I Hold My Hands Up In Shame........

[CezzaXV]

I'm not comparing dogs to fish, they're different animals with very different needs. My point was that people seem to think it's okay to not care for fish properly whereas there'd be uproar if you weren't looking after your dog. Maybe fish won't die if you miss a water change, but they're more likely to die from that than not walking a dog. My point was that if you're going to keep animals, you need to be prepared to put the work in and saying you're too busy is no excuse really.

It's also worth remembering that nitrate isn't all you're removing in a water change. There is a plethora of things you're removing from the tank, things you're probably not aware of and completely unable to measure.

btw, all lakes DO have in and outflows, even if we're just talking evaporation and rainfall. Furthermore, the nitrogen cycle wasn't something we invented to happen in our tanks, it happens in nature too, but with the added benefit of the nitrate getting converted into gaseous nitrogen.

 

[Box]

I tried. Walking my fish once......didn't turn out to well

 

[BigbruiserAl]

I tried. Walking my fish once......didn't turn out to well

lol nice one box

 

[smokeyjo]

Not all lakes have in and out flows. I don't paticarlly care what u think about how often I do my water changes if I was doing it wrong I would of had deaths by now wouldn't I?

I wasn't attacking you, nor your practice, just pointing out that the comparison you used was not a fair one. Endorheic lakes (those without outflows) turn salty, as a result of the constant inflow of minerals from runoff. But you're right, fish in closed systems like that do adapt, up to a point. Then there is the Dead Sea.


I wasn't trying to start a fight with you, that's not my goal here.

Sorry guys I got a bit nasty there didn't mean to and sorry if I upset any1 we r all here for the fishes best interests and to seek advice from those who know more than ourselves. Sorry again

 

[sarah40011]

walking catfish? best of both worlds...

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Sorry guys I got a bit nasty there didn't mean to and sorry if I upset any1 we r all here for the fishes best interests and to seek advice from those who know more than ourselves. Sorry again

We all have those moments.

 

[Dieses Madchen]

I have 5+ tanks and I do 25-30% weekly. I have two kids, 2 cats and a husband and I work full time. The longest I have gone was 2 weeks.

 

[Majjie]

I don't really want to get into the argument here ... but I want to reply to the op. I frequently leave my tank for four weeks without a water change. The main problem the fish have, is slightly restricted swimming room at the end of that period. The main problem I have is throwing away bucket loads of amazon frogbit.

It's a large (300 litre) very well planted tank - with mainly small fish but quite a lot of them - and it's been fairly stable for about four years now. I run a UV filter on it as a precaution ... and I sometimes think the fish are happiest at the end of the four week period ... but that sort of judgement is very subjective.

I too am running my own business and that can be very much more time consuming than a standard full time job. If I get more free time in the future, then I might go back to changing the water (or at least removing the frogbit) more often - but why change a system that seems to work fine for the fish? There's absolutely no evidence that more frequent water changes - just for the sake of it - would be better for them.

It would be entirely different if the tank had no live plants in it, there's obviously a reason why the amazon frogbit is growing so profusely - it's mopping up excess nitrogen. As for build up of hormones - is there any evidence for that? I'd guess it's just hearsay and guess work - like so much of fish keeping. I once left the tank for six weeks, at the end of which the blue emperor tetras had spawned and two or three of the youngsters survived (without getting eaten). Did they spawn because they were happier than usual, in more natural conditions without the frequent addition of more tap water - or was it a last ditch attempt to procreate because they detected a deterioration in water quality? Who knows? There are too many variables to draw any conclusions. Your guess is as good as mine (and the fish are fine).

I do sometimes have trouble with the pH fluctuating - it can start to drop quite low - presumably because the plants are removing minerals. Keeping the pH stable is the only reason I can think of - that would make me change the water more often (although adding minerals might be more helpful) ... and it's very easy to monitor the pH.

I reckon the best test of how you're doing - is how well the fish are. If they're lively and acting naturally (spawning or not) and showing no signs of stress, then I'd say keep doing what you're doing.

 

[BigbruiserAl]

A few points on the above.

The ph should be stable in any tank so i would say your water is from ok, frogbit can grow in toliet water dont think your water is perfect becuse of that and the hormones is fact not hear say there is plenty of infomation on google about it.

