Is there such a thing as to healthy of an environment?

[Bama77]

I have been thinking on this and have even talked to the guy at my LFS..We do all of these things to get the PH to a certain level, add salt, maker sure the water isn't too soft or too hard..But is it too much?..Most LFS, or bigger pet stores don't adjust every little water imbalance in their tanks..And I have even talked to several that have said, that the fish are accustomed to how the water is at the place of purchase and changing their environment drastically could be even worse on the fish...My LFS does water changes to keep ammonia down and tests his water every couple of days..But doesn't worry much about the PH of the water and hisa fish are healthy..Do we get over cautious and do things that aren't necessary?...I was told that 25% water changes should be done every other day..I started testing my water and don't have to do water changes but every other week..I have 1 platy, 2 dalmation mollies 2 mystery snails and 3 pin fish(forget the exact name) and a crab in a 10 gal tank..All of my fish are active and seem happy...Anyways..Just throwing this out there for other folks opinions.

 

[FishyBusiness]

I think *most* fish are tank bred now days. I believe it's more important to have consistent parameters. Consistency is key. When you get to adding chemicals constantly, water won't stay consistent. Which leads to stress, in turn, illness. There are times, and certain fish where it is required to have water perfect for them. If they are not wild caught, and properly acclimated, the typical fish should do fine IMO.

 

[Bama77]

I think the same thing... Like I said fish store owners don't do all of the stuff we're supposed to do for every tank they have

 

[BBradbury]

Keeping The Tank Water

I have been thinking on this and have even talked to the guy at my LFS..We do all of these things to get the PH to a certain level, add salt, maker sure the water isn't too soft or too hard..But is it too much?..Most LFS, or bigger pet stores don't adjust every little water imbalance in their tanks..And I have even talked to several that have said, that the fish are accustomed to how the water is at the place of purchase and changing their environment drastically could be even worse on the fish...My LFS does water changes to keep ammonia down and tests his water every couple of days..But doesn't worry much about the PH of the water and hisa fish are healthy..Do we get over cautious and do things that aren't necessary?...I was told that 25% water changes should be done every other day..I started testing my water and don't have to do water changes but every other week..I have 1 platy, 2 dalmation mollies 2 mystery snails and 3 pin fish(forget the exact name) and a crab in a 10 gal tank..All of my fish are active and seem happy...Anyways..Just throwing this out there for other folks opinions.

Hello Bama...

I've never heard of fish dying from water that was changed too often. If you're concerned about the tank inhabitants, the only thing you need to do is change half the tank water every week for a tank up to 30 gallons and twice a week for a larger tank. Wastes take time to build up to toxic levels to the point they'll hurt the fish. Large, frequent water changes constantly remove the dirty water and replace that with pure water. So, there's no time for wastes to build up before the water is replaced. The fish and plants always live in pure water conditions.

Add floating plants like Hornwort and a couple of others to an aggressive water change routine and your fish and plants will be fine.

B

 

[FishyBusiness]

Exactly. I'd say that goes for most tropical fish. Not more sensitive fish like discus, and cichlids, among others.

 

[Bama77]

I'm not saying that changing water too much can kill fish... I'm saying I think a lot of it is marketing schemes... I change my water in my tanks when it is needed and it is no where near as often as I have been told by various folks..My water always has a high PH... Which my LFS said his was always high too and the fish thrive and do well

 

[Kushgodrex]

I'm not saying that changing water too much can kill fish... I'm saying I think a lot of it is marketing schemes... I change my water in my tanks when it is needed and it is no where near as often as I have been told by various folks..My water always has a high PH... Which my LFS said his was always high too and the fish thrive and do well

You're right, some people go weeks without changing the water, it all depends on how much you usually feed your fish and how heavily stocked you are, if you have enough plants to keep your nitrates around 10ppm then all you need to add is a conditioner to replenish natural minerals and stuff.

The only reasons people do water changes is to add nutrients and minerals that occur naturally in water, that fish and plants need, and to lower the nitrates because it can cause stress to fish and it also can help the nasty algae grow as it acts as a natural fertilizer.

 

[Kushgodrex]

Very high nitrates can kill fish also