Water changes

[Scott Wesley]

If all my parameters are good can I skip water changes? I have a 10 gal with 5 neons and 3 guppies (I know “too many fish”) it’s fine. I currently have 11 full size strong and healthy plants in there as well.   I test my ammonia, Gh, kh, ph, o2, o3 every other day. It’s too often, but my hyper fixation won’t allow me to spreed them out. 🤷‍♂️

I also have a sponge filter along with an aqua clear HOB filter. 

[lefty o]

if everything is good, you do not have to change water.

[nabokovfan87]

On 11/5/2023 at 2:29 PM, Scott Wesley said:

If all my parameters are good can I skip water changes? I have a 10 gal with 5 neons and 3 guppies (I know “too many fish”) it’s fine. I currently have 11 full size strong and healthy plants in there as well.   I test my ammonia, Gh, kh, ph, o2, o3 every other day. It’s too often, but my hyper fixation won’t allow me to spreed them out. 🤷‍♂️

I also have a sponge filter along with an aqua clear HOB filter. 

It's an interesting question and ultimately there are varied mindsets on the topic. 

One of the big things to keep in mind is that things build up in the water over time.  This could be things you cannot test for.  It could be as minimal as something that causes algae or fish breeding, but it could also be more serious things that build up over time.  This buildup is called Old Tank Syndrome.
 

Because of things like that I would say that you can extend out the time between water changes, but doing them can be important in the long term health of the aquarium and it's inhabitants.

Here is a very level headed discussion on the topic that may give you some perspective from one hobbyist.  The main section of the conversation happens about halfway through, but it's all related to the topic.
 

 

[tolstoy21]

From time to time, you might want to routinely gravel vac out detritus if it's collecting (poop, uneaten food, decaying plant matter if you have live plants), even if your params look good. 10 gallons is not a large volume of water, so your params can change quickly if you have a build up of organics.

Edited November 6, 2023 by tolstoy21

[Galabar]

On 11/5/2023 at 2:29 PM, Scott Wesley said:

If all my parameters are good can I skip water changes? I have a 10 gal with 5 neons and 3 guppies (I know “too many fish”) it’s fine. I currently have 11 full size strong and healthy plants in there as well.   I test my ammonia, Gh, kh, ph, o2, o3 every other day. It’s too often, but my hyper fixation won’t allow me to spreed them out. 🤷‍♂️

I also have a sponge filter along with an aqua clear HOB filter. 

No, you probably need to do water changes.  If you are adding fertilizer, not all of the components in the fertilizer are going to be consumed at the same rate.  This will lead to some of those components possibly getting to a dangerous level.  For example, if your fertilizer has copper, that might get pushed to a high level if it isn't being consumed and you aren't doing water changes.

Anything else you put into the tank (mostly food) can have the same thing happen.  Water changes make sure that your water chemistry doesn't get too far out of wack (for things that you aren't testing).

I think you can go a long time without water changes until you can't. 😅

 

Edited November 6, 2023 by Galabar

[PineSong]

On 11/5/2023 at 11:39 PM, Galabar said:

No, you probably need to do water changes.  If you are adding fertilizer, not all of the components in the fertilizer are going to be consumed at the same rate.  This will lead to some of those components possibly getting to a dangerous level.  For example, if your fertilizer has copper, that might get pushed to a high level if it isn't being consumed and you aren't doing water changes.

 

Not to hijack this thread, but I wonder if that's what is happening in my tanks. I do water changes but not as often due to never having any nitrates because of plant volume. I have low numbers of snails, and lots of dead snail shells all the time. I would expect more snails than I have. Is there a way to test for copper?

[ange]

On 11/6/2023 at 8:06 AM, PineSong said:

Not to hijack this thread, but I wonder if that's what is happening in my tanks. I do water changes but not as often due to never having any nitrates because of plant volume. I have low numbers of snails, and lots of dead snail shells all the time. I would expect more snails than I have. Is there a way to test for copper?

Are the shells pitted or looking otherwise damaged? It's possible they are experiencing problems due to an acidic pH or low KH. If you rule those out (as they are much more common causes of issues in my experience) API sells a Cu test kit.

[Biotope Biologist]

It is very unlikely that you have a high amount of copper. Fertilizers that provide micronutrients for plants have such a small amount of these metals that it would take quite a while for them to accumulate in the water, even without  water changes. 
 

I advise you check the ingredients of your fertilizers however, micronutrients especially metals are wasted on your water if they are administered at any sort of frequency. Humans also need things like cobalt and manganese to survive, but in such small amounts that it is extremely rare to have deficiency in them. Copper is used as a transport ion in plant roots I believe, but it is not required in large amounts.

 

I digress, there are many hobbyists who have been successful in maintaining a water change-less system for decades. It can be done as long as all waste is properly recycled. As for your stocking, I would go ahead and do water changes on a schedule. Despite being classified as beginner fish neons are sensitive to poor water quality and guppies can be finicky if the water becomes depleted in needed ions. Measured by your gh and kh.