None of the above was said in offensive manner the kids are still up dont have time to type a mega post

 

[Dieses Madchen]

I personally think that as long as you are monitoring your water parameters and everything looks goods, it is okay to delay on your water changes. I am not saying go months and year because your tank is cycled, I am just saying (and other people have already said it) that your fish wont die if you miss a water change. Now, if you have sand and a lot of fish, it might look unsightly

 

[BigbruiserAl]

I personally think that as long as you are monitoring your water parameters and everything looks goods, it is okay to delay on your water changes. I am not saying go months and year because your tank is cycled, I am just saying (and other people have already said it) that your fish wont die if you miss a water change. Now, if you have sand and a lot of fish, it might look unsightly

This is very true my new tank has no bottem dwellers and only being 2 months old has got Diatoms looks horrible

 

[Dieses Madchen]

Yeah I need to get in there either today or tomorrow and clean my sand. I never realized how much gravel hid the nasty lol

 

[Majjie]

A few points on the above.

The ph should be stable in any tank so i would say your water is from ok, frogbit can grow in toliet water dont think your water is perfect becuse of that and the hormones is fact not hear say there is plenty of infomation on google about it.

None of the above was said in offensive manner the kids are still up dont have time to type a mega post

As I said - I don't want to get into an argument - the above is simply my point of view - take it or leave it. I'm not about to change what I do.

I'm aware that a stable pH is desirable - that's why I mentioned it as a possible problem - and that's why I monitor it. At the moment mine is.

I certainly didn't suggest that the growth of frogbit indicated anything about the quality of the water - except that it could be indicative of a good nitrogen source. Of course it would grow in (used) toilet water - if dilute enough - great source of nitrogen!

As for the build up of hormones - I've heard it mentioned as a problem for fry - but I've never heard of any studies on the subject in fish tanks. If there's any evidence, I would be interested in reading the source. Mention on Google is not the same thing as evidence.

 

[BigbruiserAl]

A few points on the above.

The ph should be stable in any tank so i would say your water is from ok, frogbit can grow in toliet water dont think your water is perfect becuse of that and the hormones is fact not hear say there is plenty of infomation on google about it.

None of the above was said in offensive manner the kids are still up dont have time to type a mega post

As I said - I don't want to get into an argument - the above is simply my point of view - take it or leave it. I'm not about to change what I do.

I'm aware that a stable pH is desirable - that's why I mentioned it as a possible problem - and that's why I monitor it. At the moment mine is.

I certainly didn't suggest that the growth of frogbit indicated anything about the quality of the water - except that it could be indicative of a good nitrogen source. Of course it would grow in (used) toilet water - if dilute enough - great source of nitrogen!

As for the build up of hormones - I've heard it mentioned as a problem for fry - but I've never heard of any studies on the subject in fish tanks. If there's any evidence, I would be interested in reading the source. Mention on Google is not the same thing as evidence.

yup agree if it works you and the fish are ok happy day

Im sorry dont have time to go find links but have read them in the past some very intretsing papers on the subject. On an internet forum the only evidence you will get is google link/papers etc i did i misunderstand you

 

[Majjie]

A few points on the above.

The ph should be stable in any tank so i would say your water is from ok, frogbit can grow in toliet water dont think your water is perfect becuse of that and the hormones is fact not hear say there is plenty of infomation on google about it.

None of the above was said in offensive manner the kids are still up dont have time to type a mega post

As I said - I don't want to get into an argument - the above is simply my point of view - take it or leave it. I'm not about to change what I do.

I'm aware that a stable pH is desirable - that's why I mentioned it as a possible problem - and that's why I monitor it. At the moment mine is.

I certainly didn't suggest that the growth of frogbit indicated anything about the quality of the water - except that it could be indicative of a good nitrogen source. Of course it would grow in (used) toilet water - if dilute enough - great source of nitrogen!

As for the build up of hormones - I've heard it mentioned as a problem for fry - but I've never heard of any studies on the subject in fish tanks. If there's any evidence, I would be interested in reading the source. Mention on Google is not the same thing as evidence.

yup agree if it works you and the fish are ok happy day

Im sorry dont have time to go find links but have read them in the past some very intretsing papers on the subject. On an internet forum the only evidence you will get is google link/papers etc i did i misunderstand you

No problem - I'm not really expecting you to find the links. I just suspect that the studies aren't relevant to water changes in domestic fish tanks. Assaying hormones is difficult and you'd have to allow for the fact that many hormones are likely to be unstable in aquarium conditions and wouldn't persist in the water.

You keep believing it to be true and I'll remain sceptical ... and we'll both be happy!