No offense taken here and yes. this is a Q & A site. However, there are times when you constantly give advice and it is ignored.
If you are referring to me with this above statement, I can tell you that you absolutely need to stand corrected, sir -- I DO NOT ignore the advice I have been given here. I have attempted multiple times to operate the Top Fin gravel vac I own based on the plethora of tips and suggestions here, and I just COULD NOT get it to work. My wife eventually got it pumping (okay -- no naughty remarks!) but to this day -- I don't know how...and quite frankly, neither does she.
Now, it may be because I am some kind of colossal dimwit, retard or otherwise moronic ball of confusion, but I like to think I have some semblance of an intelligence being that I am the managing editor of a well respected magazine and construct well-received feature articles for each issue with plenty of positive feedback from our reader demographic -- still, I will state again, I cannot, for some reason, get the gravel vac to work as intended. This leads me to responding to this:
No offense to Osage, you seem to be a very nice person, but you've been given advice repeatedly that water changes are your friend.
I understand that I have been given that repeated advice but I am telling you that I have not ignored it -- we end up just going back to the method of scooping the water out of the tank with jars and vases, pouring it into a big bucket, carrying that across the house to the tub where it would be dumped (and subsequently soaking our expensive carpets en route)...and this would occur several times until we reached the desired water change level...now, given this method, wouldn't you be ready to ***** and complain and nearly give up if you had to do this several times a week, which has been suggested to me with my bioload/species I am keeping?
I understand water changes are my friend -- but I am intrigued when I hear of another member who doesn't do changes and yet maintains life in his or her tank; it's just natural to find fascination in that after what I've been through with this process.
If you get your tank healthy by doing water changes and not using pointless products that don't do anything for the over all water quality, your tank would respond much better.
But I haven't BEEN able to get my tank healthy just via the changes...
All you need is to master the water change and get past your hatred/phobia whatever and set yourself a schedule. You don't need anything but a good dechlorinator and a python. Seriously. I use a python on all my tanks, even the little 5.5 g ones and I have none of the problems with water changes that you do. You will spend more time and money on the useless products than you will on doing water changes on a regular basis.
Let me start with your insistence on accusing me of being "hate filled" and "phobic" about these changes -- as I outlined above, my history in this area would drive any normal human being to madness, and I do not doubt that for one second nor do I believe I am exaggerating here; if you would see what we go through when we do a water change, you would understand more clearly...also, I am extremely happy for you that you "don't have any of the problems" I do when you do your water changes, but that's NOT ME or MY particular problem...
we do have the issues with the changes.
Furthermore, I do not spend nearly the amount of time (maybe money) shopping for the products I have dumped in the tank than what I spend attempting to do these stupid changes -- honestly.
And as a response to something you said in your other post about not doing water changes. Think about this, all critters, even us, benefit from fresh water daily. Your fish are in an enclosed, unnatural environment, swimming in their own waste, filters only do so much. You truly do need to do the changes or find someone that will do the service for you.
But I don't understand why the filters aren't doing enough for me -- I am running two fairly powerful HOBs that are supposed to be turning over 800 something gallons per hour, so why isn't this by itself maintaining clear water? I just don't understand this...the AquaClear in it of itself should be a powerful enough filter to keep the water rather clear, no?
:-|
