Why water changes?

[Urkevitz]

I am pretty lazy when it comes to water changes and I need some inspiration. I know that 50% water changes helps to reset water parameters and elminate the need for testing.
I just would like to know some of the other benefits. Do water changes promote healthier plant growth? Just trying to get myself pumped up to do weekly water changes.

 

[chubasco]

Re: Why water changes?

Well, for one thing, it makes the tank smell better Try not flushing the
toilet for a week and you'll see what I mean If you use the bucket brigade
method, you will burn some calories....just a few bennies.

Bill

 

[sawallace]

Re: Why water changes?

Do it for the fish!

 

[Wö£fëñxXx]

Re: Why water changes?

I do it for the taste..
Nothing like a big ol mug of warm tank water to start you're day!
Must replinish my stock weekly bi-weekly


P.S. hello Urk, welcome to the forum's!!

 

[aquabillpers]

Re: Why water changes?

The reasons for frequent changing of tank water range from "none" to "your plants will grow better and your life will be easier." It depends on your approach to aquatic plant growing.

If you have a lot of light and fertilize your tank a lot, you will have to do a lot of water testing or make frequent water changes or, as an alternative, you can change half of the water each week. See Tom's "Extimative Index" elsewhere at this site.

If you have a low light, natural aquarium with good plant growth and no extra feeding, a proponent of that approach, Diana Walstad, says that she sometimes go six months without a water change, the plants doing the water cleaning. See her book, "Ecology of the Planted Aquarium."

Hope this helps.

Bill

 

[Tom Barr]

Re: Why water changes?

If you are lazy and admit it, the non CO2 approach might be more to your liking.

I've gone much longer than 6 months.........

Water changes are a tool to be used, some chose not to utilize them, nothing wrong with that, but then they have to do other things.

Water changes are simple, cheap and easy if you set up the WC system and use python or automatic type water changes.

Make WC;s easy on your self if you use them.

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[Tom Wood]

Re: Why water changes?

There's also the theory that water changes replace the 'super-micro' trace elements that aren't provided by some fertilizers. I notice that Flourish has a much longer list of ingredients than CSM+B and was wondering if using it would negate this theoretical need.

TW

 

[Urkevitz]

Re: Why water changes?

There's also the theory that water changes replace the 'super-micro' trace elements that aren't provided by some fertilizers. I notice that Flourish has a much longer list of ingredients than CSM+B and was wondering if using it would negate this theoretical need.

TW

Thats a good point, what about Calcium, I have heard that it is a major nutrient for terrestrial plants, how about aquatics?

 

[defdac]

Re: Why water changes?

There's also the theory that water changes replace the 'super-micro' trace elements that aren't provided by some fertilizers. I notice that Flourish has a much longer list of ingredients than CSM+B and was wondering if using it would negate this theoretical need.

Very cool Tom. This is something I've been thinking about too! I use a micro-fertilizer very much like CSM+B and have seen the list of all the ingredients in Flourish.

I wonder if other fertilizers like CSM+B actually contains a heck of alot more minerals. It must be very hard to make a completely clean mikro-fertilizer that doesn't contain traces of "super-micros"? (good word =)

 

[Tom Barr]

Re: Why water changes?

If you feed the fish, you have super micro nutrients, I think you have them covered

Mo is the smallest.

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[Greg Watson]

Re: Why water changes?

If you feed the fish, you have super micro nutrients, I think you have them covered

Mo is the smallest.

Regards,
Tom Barr

And if we could only get a subscriber named Larry and another subscriber named Curly, we would *really* have our Larry, Curly, and Mo bases covered !!!

For those of you that are going ... HUH????? It just means that I am older than dirt as my grandchildren once said ...

Greg

 

[Paul]

Re: Why water changes?

For those of you that are going ... HUH????? It just means that I am older than dirt as my grandchildren once said ...

Greg

could be....

 

[chubasco]

Re: Why water changes?

could be....

What's this about being old?

Bill

 

[Paul]

Re: Why water changes?

What's this about being old?

Bill

nothing at all, I just loved the smilie!!

just wish I was young enough to know what Gregs on about, dont think being in the uk helps....

 

[Tom Barr]

Re: Why water changes?

I once called a fellow aquarist in a joking manner a stooge, I got poo pooed long time. Humor can cause some lost ends.......3 stooges are a cult thing and almost a religion here, old, but the best humor.

I think I worked with them once doing aquarium maintenance, well it sure seemed that way.

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[Tom Barr]

Re: Why water changes?

Here's some math based on the water changes:
It will show mathmatically that the maximum amount based on 50% weekly changes: 2x the dosed amount.

Regards,
Tom Barr

"After reading Liz's email: http://fins.actwin.com/aquatic-plants/month.200501/msg00416.html (or see below), I started to wipe off some dust off my calculus book and made some simple plots.

But it seems like I always get convergence for all %'s of water changes (90 % and 10% and even 1%). So maybe somebody can point out if there is anything wrong with the calculations below.

First thing is I used Liz's series and generelize it in:
___
\ -n
/__ a r = a/(1-r), this will become divergent (has no maximum) if r>=1
limit n-> infinity

Which is called Geometric series. The "a" is the concentration (or X, the amount you dose your aquarium weekly as in Liz's mail, for now we go with Liz's definition, it doesn't matter what it is because it's only a constant) and "r" is "1-%waterchange" which is always

 

[Greg Watson]

Re: Why water changes?

For those of you that are going ... HUH????? It just means that I am older than dirt as my grandchildren once said ...

could be....

One of the great things about being an Old Man is that you can get away with doing neat old man things ...

We now have a new smilie gw) added to the boards ... to you can add an old man smilie to your message by clicking on the picture or by typing a colon followed by gw in your message !!!

Greg

 

[Paul]

Re: Why water changes?

:gw the man knows the best...