. The metabolism of the nitrifying bacteria produces acids and these can reduce pH. For a beginning aquarist, if your pH tends to drop 0.2 or more over the course of a week, or if you are not able to maintain a consistent schedule for doing your water changes, it may be better to buffer your water (moderate KH) to reduce the necessity of very frequent water changes or the chances of a pH crash. Low KH water is desired for some fish, but most tropical community fish do not need it.
The pH is more stable in higher KH water, so pH should not be used as a factor for determining the water change schedule in that case, because toxins will build up to high levels in the water long before pH begins to drop. If you wait too long and the pH drops, it will drop fast and may kill many fish. Test your water. If your KH (alkalinity or buffering capacity) is moderate or high, skip down to the next section and read how to use the Nitrate test to determine your water change schedule.
When testing pH for the purpose of determining when to change water, try to test at about the same time each day since pH naturally varies slightly depending on the time of day. It naturally drops at night and rises again over the course of the day. This is normal and not of concern for your fish health or an indication that conditions are unstable.
Your baseline pH is the measurement as it comes from the tap or after it has aged in an open container overnight. If there is a difference between those two measurements, use the measurement for the aged water. You may want to do your water changes with water that has aged overnight rather than freshly drawn water.
If you notice a gradual pH decrease (less than 0.2 in one week) in your aquarium water from baseline, a regular weekly schedule should suffice to maintain reasonably stable conditions. It is less stressful for fish to do smaller, more frequent water changes (maintaining a stable pH) rather than larger, infrequent changes attempting to bring pH back up to baseline from low levels, because this causes the pH to swing up and down. Maintaining pH at or near your baseline value is important in case of an emergency and you have to do a very large water change. A good rule of thumb then, would be to do a water change whenever the pH drops 0.2 from baseline. After you become familiar with your water's behavior, you will be able to determine how often you need to change your water to keep it within 0.2 of the baseline pH. It may be weekly, biweekly, or monthly.
Nitrate
Nitrate (NO3) is the indicator that many aquarists use to decide when they need to change water. NO3 will gradually rise as a waste product of the nitrifying bacteria that detoxify ammonia and nitrite. NO3 is generally harmless at low levels (up to about 40 ppm), but as levels increase beyond, it can affect fish growth, health and vitality. Some fish are more sensitive to NO3 than others.
Rising NO3 also corresponds with the increase of several other organic pollutants in the water that are not measured by the aquarist, but which contribute to declining water quality.
When nitrate tests reach the higher values of the "safe" range according to your test kit recommendations (or when they approach the highest level advised for your fish), it is time to change the water. Once you have a feel for how long this takes, you can schedule your water changes without having to test your water as often. You can anticipate when conditions are going to decline, and do the water change beforehand, to maintain more stable, good water conditions. You may need to change your water weekly, every other week, or monthly. Changes in fish population will increase or decrease NO3 production, so when you add or remove fish, you will want to test the water to see if any adjustments need to be made.
If your system shows little fluctuation in pH and little rise in nitrate, you can schedule your water changes according to declines in general hardness or buffering capacity readings, or visible cues such as change in water color (slight yellowing) or the buildup of biofilm or algae on the glass which dulls your view of your fish. If you know about how long it takes before you see these indicators, you can schedule the change beforehand, so that your aquarium never looks like it needs maintenance. The idea is not to allow things to decline to a state where water quality becomes poor.
Water changes have only recently shown their benefits throughout the hobby due to major advances in the science of fishkeeping. A major revelation was the discovery of "Brown Blood" disease (nitrite poisoning). Fish kept in high nitrites developed blood cells with reduced oxygen absorption capability. The physical evidence being the normally red blood cells taking on a brown pigment. Associated symptoms with brown blood disease are reduced/lethargic activity levels, increased risk for contracting other diseases (reduced immunity), stunted growth, and short life spans. The disease is reversible on relatively disease-free fish but, recovery takes much longer than the onset of the disease.
* In a new tank, ammonia is your biggest concern. Fish wastes contain ammonia which can quickly build up and hurt or kill the fish, sometimes in a matter of a day or two. If your tank is less than 6 months old, be sure to check the ammonia levels often and change enough water to bring the ammonia down to a less dangerous level.
* In tanks more than a few months old, a biological filter will develop. Basically, the tank will flourish with bacteria that eat ammonia and turn it into nitrites and nitrates, which are less toxic to fish and can be used by plants in the tank. You can jump start this process in a new tank by adding special bio filter starters or adding water from an established tank.
* Even with a good mechanical and biological filter, water will still need changing, just less often than a new tank.
* A gravel vacuum is a great way to clean the tank while changing the water. It uses the pull of the draining water to suck debris from the gravel.
* With a new tank, use your test kits to gauge how much and how often to change the water. A small tank with a heavy load may need half of the water changed every 3 days, where a large tank with just a few fish may only need a small fraction of water changed every week or other week. Testing the pH and ammonia levels before and after water changes will give you a good idea if you have changed enough water.
