My boss' large tanks

[tbonem91]

Apparently my boss has an inwall 200g tank and a 55 - both are fresh water, unplanted and dont sound to be overstocked. I inquired about cleaning and water changes and she informed me that "you dont need to clean tanks that big - we just add water"

I guess they've been up and running for a long time and several of her fish are over 10 years old.

8O

Is it possible that with understocking, certain fish selection and good water being added to the tank, that nature can indeed take care of itself in a tank that large? I didn't have (and still dont) that impression...

Maybe I'll have to go check em out some day...



edit: Meant to put this in General Discussion.... if one of you nice mods can move it for me, I'd appreciate it thanks!

[Hara]

Fish, over time, can adjust to bad water conditions. It sounds to me like this has happened here.

[Meredith]

I would say your boss is misinformed. I wonder what her params are.

[catfishattack]

When I was in college, my parents never changed the water of the fish tank at home, they just add water.

It was like that for 3 years. Fish will adjust to bad water condition, however, you won't be able to introduce new fish to the tank. Also when I test the water parameter, everything is good except nitrate is very high.

Adding live plants in the tank, keep the light on 24 hours a day for a few weeks to let some algae grow will bring down the nitrate level, however, water change is still the best way.

[tbonem91]

Originally Posted by Meredith

I would say your boss is misinformed. I wonder what her params are.

this is what I was thinking

[Ky'smommy]

well my sister had a beta... and she left it for a month thinking it was dead. in this water never fed it threw it out or nothing.
just over a month later it was still alive
well my dad rescued and shortly later it lives in a clean freash 10 gallon tank with some mollies and guppies, and i have never ever seen a siemese fighting fish so happy. mine is mean.

Yes and my sister is sick for leaving it so long

[JodiMartin2003]

My boyfriends boss has a 300 gallon and her husband used to work in a fish store. She told us that you are NEVER supposed to clean your tank. That it is bad for the fish and that they need algae to survive. We have tried to convince her otherwise but to no avail. I would love to test her water!

[studmaster]

Originally Posted by JodiMartin2003

My boyfriends boss has a 300 gallon and her husband used to work in a fish store. She told us that you are NEVER supposed to clean your tank. That it is bad for the fish and that they need algae to survive. We have tried to convince her otherwise but to no avail. I would love to test her water!

haha, maybe that's why he doesn't still work at the fish store. I can't imagine that to be true, from what I know the only way to remove nitrates is to either change the water or to have live plants. Even then, don't you need to clean up the fish poo? I guess if you have a lot of algea that uses up the nitrates you might be able to get away with it, but my tank doesn't have much algea and the nitrates were over 80ppm. (now back down to 10ish).

[Meredith]

If someone really believes they are right, you wont be able to change their minds no matter what you do. I don't know how comfortable you would be doing this for you boss, but you could print out some articles on general fish keeping, the nitrogen cycle, and the benefits of water changes and give them to her to read. I think that is the most you could do. Whether she chooses to use that information though will be up to her.

[Jchillin]

It is actually known as "Old Tank Syndrome". When the water quality degrades slowly, the fish acclimate to these conditions. The problem is usually unnoticed until a new fish is introduced and dies shortly after introduction. Because only the new fish died, the thought process is that the new fish was unhealthy.

The other problem is if the tank was to be maintained very quickly (ie: large water change and deep gravel vacs), the change in the environment for the existing fish on that scale would cause them to become ill.

[anonfoo]

My friend kept a freshwater eel in a half gallon ice cream bucket under his bed for a year and it lived! haha everytime I went over there I couldnt believe he still had that thing.

[tbonem91]

Originally Posted by Meredith

If someone really believes they are right, you wont be able to change their minds no matter what you do. I don't know how comfortable you would be doing this for you boss, but you could print out some articles on general fish keeping, the nitrogen cycle, and the benefits of water changes and give them to her to read. I think that is the most you could do. Whether she chooses to use that information though will be up to her.

heh - not with my boss I wouldn't. besides, I just started this job

[CompMage]

Originally Posted by Jchillin

It is actually known as "Old Tank Syndrome". When the water quality degrades slowly, the fish acclimate to these conditions. The problem is usually unnoticed until a new fish is introduced and dies shortly after introduction. Because only the new fish died, the thought process is that the new fish was unhealthy.

The other problem is if the tank was to be maintained very quickly (ie: large water change and deep gravel vacs), the change in the environment for the existing fish on that scale would cause them to become ill.

I'll vouch for that one. My feancy did the whole just add water thing to her tanks till when I tested... 120ppm Nitrates or more. It was almost off the chart I had for my test. When she was out I did a large water change on this 55g and the next day 2 of the smaller black skert tetras went belly up. And the rest did not look happy.

Took about a month before I was able to get things back in order.

So what is in that 200G tank?

[tbonem91]

Originally Posted by CompMage

So what is in that 200G tank?

I'm not totally sure - I know theres a "13 year old catfish" and "some more big ones"

If I can manage to see it some time soon, I'll post back here with what she has

[studmaster]

My nitrates were high and right after I did a large water change my fish were loving it and were swimming around happily and trying to breed (for the first time that I noticed). That was all because of nitrates. The ammonia and nitrites were 0.

I guess if they slowly got used to something it would be a shock to their system.