Hello Charles,
Thank you so very much for for candidness, especially as related to the
topic at hand, but also in detailing the ongoing maintenance methods you've
been employing in your hobby for these 50+ years as it gives us some insight to
your fish keeping experiences. Not quite as good as actually being in your
fishroom, but at least a step closer to it.
Immensely enjoying your input here, and starting the return discussion of
equating a 25% water change every two days near to what West African
Killifish would enjoy in their wild stream environments, I would have to completely
agree with this comparison even if this flow were nearer the headwaters
where faster flows have not yet accumulated. Keeping this in mind, I need to
remind the readers here that a nitrogen cycle needn't be established in nature
to promote the welfare of its fishes when constant water is continually
flowing past them -- and when (and only when) this much water is constantly
changed in the aquarium, a nitrogen cycle really isn't needed in the enclosed
environment (aquarium) either, provided large enough water changes are done
frequently enough to eliminate the need for the cycle in replacing the
nitrogenous waste removal process.
We'll also note that John's Goldfish require an every other day 25% water
change to clean his water clean, since Goldfish do create much more waste
than many other fishes and since his fish are being kept in a comparatively
smaller tamk than would be more ideal for them.
Addressing the use of filters regarding fish wholesaler's establishments,
these apparatuses are not -- and cannot, because of their manner of use -- be
used as a biological filter simply because their required frequency of
complete cleaning (with new media) every week, with the new weekly imports of
fishes set up in freshly cleaned tanks every week to accomodate these new
fish, never allows for the time necessary to establish nitrobacter colonies.
These wholesalers' filters are used primarily as both mechanical filters and
as oxygenators in turning over the water surface as they equalize the tanks'
temperatures in doing so.
This is yet another example of not needing a cycle -- and rightly so -- as
most (or all) of the fish in these tanks are often sold out within the week
in time for the next week's imports to be added to these tanks after
re-cleaning and set up with new water again. In the seven days' time most of these
fishes remain in these tanks, the ammonia never even gets the chance to
spike. Any left-over fishes are transferred to these newly set up tank, of the
same newly imported species, after the temperature comes up -- provided
they still remain healthy. There's absolutely nothing wrong with this, and
it's the only practical way that new fish can be added to these tanks and
turned over for sale every week. Having had a fish store myself and later,
being in partners in a wholesale establishment, I know full well of what's
needed to prepare tanks weekly for fresh shipments of fish every week. However,
this scenario is far removed from the home aquarium that is set up for
long-term where a nitrogen cycle is relied upon by most aquarists as part of
maintaining their fishes.
Having nearly 66 years (come June) of fish keeping experience myself (and
after having a tropical fish store and being a wholesale
importer/distributer) and still presently maintaining a hatchery of 90 tanks with over 3200
gallons, I too do exactly the same as you in changing out 80% of the water in my
tanks weekly. With my tanks averaging 40 to 50 gallons each -- also with
numerous 75's and 100's as well as 5's and 10's for my Killifish, and even
many 20 longs, etc. -- I prefer giving my fishes large partial water changes;
it's most often completely doable when keeping one's tank water parameters
(pH and hardness) close to those of one's water source. I'll just remind
others here that large water changes are not always feasible if the tank
water's parameters are allowed to vary too much in between PWC's from those of
their water source.
I do maintain filters for every tank -- and also prefer a sponge filter for
fry -- and yet prefer to keep these and all other filters cycled with as
large of a nitrobacter population the conditions will support under these
conditions, as a back-up method of keeping my ammonia and nitrite down between
these weekly PWC's. For that reason, the filter media are always rinsed in a
container of the same unchlorinated private well water I use for my fishes
and never under my chloramine-loaded tap water -- even though I'm relying
mostly on large partial water changes to rid the tanks of organic wastes, and
you could say I don't even need a cycle either, but I prefer to maintain
them as large as they'll develop under the conditions even if reduced from some
lack of ammonia from what would otherwise accumulate with smaller water
changes.
Most often, with fry tanks, I wouldn't even use a filter until after 3 or 4
weeks, just because of the reason a sponge filter can still trap them.
Instead, I just change out water regularly in them to remove any contaminants
-- but use only hand-held 1/2" syphon hose to assure not removing any fry.
Extremely young fry just cannot excrete enough ammonia in a 20 gallon long
-- where I start them off -- in the one week's time between PWC's to even
make a dent; the food needs to be properly controlled though, as excess dead
BBS will raise the ammonia and needs to be vacuumed off the bottom if seen.
One of the main things in rearing fry is not to allow any build up of
grow-inhibiting hormones, though.
I can understand your maintenance methods and can agree with them, in the
way you continue your weekly schedule -- probably even being quite similar to
mine. The major difference in all of this where it 's associated with this
group, is that many hobbyists here maintain just one larger aquarium and/or
possibly a very few other aquaria with which they change out no more than
perhaps 25% of the water weekly, or maybe 33% at the most -- with many
changing out only 10% or 15% (just what's needed to keep their nitrate down so
that it never accumulates over 40 ppm). For this, they definitely need a cycle
as they fully rely on it in keeping their ammonia and nitrite at zero --
and they shouldn't risk the possiblitly of killing any nitrobacters off, when
it's not needed to take this risk (imagined by some, or not). Many, many
thanks again for your input. I fully enjoyed learning your particular methods
and experiences. In closing, I'll just say that what works for us, and
that may include John, doesn't necessarily work for the majority here. Live
plants can also replace some of the PWCing needs, or the complete reliance on
the cycle in removing the contaminants, but not everyone includes large
growths of live plants either.
Ray
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