* It may seem like a good idea to clean your filter while you are busy doing 'fish stuff' but try to ignore this urge. The filter media is a prime area for bacteria growth, so a portion of the biological filtration may be happening in the filter. The bio filter also 'lives' in the gravel. If you clean both the gravel and the filter at the same time, you may lose a large portion of your bio filter and risk an ammonia spike in the tank. Wait a few days between water changes and filter cleaning to allow the bio filter to bounce back.
Lots of factors can influence how fast your water quality declines, and there is no hard-and-fast rule about how much or how often you should change your water, because everyone?s system requirements are different. The only rule is to maintain your water quality so that it is as stable as possible in the artificial environment of the aquarium.
To find out how much and how often you should change your water, test your water using test kits that are available at aquarium supply stores. Many aquarists use one of the following indicators to determine when to do a partial water change:
pH
In a soft water, low alkalinity (KH, buffering capacity) system, pH tends to decline. The metabolism of the nitrifying bacteria produces acids and these can reduce pH. For a beginning aquarist, if your pH tends to drop 0.2 or more over the course of a week, or if you are not able to maintain a consistent schedule for doing your water changes, it may be better to buffer your water (moderate KH) to reduce the necessity of very frequent water changes or the chances of a pH crash. Low KH water is desired for some fish, but most tropical community fish do not need it.
The pH is more stable in higher KH water, so pH should not be used as a factor for determining the water change schedule in that case, because toxins will build up to high levels in the water long before pH begins to drop. If you wait too long and the pH drops, it will drop fast and may kill many fish. Test your water. If your KH (alkalinity or buffering capacity) is moderate or high, skip down to the next section and read how to use the Nitrate test to determine your water change schedule.
When testing pH for the purpose of determining when to change water, try to test at about the same time each day since pH naturally varies slightly depending on the time of day. It naturally drops at night and rises again over the course of the day. This is normal and not of concern for your fish health or an indication that conditions are unstable.
Your baseline pH is the measurement as it comes from the tap or after it has aged in an open container overnight. If there is a difference between those two measurements, use the measurement for the aged water. You may want to do your water changes with water that has aged overnight rather than freshly drawn water.
If you notice a gradual pH decrease (less than 0.2 in one week) in your aquarium water from baseline, a regular weekly schedule should suffice to maintain reasonably stable conditions. It is less stressful for fish to do smaller, more frequent water changes (maintaining a stable pH) rather than larger, infrequent changes attempting to bring pH back up to baseline from low levels, because this causes the pH to swing up and down. Maintaining pH at or near your baseline value is important in case of an emergency and you have to do a very large water change. A good rule of thumb then, would be to do a water change whenever the pH drops 0.2 from baseline. After you become familiar with your water's behavior, you will be able to determine how often you need to change your water to keep it within 0.2 of the baseline pH. It may be weekly, biweekly, or monthly.
Nitrate
Nitrate (NO3) is the indicator that many aquarists use to decide when they need to change water. NO3 will gradually rise as a waste product of the nitrifying bacteria that detoxify ammonia and nitrite. NO3 is generally harmless at low levels (up to about 40 ppm), but as levels increase beyond, it can affect fish growth, health and vitality. Some fish are more sensitive to NO3 than others.
Rising NO3 also corresponds with the increase of several other organic pollutants in the water that are not measured by the aquarist, but which contribute to declining water quality.
When nitrate tests reach the higher values of the "safe" range according to your test kit recommendations (or when they approach the highest level advised for your fish), it is time to change the water. Once you have a feel for how long this takes, you can schedule your water changes without having to test your water as often. You can anticipate when conditions are going to decline, and do the water change beforehand, to maintain more stable, good water conditions. You may need to change your water weekly, every other week, or monthly. Changes in fish population will increase or decrease NO3 production, so when you add or remove fish, you will want to test the water to see if any adjustments need to be made.
If your system shows little fluctuation in pH and little rise in nitrate, you can schedule your water changes according to declines in general hardness or buffering capacity readings, or visible cues such as change in water color (slight yellowing) or the buildup of biofilm or algae on the glass which dulls your view of your fish. If you know about how long it takes before you see these indicators, you can schedule the change beforehand, so that your aquarium never looks like it needs maintenance. The idea is not to allow things to decline to a state where water quality becomes poor.
Water changes have only recently shown their benefits throughout the hobby due to major advances in the science of fishkeeping. A major revelation was the discovery of "Brown Blood" disease (nitrite poisoning). Fish kept in high nitrites developed blood cells with reduced oxygen absorption capability. The physical evidence being the normally red blood cells taking on a brown pigment. Associated symptoms with brown blood disease are reduced/lethargic activity levels, increased risk for contracting other diseases (reduced immunity), stunted growth, and short life spans. The disease is reversible on relatively disease-free fish but, recovery takes much longer than the onset of the disease.