No water changes for one year

I've got a 15 gallon tank with about eight platys and a pl*co in it, no
plants. I used to lose a fish every 6-8 weeks. This seemed to happen
right after water changes even though I was using that chlorine remover
stuff and only changing about 2 gallons/week. So I did an experiment
beginning last March. I stopped changing the water. In the last year I
have had zero fishes die. I'm using a Marineland Emperor, wash the
filter every couple weeks and change the filter/carbon thing about every
3 months. No UGF.

So do you think I've got wicked nitrates buit up in the tank and the
fish are just used to it? I keep reading about how important water
quality is and how important water changes are yet I get good results
for a whole year never-ever changing the water, just adding to make up
for evaporation. Carbon doesn't remove nitrates does it?

Comments?

I had a related question. I bought a HOB (wisper) filter the other day,
and on the box it claimed to remove nitrates from the water. I was
under the impression that nitrates could only be removed by water
changes, plants, or de-nitrification (usually in the substrate). Any
thoughts?

My guess would be that the bio wheel on your filter has enough greenery
growing on it to eat the nitrates produced in your tank. Also a good
amount could be growing in the tank and getting eaten by the pl*co.
Something is eating it - I seriously doubt that a year's worth of
nitrate buildup is just sitting in your tank with no bad effects on
anything.

Be careful with your tank! It's nice to have a balanced setup and not
have to work to keep fish...don't mess it up by disturbing the balance
too much! Good job - and good luck.

-Daniel

Bob Wennerstrom wrote:
I've got a 15 gallon tank with about eight platys and a pl*co in it, no
plants. I used to lose a fish every 6-8 weeks. This seemed to happen
right after water changes even though I was using that chlorine remover
stuff and only changing about 2 gallons/week. So I did an experiment
beginning last March. I stopped changing the water. In the last year I
have had zero fishes die. I'm using a Marineland Emperor, wash the
filter every couple weeks and change the filter/carbon thing about every
3 months. No UGF.

So do you think I've got wicked nitrates buit up in the tank and the
fish are just used to it? I keep reading about how important water
quality is and how important water changes are yet I get good results
for a whole year never-ever changing the water, just adding to make up
for evaporation. Carbon doesn't remove nitrates does it?

Comments?

The only way to know what is happening is to test the water. Anything
else is mere speculation. Perhaps your LFS could do a nitrate test so
you don't have to buy the whole kit if you don't want to.

--
__ Elaine T __
__' http://eethomp.com/fish.html '__

In article . com,
wrote:
I had a related question. I bought a HOB (wisper) filter the other day,
and on the box it claimed to remove nitrates from the water. I was
under the impression that nitrates could only be removed by water
changes, plants, or de-nitrification (usually in the substrate). Any
thoughts?


Bacterial will do this:


NH3 -- NO2 -- NO3 -- N2

that is, they'll convert ammonia from waste form fish into atmospheric
nitrogen. But, only in the presence of plenty of oxygen.

Plants will use up ammonia, and nitrates (which they convert to
ammonia first, except crypts that canuse nitrate directly) as
well of course.

--
Need Mercedes parts ? - http://parts.mbz.org
http://www.mbz.org | Mercedes Mailing lists: http://lists.mbz.org
633CSi 250SE/C 300SD | Killies, killi.net, Crypts, aquaria.net
1970 280SE, 72 280SE | Old wris****ches http://watches.list.mbz.org

Richard Sexton wrote:
In article . com,
wrote:
[snip]I was under the impression that nitrates could only
be removed by water changes, plants, or de-nitrification
(usually in the substrate). Any thoughts?

That's right.

[Bacteria] will do this:

NH3 -- NO2 -- NO3 -- N2

that is, they'll convert ammonia [***] into atmospheric
nitrogen. But, only in the presence of plenty of oxygen.

Note that the steps of this oxidation are performed by different types
of bacteria.

The steps up to NO3 require O2.

The N03 -- N2 step is *anaerobic*. It is an example of true anaerobic
respiration. The principle is like aerobic respiration, but something
other than oxygen is used as an electron acceptor. Googling the
details is left as an exercise for the curious.

To the extent that the anaerobes have a strict requirement to be
delivered NO3 for their anaerobic respiratory process to create N2, and
that such NO3 arrives only by dint of some aerobic steps, it is proper
to say that ammonia-N2 requires oxygen. However, the actual step
producing N2 does not rely on oxygen directly.

