No Water Change Aquarium

[BBradbury]

AA...

What would I need to maintain a tank that needed no water changes, other than a way to remove nitrogen from dissolved fish waste material and a way to maintain steady, healthy mineral levels?

B

 

[rlederer]

I presume you are referring to nitrates and nitrites and ammonia and not just nitrogen. There are ways, with plants, chemicals, and biofilters, but water changes are the fastest, cheapest, and most effective way to go. Besides removing nitrogenous chemicals, other contaminants that may have gotten into the tank will also be removed, as well as particulate matter and parasites, when you change the water.

 

[goatnad]

AA...

What would I need to maintain a tank that needed no water changes, other than a way to remove nitrogen from dissolved fish waste material and a way to maintain steady, healthy mineral levels?

B

I'm sure you know of this but the walstad method is one way. If you haven't heard of it then you can Google the process or even buy Diana walstad's book on the method. If I'm remembering reading a comment by her correctly she has a tank she hasn't done a water change on in something like 5 years. I think in most of her tanks she doesn't even use filters. Now these tanks are not the beautiful 100% crystal clear water that looks constantly groomed. Her method is for the most natural look and ecosystem.

 

[Caliban07]

A healthy microbial population, plants, lots of oxygen and time.

 

[Caliban07]

Also sand substrates tend to work best. Even grain size.

 

[V227]

BB / Caliban

The Ocean Aquarium Store, in San Francisco, uses the "No WC" method for all their display tanks. One of the tanks allegedly hasn't had a WC in 25 yrs. Plenty of info on line regarding the noted store, including YouTube tours.

 

[Caliban07]

BB / Caliban



The Ocean Aquarium Store, in San Francisco, uses the "No WC" method for all their display tanks. One of the tanks allegedly hasn't had a WC in 25 yrs. Plenty of info on line regarding the noted store, including YouTube tours.

Yeah seen that video. It has a very deep sand bed that tank.

 

[BBradbury]

Hello go...

Yes. Am familiar with the Walstad method. Tried it several years ago and found the "dirted" method ran out of nutrients in about six months. I had to find another means of fertilizing the plants. Root tabs worked, but getting them into the bottom material proved quite messy. There was constantly debris floating around the tank for a time.

I found a house plant called Chinese evergreen worked well. By removing the potting mixture and immersing the root ball in the tank water and running an airline under the roots for oxygen, the roots would quickly remove the ammonia and nitrite from the water, so that the nitrate level was minimal.

B