Water quality in aquariums?

Question

I have asked this question before; but people don't seems to get what I mean so I'll try to ask it differently. In a fish aquarium isn't the water quality all about nitrate; ammonia; pH levels etc? Hypothetically even if there is a lot of waste but all levels are fine aren't the fish fine? Isn't it all about levels?

Venice hypothetically means lets just pretend. Also there are neutralizers on the market.

I agree with they need an ecosystem; thats kind of my question. Even if your water appears dirty as long as the levels are fine the fish are fine; correct?

Cleaning the water to much will destroy natural bacteria; so as long as the levels are fine; the tank and fish are fine?

Almost what I'm looking for Donna. If all levels are fine; and a water change hasn't been done in 6 months; the tank is fine; right?

yes venice; but if nitrate/nitrite are in adequate levels the tanks fine; right?

Guppy guy thank you. That's all I wanted to know; very simple answer to simple question. More answers like Guppy Guy's edit would be appreciated agreeing or disagreeing with him

Also guppy guy you bring up a good point in that example; waste is still present but the levels would be fine. I guess the person with 6 neons has achieved what 99.9% of other fish keepers couldn't

Answer 1

As well as it is about keeping ammonia nitrite at 0 and nitrate between 0-20, Obvously if there is alot of waste in the tank its going to turn the tank water dirty, Ammonia is fish waste so if all the fish waste is lieing in the gravel the ammonia is not going to be at 0, Fish waste is ammonia and is posioins to the fish can can be leathal, To lower ammonia you need to do water changes, Ammonia converts to nitritre. Keeping an aquarium is also about maintaing an eco system, Not just about fish, Cleaning the water too much will not destory all the good bacteria, As there is plenty of bacteria on the gravel + lots in the filter, When cleaning your filter you should squeeze them out in tank water (not in the actualy fish tank) and this maintains all the good bacteria.

Yes if the ammonia,nitrite,nitrate are all at correct levels then theres no reason why there should be anythiing rong with the fish.

You could set up a 600 gallon tank and put 6 neon tetra in it and not do a water change for months.

Get what im trying to say?

~ GG

Answer 2

I get what you're asking, but the answer to your hypothetical question would still have to be "maybe" at best, depending on the situation.

In the case of a few fish in a well-cycled tank with enough plants to remove the nitrate (or at least keep it at a level tolerable for the fish) it MIGHT be possible to go for a much longer length of time between water changes, but not forever. But to give a definite "yes" there are a number of assumptions you'd have to make, and this is where any problems will occur in any situation other than a hypothetical one.

Mainly, you have to assume that only ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and pH (or whatever parameters you're measuring) are the only chemicals present that affect the fish, and this isn't the case. These are just the parameters that are suggested for measurement because these are the ones that are most likely to have an early negative affect on the fish in most peoples' tanks.

Fish produce more than just ammonia in their wastes. But it's usually ammonia (or one of the later products that result from it) that are in high enough concentration to harm your fish. Since the other compounds are present in lower concentrations, testing for these is not usually easily (or commonly) done (or necessary) since if the nitrogenous waste products are increasing, the others will be as well. And not all waste compounds will be used by plants as nutrients.

Fish also remove elements from the water necessary for growth and metabolism (calcium, magnesium, chlorine, soduim, phosphorous, sulfur, iron,etc.). If these aren't replaced in the water supplied, you'll need to assume that these are being supplied in sufficient amounts in the food (which would be the only thing you're adding to your tank). However if you don't have a sufficient amount, and one of these elements is something necessary for structure/function, the fish needs to break down existing sources of that mineral within their own body to supply it. By the time you would notice this, some physical damage (such as scoliosis, or curvature of the spine) might have already take place, and this is irreversible.

