22 Months No Water Change

8 posts

Discuss all topics related to freshwater and planted tanks.


yasherkoach
 
Posts: 1306
Joined: Sat Jul 26, 2008 1:24 pm

22 Months No Water Change

by yasherkoach

WARNING: ONLY EXPERIENCED HOBBYISTS SHOULD ATTEMPT THIS

Latest update to the 55 gallon freshwater all natural ecosystem as of August 14, 2013.

Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 25
Temperature: 76-80

Only natural wood, live plants, naturally grown cladophora and rock with two bubble disks (for the fish require a stream-like movement and oxygen) and a heater to keep temperature consistent at 76-80 all year round.

Not a fish death in 6 months.

20 fish in all (semi-aggressive and community).

I used to liquid water test the tank, I stopped this practice on January 27, 2013 (unless there is a death in the tank). I rely solely on observation. I top off the tank with about 2 gallons of freshwater non-chemical water each week due to evaporation. The tank is entirely lit by the window/sunlight and there is no filtration in the tank. Key to maintaining the tank in this manner is two things: observation and never overfeeding.

The fish are healthy, robust and active.

In October 2013 will be the two year anniversary of not performing water changes. I will update regarding the tank at that time.

Happy Fishing!!!


markthecat
 
Posts: 23
Joined: Fri Aug 21, 2009 2:40 am

Re: 22 Months No Water Change

by markthecat

very good the key to less water changes is low nitrates now i now have a 135 gallon s.american cichlid tank the tank in the tank in the photo is my old african cichlid 75 gallon tank. i have 3 severums 2 blood parrots 5 firemouths 4 eartheaters 1 blue aracara 1red tail shark 2 bushy noose pleco 1 common pleco 2 african catfish all range from 3-6 inches except for 1 sevrum and blood parrot wich are about 7-8 inches about 2 months ago i setup a box drilled holes and cut some golden pothos from a plant and put them the inside the aquarium

b/c my nitrates were between 40 and 60 ppm hope the plants would help out it took awhile for them to grow roots so about three weeks ago i bought some amquel plus and aqua nova plus and start using them by this time my plants had some pretty good roots on them i would use amquel only once a week at full dose and only do a 3 gallon water change once a week compared to the 13 gallons plus i use to change a week b/c i wanted to put amquel plus and pothos to the test after 3 weeks and a mere 3 gallon water change a week my nitrates are 20 ppm! as of august 16 2013
i thought for sure they would be higher but there not ammonia is zero nitrite is zero fish are all healthy now i run all normal filteration fluval fx 5 and 1 power filter no carbon at all have not put none in for a year and fish r doing great put of course i will continue to test and update.


yasherkoach
 
Posts: 1306
Joined: Sat Jul 26, 2008 1:24 pm

Re: 22 Months No Water Change

by yasherkoach

markthecat, your tank is balanced (or pretty close to being so). Consistency is the name of the game. If the tank is consistent, that is, as in my case, ammonia, nitrite 0, nitrate 25, temperature 76-80, three feedings per week (twice high quality flake and once frozen brine shrimp and bloodworms), little intrusion into the tank (only to prune algae/plants & top off the evaporated water), no new fish etc into the tank for a good 6 months at least, sunlight & moonlight, constant oxygen from the bubble disks plus a stream-like flow, in this case, in an upwardly manner that the fish will actually swim downward against the current) and a heater to keep the temperature steady, in this case, 76-80 all year round...then in turn the perfect natural ecosystem evolves and preserves itself. I use no chemicals. Nitrobacteria does a lot of the cleaning as well as the trumpet and olive nerite snails.

This type of set-up can be done which is against all so called experts in the field. Of course a hobbyist can't start off this way, but as time goes by, the hobbyist, over several months, will eliminate piece by piece all man made gadgets to only leaving the most basic gadgets in place (in my case, two bubble disks and a heater).

If the fish could talk I am 100% certain each and everyone of them would thank me for helping and maintaining an environment as to mimic their natural habitats.

You'll find in time markthecat that you will need to do less and less to your tank, and the only one thing remaining to do is to observe. Observation is key (of course outside of never overfeeding). I am able to predict what may happen in the tank by simply knowing each and every fish...and what's amazing and funny about it all is, I rely constantly on the nitrobacteria that neither my eye or observation can see, but I know as long as I am consistent in my feeding the nitrobacteria will do its natural jobs, and so all I can say is, respect nature and in turn, unknowingly but innately, nature will respect you.

Thanks for your comments.

Happy Fishing!


clayhead123
 
Posts: 13
Joined: Tue Aug 27, 2013 11:38 pm

Re: 22 Months No Water Change

by clayhead123

Jeez all of you are so smart!


andrecarneiro
 
Posts: 32
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 4:49 pm

Re: 22 Months No Water Change

by andrecarneiro

Nice one! Have you noticed a difference in the growth of your fish?


yasherkoach
 
Posts: 1306
Joined: Sat Jul 26, 2008 1:24 pm

Re: 22 Months No Water Change

by yasherkoach

the fish are all of normal (adult) size...key: robust, healthy and active

thanks for the comments


andrecarneiro
 
Posts: 32
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 4:49 pm

Re: 22 Months No Water Change

by andrecarneiro

Nice one, good stuff


markthecat
 
Posts: 23
Joined: Fri Aug 21, 2009 2:40 am

Re: 22 Months No Water Change

by markthecat

YEP FISH STILL DOING GOOD BY HAVING ALL THOSE PLANTS IN YOUR TANK REALLY HELPS WITH NITRATES AND AMMONIA WISH I COULD PUT PLANTS DIRECTLY IN MINES BUT MY CICHLIDS WILL RIP UP EVEN JAVA FERN SO I FIND GOLDEN POTHOS TO WORK GREAT PUT THEM IN A BOX DRILLED HOLES OR IN POWER FILTER PROVIDE SOME LIGHT AND THEY WILL HELP ABSORB NITRATES BEEN A HOBBIEST FOR OVER 20 YEARS AND YET I CAN STILL LEARN SOMETHING NEW!

22 Months No Water Change

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