Is water change free tank possible

[Chiclid addict]

I was wondering if it is possible to have a tank that never has to have a water change and if bettas and shrimp would be ok in this 

[H.K.Luterman]

It's possible. You might enjoy this tour Cory did:
 

 

Tanks that run with only top offs need lots and lots of plants. Look into Walstad tanks. 

[Jungle Fan]

If that's what your goal is don't overstock, add lots of plants and floaters that get as much CO2 as they like out of the air and can consume lots of nutrients, and set up with good soil and a great filtration system and keep it alive; take a look at @Streetwise's tanks.

[Jungle Fan]

Looking good! I bet your betta loves it.

[FishyJames]

I had a medium stocked heavily planted 55 gallon that had only top offs over a year.  I finally did a water change just because...  

[MJV Aquatics]

It never fails that from time to time someone questions water changes. Now a deep substrate that contains an advanced bio-filter and loads of plants, especially fast growing floating plants, without a doubt aids in purifying water.

But if we take our cues from nature we realize that fresh water is constantly renewed by rains and snow melt. I've stood in amazement at the volume of water flowing over Niagara Falls that flows between the great lakes 24/7, 365 days a year. Or the Amazon river with a flow so great that fresh water can be collected 12 miles out at sea!

So why do we want to cheat our little glass boxes out of routine fresh water as if we were the rain? With some thought and preparation it's not that hard and doesn't take that long...even if/when we have deep sand and lots of plants. So why not do routine partial water changes to ensure your finned pets have the highest quality water. After all, unlike the incorrect saying for filtration, there IS no such thing as too much fresh water!!! 🙂

Edited March 4, 2021 by MJV Aquatics

[TheNerdyFish]

its all about balance  i mean i've had planted tanks that went years with out a water changes only filled up when low  but also have tanks i have to do water changes on weekly the smaller the tank  usually the harder it is because things tend to go bad a lot faster so you have  less time to notice an issue... as far as bettas and shrimp go it really depends on the fish some betta wont eat that many some will eat all of them but dont expect to breed lots of shrimp with a betta in the tank they will for sure pray on babies if you are new to aquariums id def get into the habit of doin water changes its good to get in the habit of it 

[Will Billy]

Ah! The feverish dream of any aquarist. To establish a 100% completely self sustaining ecosystem that cleans and maintains itself indefinitely. A lofty yet noble pursuit, and quite necessary research should we wish to colonize Mars. It is possible to create a virtually self sustaining, balanced ecosystem, through Walstad techniques and newer high tech equipment, or combination there of. I find the study of a no water change tank quite the humbling experience. What would take us planning, technique, knowledge, equipment, and effort to accomplish what mother nature has done for millions of years, puts in perspective how amazing our very own fish bowl (planet Earth) is. 

[Chiclid addict]

15 hours ago, MJV Aquatics said:

It never fails that from time to time someone questions water changes. Now a deep substrate that contains an advanced bio-filter and loads of plants, especially fast growing floating plants, without a doubt aids in purifying water.

But if we take our cues from nature we realize that fresh water is constantly renewed by rains and snow melt. I've stood in amazement at the volume of water flowing over Niagara Falls that flows between the great lakes 24/7, 365 days a year. Or the Amazon river with a flow so great that fresh water can be collected 12 miles out at sea!

So why do we want to cheat our little glass boxes out of routine fresh water as if we were the rain? With some thought and preparation it's not that hard and doesn't take that long...even if/when we have deep sand and lots of plants. So why not do routine partial water changes to ensure your finned pets have the highest quality water. After all, unlike the incorrect saying for filtration, there IS no such thing as too much fresh water!!! 🙂

I total agree with this but my only question is  in a truly natural environment with no dams and no human interaction with nature they don’t lose any water except for evaporation witch is the same in fish tanks and that rain or whatever else is just topping it off

[MJV Aquatics]

16 minutes ago, Angelfishlover said:

I total agree with this but my only question is  in a truly natural environment with no dams and no human interaction with nature they don’t lose any water except for evaporation witch is the same in fish tanks and that rain or whatever else is just topping it off

There are many places where fresh water goes stagnant and often times dries up altogether and whatever was in them is lost. But I think we might agree that these are more exceptions than the rule and in waters like that in the tropics, it usually spells doom for fish. ☹️

[morphy1701]

One wonders just how bad the tank would smell even with a truly hardy plant base and good filtration.

[Brandy]

I don't think the goal is to cheat fish or be lazy. I think the goal is stability and balance.

At least that is my goal for some of my tanks. A goal I have not totally acheived, and one that I regularly disrupt with thoughtless actions (see my recent hydra issue, which has totally destabilized my previously nearly balanced tank, all brought on by my helpful addition of too much good food).

But by keeping that goal in mind, I guide my actions to more and more healthy choices for the fish--a stable environment is the goal, and stable is healthy. In some cases frequent water changes are required to maintain that stability, such as overstocked grow out tanks. In my display tanks I strive for more plants than fish, which I find beautiful (but impractical to catch fish from) which incidentally makes those tanks lower maintenance. 

I think this is a possible and acheivable goal. Even an admirable one. The 16 tetras in the 200gallon tank (slight exaggeration) will be living their best life, the tank will be beautiful and plants will thrive...it may need maintenance in terms of plant removal and fertilizer addition, instead of water removal.