And there are compounds produced by some fish themselves, such as growth regulating hormones, toxins, pheremones, and others (what/if any of these are produced will depend on what species of fish you keep as well). I'll just use the growth regulators here as an example. The purpose of this is to slow growth in overcrowded conditions (as determined by concentration of the hormones in the water from buildup by too many fish or not being diluted by incoming water). To prevent continued growth (leading to maturation and more reproduction by the fish) and reduce competition for food (bigger fish = more food eaten per fish) when the hormone builds to a high enough level, fish growth is stunted and reproduction capability is limited, except possibly by a few larger individuals that mature before the effects take place. This is one of the reasons frequent water changes should be done for fry (in addition to their needing more frequent feedings).

So while it may seem that your tank is "okay" because you don't have measurable ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, etc., all it means is that you don't have a problem caused by those specific parameters. There are many others that could be causing some harm, but have effects that may not be as noticeable as death with a few days. And you probably aren't testing for these.

That's not to say that harmful substances can't be added by doing water changes. In the US, even a small amount of arsenic is permitted in public drinking water (although the amount permitted is measured in parts per billion, or ppb). But if you only top off the water in the tank, you're constantly increasing the concentration of any harmful substance that doesn't evaporate along with the water. By doing a water change, you're at least removing some of these types of chemicals as well as replacing them.

Answer 3

the water might be fine without doing a cleaning for 6 months, but I wouldn't recommend it at all

you're suppose to do weekly partial waterchanges of 25%with a gravelsiphon
That's not overcleaning
overcleaning is when you clean the tank complete or do more waterchanges then recommended
you're also suppose to replace the carbon cartridge every 4-6 weeks

with all the waste on the bottom you will ensure that you get either an ammonia spike, algae growth, fungus building on your gravel as well your fish getting sick


hope that helps
Good luck


EB

Answer 4

Techinically speaking, it is a little bit more then just maintaining your water chemistry, but that is the bulk of your focus. Once the nitrogen cycle is completed, you should not have issues with ammonia and nitrite in your water. I'm unclear to where 20 ppm on nitrates come into play, every article I've read and all testers indicate action required at 40 ppm, but it wouldn't hurt anything taking action when it reaches 20 either.

There are always trace minerals in your water, such as calcium, magnesium, phosphate and sodium that all play factors into your overall water chemistry as well. Of concern when it comes to water chemistry, I feel phosphate is something you really want to be aware of as in addition to sunlight and nitrate, that is a major fuel source for algea.

Waste in itself is NOT ammonia, it begins to break down into that initially and bacteria through and oxidation process begins it's conversions. However, that does not physically remove the waste which your water changes perform. Excess waste and food rotting in tanks are a haven for unwanted diseases and parasites to thrive, hence why you see hospitals sterilize everything, because a clean sterile enviroment does not all unwanted pathogens to even get started.

If you have further needs or wish to discuss in depth, feel free to email me anytime via my profile.

JV

Answer 5

Ammonia should be 0, Nitrites should be 0, and Nitrates should be under 20 ppm. If you keep up on tank maintenance and water changes, remove uneaten food, dead fish, rotting plants, then those numbers will stay that way. If you start to slack on your tank maintenance then the numbers will tell you. Make sure that you are using a good liquid test kit, not test strips (which are pretty much worthless).

Answer 6

Yes, it is all about whether the ammonia, nitrites and nitrates read as 0 ppm, but it is almost contradictory that the levels can be fine if there is a large amount of waste. Waste creates ammonia. If you leave it in the aquarium, your aquarium will have ammonia. This is a virtually irrefutable conclusory deduction. But, if you can honestly say that you can achieve perfect water quality with high levels of waste, then you’ve achieved something 99.9% of fishkeepers have not.

EDIT: Okay, I'm sorry. Hypothetically, if a person can honestly say that they can achieve perfect water quality with high levels of waste, then they've achieved something 99.9% of fishkeepers have not. But, as was answered and advised in your last question, detoxifiers do not neutralize ammonia. They only convert it to less deadly forms of nitrites and nitrates, which still need to be dealt with and reduced to 0 ppm.

I'm sorry. I truly don't mean to make you angry, but you seem set on your beliefs and it’s fairly clear that you are just going to keep shopping for answers until you get what you want to hear. So, you really just need to proceed on your own path and shouldn’t really care about what others think. I truly do wish you and your fish all the best.