Politically Correct vs. Old School

[Sanfranman]

I understand it's politically correct to give advice on message boards to newbies just joining the hobby. Weekly water changes, weekly testing, adding different chemicals, etc. But has anyone had great success with aquariums using the old fashioned way? Letting the water evolve naturally? Besides filter maintenance and adding water after evaporation, , you do nothing else.

 

[fort384]

Topping off a tank without doing water changes eventually results in catastrophe on a tank where tap water is used. As water evaporates, it leaves behind any solids contained in the water - ions, heavy metals, etc, remain in the tank. As you continue to add top off water, it will continually raise the GH of the tank. It has nothing to do with political correctness when an experienced aquariest suggests you do a water change. It is about long term success and health of tank, and avoiding pitfalls like "old tank syndrome".

The most successful hobbiests I know on our site, some of which have kept large and complex systems running for decades, all advocate the necessity of water changes to keep conditions optimum.

Letting the water evolve "naturally" would have little in common with letting a tiny container of water stagnant and not be refreshed, as it is in nature, for extreme periods of time.

 

[wawgt]

My stepfather does nothing on a regular basis other than feeding, topping off the water and using an algae scraper on the glass. He cleans the tank about every 6-12 months. He's never tested for anything other than PH. His fish seem to live long, happy lives. (I'm not recommending that - I personally do the weekly water changes and don't understand why he doesn't have more problems.)

 

[fort384]

How long has the tank been setup? What is his GH? NO3? What is a long, happy, life? There are many common FW species that can live a decade or longer in the right conditions.

If he isn't testing anything how could you know the conditions in which the fish are being subjected? I would say pH would be close to the bottom of the list of things I would be concerned about, so long as the water source was consistent.

It might be old school, and it might appear to be successful, but science tells us otherwise. A lot of old school things are not a good way to do anything.

 

[HUKIT]

The nitrogen cycles ends in the production of nitrates which are not nearly as lethal as ammonia and nitrite but they are still harmful to fish. High levels of nitrates can have all sorts of effects of long term exposure leading to death. Some examples include:

It decreases the o2 levels in the aquarium.
It decreases the ablility for reproduction.
It decreases the antibody production which help fight disease.
It causes long term damage to spleen, liver, and kidneys.
It causes lower red blood cells which regulates health such as clotting.
It leads to damage of eyes causing blindness.
It leads to death, the worst thing on the list!

I could go on and on but I'll stop there since I'm sure most people get the point. These things start to effect fish at levels of 80-100ppm, at levels in excess of 200ppm can lead to death within a few weeks

I've been doing this a long time so I'd love to hear a argument on letting water evolve until fatal levels of nitrate are present.

There are reasons why we don't things like we did in the past, advancement in technology, education, and studies on fish health. This happens everyday, remember when smoking was ok for your health?

 

[wawgt]

He's had a 50 gallon set up for 15 years. He's had fish last for years and years. He's had two angels for 10 years. Others have lived for well over five years. I guess I shouldn't have said they are happy - I have not had a conversation with them to confirm. They seem to eat well and swim normally. I assume he has no ammonia or nitrites - that would be deadly. I don't understand why his nitrates don't go through the roof eventually. Again, I'm not recommending - just saying that's what he does. He does have well water and I'm guessing it is very pure without a lot of minerals..

 

[fort384]

Does he have live plants in the tank?

 

[wawgt]

No live plants - just plastic. By the way - I just found out that he doesn't do water changes. He mentioned that he finally cleaned his tank for first time since last Thanksgiving. I said, "I assume you change water more frequently." His response - "Nope - just top off."

 

[fort384]

Not a good idea. Anecdotally you can say it works, but as I mentioned, the science behind this doesn't lie.

Believe me, I am not a proponent of every internet forum recommended phenomenon in this hobby - there are numerous that are just unnecessary. But water changes are not one of those. There is way to much evidence to the contrary.

 

[wawgt]

I don't disagree. Like I said in my original post - I personally do weekly water changes. My stepfather also keeps his betta in a 1/4 gallon decorative bowl. I questioned that as well - and he admitted that he replaces it a few times each year. Not the model fish-keeper by any stretch of the imagination. His success with his larger tank is probably just dumb Luck. Speaking of Luck - go Colts.

 

[fort384]

LOL - thanks for that dig wagt.

I think there are quite a few people out there who subscribe to this method, actually. I won't say it cannot work - but it is definitely not the best way to provide an optimal path to success.

There are always multiple ways to do things in this hobby - I most times I don't question or judge based on people's choices. But I consider water changes essential...

 

[jetajockey]

They are definitely essential. It's hard to say just how successful someone is without some hard and extensive data kinda giving a timeline on both the stock and tank in general. What we do know is that old tank syndrome happens, and it's easily explainable. What we also know is that nitrate can be toxic and there is paper after paper on it's effects on fish in certain concentrations over time periods.

Someone keeping a tank for years doing the absolute minimum in maintenance and care and being successful doesn't negate those findings one bit, it just means someone was successful in what they did and in my opinion with the odds against them.

I think many, if not most all of us have kept tanks like this in the past, I know I did growing up. I have memories of doing that major cleaning once every several months or longer, put all the fish in a bucket of water and scrub down the entire tank rocks, filter, everything and bleach it out.

 

[Wyomingite]

I understand it's politically correct to give advice on message boards to newbies just joining the hobby. Weekly water changes, weekly testing, adding different chemicals, etc. But has anyone had great success with aquariums using the old fashioned way? Letting the water evolve naturally? Besides filter maintenance and adding water after evaporation, , you do nothing else.

Don't really consider that old school. Consider that archaic. There've been several posts outlinin' why that practice fell by the wayside, so won't rehash it.

There are plenty of things that a person will ask and will get differin' answers to, based on experience and personal bias. An example is canister filters versus HOBs. The answers given aren't necessarily right or wrong. However, I don't know any two hobbyists who will tell ya that water changes are unnecessary, even if they can't agree whether canisters or HOBs are better.

The phrase "letting the water evolve naturally" is deceiving. An aquarium isn't a natural environment, no matter how hard we try to emulate one. There is so much that happens in a natural body of water that does not happen in an aquarium or that happens at a reduced pace (denitrification immediately comes to mind). Many natural water bodies have "water changes", due to streams flowin' in and out, flooding, and other natural phenomena. Ya just can't realistically compare an aquarium to a natural body of water. What we can do is manipulate the water in the aquarium by simulating different events to ensure our finny friends have clean water.

WYite

 

[Sanfranman]

Thanks everyone