[Brandy]

@Angelfishlover I think a betta and shrimp could be ideal candidates for this effort as both are low bioload creatures. It will take a while to acheive and you will want your test kit handy, and you will want to be sure you are replacing calcium for the shrimp in some way. If this were my goal, I would start a tank with many plants, at least 10 gallon, and get the shrimp extablished next, with lots of hiding places inaccessible to the betta. Once they were multiplying, then I would add the Betta. I would be diligent in testing parameters and monitoring health. I think it would take me a solid year to get everything well established enough, but I suspect I could do it. I am tempted to try just to demonstrate how fabulous that could be.

Edited March 4, 2021 by Brandy

[FriendlyLoach]

Yep, ocean aquarium is the place to learn from. Lots of plants, deep sand, and top offs. I have not done a water change in like forever!

[Koi]

31 minutes ago, Brandy said:

It will take a while to acheive and you will want your test kit handy, and you will want to be sure you are replacing calcium for the shrimp in some way.

I feel this is one of the most important parts that isn't talked about enough. This issue is often overlooked and becomes more apparent at higher stocking and higher plant mass.

Not to say it's impossible, but I think there are a lot of benefits to change some water every now and again at least to replenish minerals. You might be able to get away with it by adding crushed coral so that when the tank gets too acidic it will dissolve the crushed coral and buffer up your water again. Other than that everybody has valid points and should be kept in mind.

[FriendlyLoach]

To add calcium I recommend egg shells and tums. 

[Brandy]

9 minutes ago, Koi said:

I feel this is one of the most important parts that isn't talked about enough. This issue is often overlooked and becomes more apparent at higher stocking and higher plant mass.

Not to say it's impossible, but I think there are a lot of benefits to change some water every now and again at least to replenish minerals. You might be able to get away with it by adding crushed coral so that when the tank gets too acidic it will dissolve the crushed coral and buffer up your water again. Other than that everybody has valid points and should be kept in mind.

See, this is the thing, I don't have calcium in my water. I don't really seem to have anything in my water. I already have to tinker a lot to get a balanced system, add coral, check pH constantly...This may be why I am pretty convinced this can be done in the first place.

If I had hard water I would have the opposite problem, worrying about building up minerals in my tank thru evaporation, and I would have to choose plants even more carefully, to strip minerals out of my water. 

You do have to watch a lot of things to get it really working. But that is the FUN of it!

[Nana Finopolis]

This is such an interesting topic. I'm not sure I would ever attempt a tank with no water changes only because I love watching my fish after they get fresh water. Usually, they perk up and "play". It also prompts many fish to spawn. Besides, I really enjoy messing with my tanks. If my sleeves don't get wet at least a couple days a week, I'm not having fun. 🐟

[MJV Aquatics]

1 hour ago, Brandy said:

I don't think the goal is to cheat fish or be lazy. I think the goal is stability and balance.

I think stability and balance is best achieved not only with ample plants and an advanced substrate bio-filtration, but ALSO with ample routine partial water changes that emulate rain in nature as it refreshes fresh water. Assuming the source water is good, there's no such thing as too much fresh water.

[Koi]

Don't get me wrong, I completely agree with everything you said @Brandy. I just wanted to emphasize how important your point was. I have a tank that doesn't get water changes( except for when I remove plants and fish). I'm rather lucky that my gh is around the middle at 10 dGH so I don't really see much of the issues on both ends of the spectrum. Unfortunately for me I don't get to see any of my fish or shrimp in my tank. I have to push all the plants to one corner just so I can see 25% of the tank!

The second part was more directed to @Angelfishlover and others. I can tell you don't need those kinds of tips from me!

[Brandy]

Just now, Koi said:

Don't get me wrong, I completely agree with everything you said @Brandy. I just wanted to emphasize how important your point was. I have a tank that doesn't get water changes( except for when I remove plants and fish). I'm rather lucky that my gh is around the middle at 10 dGH so I don't really see much of the issues on both ends of the spectrum. Unfortunately for me I don't get to see any of my fish or shrimp in my tank. I have to push all the plants to one corner just so I can see 25% of the tank!

The second part was more directed to @Angelfishlover and others. I can tell you don't need those kinds of tips from me!

Those tips are always welcome!!

 

I think it is very worth remembering in discussions like this that our water is all different. My water is pH 6.6 or less at the tap, with 0kh and 0gh. I basically have RO water...or rainwater, which actually is where most of our water comes from here. It is "fresh" and "good", but if I put fish directly into it many of them would go into shock.

I tend toward keeping a lot of SA fish, because of this. We all have to work with what we have. If I want to keep something that expects Texas water, it takes many inputs to make my water acceptable, and adding a bunch of my soft water frequently throws that off in a dangerous way. As @MJV Aquatics says, there is no such thing as too much fresh water, assuming the source water is good. But "good" is different things for different fish, and my clean, rainwater sourced water is not the best thing for guppies or african cichlids.

[tolstoy21]

Haven't read this whole thread, but I would imagine, yeah they are theoretically possible. Realistically, however, the tanks most of us usually want to keep tend to require water changes.

And yeah as @MJV Aquatics suggests, nature changes water. Right?

Edited March 4, 2021 by tolstoy21

[Dawn T]

Having a couple of tanks that went years with no water changes, I can assure you - minerals do NOT build up like you would think. I found that out when I finally tested my water. I did top-offs with distilled, which has been stripped of minerals, to avoid mineral buildup, only to find out when I started testing that the water was HIGHLY deficient in those very minerals. They get utilized by the plants, fish, bacteria, and algae in the tank. I've switched to doing top-offs with a blend of distilled and tap water to keep the mineral content stable.