maybe the need is caused by her LFS...
See, I do have a tank with one year without a water change and took a sample
to an LFS last Friday and everything looks fine except that he told me that
PO4 was too high. I got a 1 mg/L and he got a 3...
Then he tried to sell me water...
I introduced myself as a newbie and he tried to sell me a skimmer...
Something else I found interesting about my in-series filter, it is
collecting a bunch of precipitate under a false floor with two inches of
space under the substrate and my skimmer (home made) is collecting
nothing...
I am going to vacuum out all the scum to test for PO4, if it is full of it,
then I am going to stop using Rowaphos
iy
"bo0ger1" .@. wrote in message
m...

I've noticed that too....
I do twice-monthly water changes, more often if I see the need. I don't
want my fish living in sh*t.


At what point do you "see the need"? What are your requirements? If you
are taking water measurements for nitrate, ammonia, or nitrite and these
specs are qualifiers for your "need" to do a water change, than you have
other problems. Your "need" to do a water change is masking a problem.

I have a feeling that your "need" to do a water change is purely
ritualistic.