[***]

--Trapper

Bob Wennerstrom nospam wrote:
I've got a 15 gallon tank with about eight platys and a pl*co in it, no
plants. I used to lose a fish every 6-8 weeks. This seemed to happen
right after water changes even though I was using that chlorine remover
stuff and only changing about 2 gallons/week. So I did an experiment
beginning last March. I stopped changing the water. In the last year I
have had zero fishes die. I'm using a Marineland Emperor, wash the
filter every couple weeks and change the filter/carbon thing about every
3 months. No UGF.

So do you think I've got wicked nitrates buit up in the tank and the
fish are just used to it? I keep reading about how important water
quality is and how important water changes are yet I get good results
for a whole year never-ever changing the water, just adding to make up
for evaporation. Carbon doesn't remove nitrates does it?

Comments?

Freshwater fish can tolerate very high nitrate levels if they're allowed to
gradually adjust. That's probably what you've got going on, although it's
impossible to tell without a water test. God help any new fish you add.

Google on "old tank syndrome". Since it sounds like you're doing zero gravel
cleanings too, OTS is in your future. Not if, but when.

"Bob Wennerstrom" nospam wrote in message
...
I've got a 15 gallon tank with about eight platys and a pl*co in it, no
plants. I used to lose a fish every 6-8 weeks. This seemed to happen right
after water changes even though I was using that chlorine remover stuff
and only changing about 2 gallons/week. So I did an experiment beginning
last March. I stopped changing the water. In the last year I have had zero
fishes die. I'm using a Marineland Emperor, wash the filter every couple
weeks and change the filter/carbon thing about every 3 months. No UGF.

So do you think I've got wicked nitrates buit up in the tank and the fish
are just used to it? I keep reading about how important water quality is
and how important water changes are yet I get good results for a whole
year never-ever changing the water, just adding to make up for
evaporation. Carbon doesn't remove nitrates does it?

Comments?

interesting you should bring this up.

i've got one of the lab instructors over in the biology department running
an experiment of the exact same nature. the set up is three non-planted 10
gallon tanks; one with no water changes; one with weekly water changes;
another with bi-monthly water changes. when and if we ever write it up i'll
be sure to follow up here and let everyone know the results. (i would be
more forthcoming with information on it now except i'm not the one
monitoring them.)

tedd.


--
I believe everything exists; unicorns do not exist.

wrote in message
ups.com...
I had a related question. I bought a HOB (wisper) filter the other day,
and on the box it claimed to remove nitrates from the water. I was
under the impression that nitrates could only be removed by water
changes, plants, or de-nitrification (usually in the substrate). Any
thoughts?


I find that in scientific circles, it's more important for the question
to be precise, rather than to get the correct answer which might mislead
you.

The correct question (imho) would be:
Is the amount of NO3 removed by this filter going to be significant in my
application?

The answer would then be (imo) *hugely* simplified.... no.
--
www.NetMax.tk

"Tedd Jacobs" wrote in message
...

"Bob Wennerstrom" nospam wrote in message
...
I've got a 15 gallon tank with about eight platys and a pl*co in it,
no plants. I used to lose a fish every 6-8 weeks. This seemed to
happen right after water changes even though I was using that chlorine
remover stuff and only changing about 2 gallons/week. So I did an
experiment beginning last March. I stopped changing the water. In the
last year I have had zero fishes die. I'm using a Marineland Emperor,
wash the filter every couple weeks and change the filter/carbon thing
about every 3 months. No UGF.

So do you think I've got wicked nitrates buit up in the tank and the
fish are just used to it? I keep reading about how important water
quality is and how important water changes are yet I get good results
for a whole year never-ever changing the water, just adding to make up
for evaporation. Carbon doesn't remove nitrates does it?

Comments?

interesting you should bring this up.

i've got one of the lab instructors over in the biology department
running an experiment of the exact same nature. the set up is three
non-planted 10 gallon tanks; one with no water changes; one with weekly
water changes; another with bi-monthly water changes. when and if we
ever write it up i'll be sure to follow up here and let everyone know
the results. (i would be more forthcoming with information on it now
except i'm not the one monitoring them.)

tedd.


Kewl, I love hard data, especially when it doesn't go like you expected,
and you have to figure out why. Thanks in advance tedd!!!
--
www.NetMax.tk