thanks for the compliments on my book. Go ahead, I like that!;-))
It has now been published in Czechia. Didn4t know it ran out in the U.S. but
saw at my annual check that only 26 had been sold. Must have been the last.
For the water changes: principially for a beginner or not routinized keeper
I would not recommend it as they might run into problems. In many books the
remarks upon nitrit-poisoning are given with good reason. If one changes
water which is "old" (= polluted with nitrate, phosphate, other metabolism
products not messurable) a partial water change of about 50 % may causa a
rapid rise of the pH and in consequence a change from nitrate to nitrite
which is enormously more dangerous. Nitrate is a metabolism blocking
substance, when reduced to nitrite the present concentrations after the
water change can be enough to jump the hurdle of lethality.
I mostly use pure rain water or for some tanks tab water, nothing special.
When changing FREQUENTLY large amounts there won4t be amounts of nitrate,
and not by far any nitrite, to get changed its molecular structure to
nitrite. So, what should happen? Nothing. And after a 100 % (or 90, 80, 70)
change there is only the "dirt" in the ground , and filter to affect the
fish. Not enough, though nitrite is extremely poisonous. If a pump-filter is
attached to the tank I won4t stop its work for longer than 15-20 minutes.
The Bacteria will stand that and continue working.
I personally don4t rely on Bacteria or other microbiological stuff in a
tank. I rely on clean, fresh, pure water. Most of our aquarium fish come
from headwaters (real headwaters!), esp. many killis, and the new red tetra
e.g. These fish need fresh, unpolluted water. And what we can messure for
aquaristic purpose is not more than a very small part of the spectrum.
For community tanks with all the stuff (gravel, plants, roots, decorations,
filter media etc.) are different from my little decorated
breeding/maintenance tanks (few plants, little peat). But with my community
tanks I do the same, but regularly. After 6 or 8 weeks I wouldn4t do as
usual fro my but rather change a smaller part (25%) and repeat that twice a
week to come back into thr rhythm.
But this is my philosophy and works for me. OK, over 30 years now, but that
won4t mean much.
kind regards,
Steffen
> Von: Mysteryman <bestfish_at_alaweb.com>
> Antworten an: nanfa_at_aquaria.net
> Datum: Tue, 22 Apr 2003 11:26:41 -0700
> An: nanfa_at_aquaria.net
> Betreff: Re: NANFA-- RE: diseased sunfish
>
> unclescott wrote:
>>
>>> I usually change 100 % in breeding tanks or species tanks (mostly killis)
>> every week. With young fishes I do this 2 to 7 times a week depending on
>> species and size. My philosophie is that fish are the healthier the more
>> frequent water changes they get (with some limited exceptions for highly
>> specialized fish from not-running biotopes).
>>
>> Hello Steffen!
>>
>> When I hear of someone making 100% water changes my thoughts range from
>> admiration to jealousy to a little bit of apprehension. The first two
>> emotions are my problem, but I've a question pertaining to the third.
>>
>> In the tanks in which you change 100% of the water, do you have filtration
>> and/ or gravel and plants which would hold most of the beneficial
bacteria?
>> I recall reading somewhere that most such bacteria actually does not
reside
>> in the water, but on tank sides and presumably upon any other physical
>> structure. On the other hand, there was a fish care book written some time
>> back which warned that large water changes (presumably in bare tanks)
might
>> actually reverse the nitrogen cycle.
>>
>> I would assume that frequent massive changes from the same water supply
>> would not allow the water's chemistry to change so significantly as to
shock
>> the tank's residents. I've just never had the nerve and the time/
resources
>> to maintain such a regimen.
>>
>> By the way, a number of killinuts were dismayed some time back to discover
>> that your killie book issued by Barron's was no longer being printed. It
was
>> terrifically handy to pack an extra copy or two and when a person new to
>> killies would repeat the magic question, "Do you know where I could get a
>> good introduction to killies?" to pop a copy of "Killifish; A Complete Pet
>> Owner's Manual" out of a brief case or fish box and present it to them. :)
>>
>> All the best!
>>
>> Scott
>> /"Unless stated otherwise, comments made on this list do not necessarily
>> / reflect the beliefs or goals of the North American Native Fishes
>> / Association"
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http://www.nanfa.org
> The trick to 100% water changes is doing it often. That way, as you
> surmised, the water chemistry remains largely the same. The bacteria of
> course live in the filter and on all the surfaces in the tank, so
> changing the water doen't really affect them.
-
> /"Unless stated otherwise, comments made on this list do not necessarily
> / reflect the beliefs or goals of the North American Native Fishes
> / Association"
> / This is the discussion list of the North American Native Fishes
Association
> / nanfa_at_aquaria.net. To subscribe, unsubscribe, or get help, send the word
> / subscribe, unsubscribe, or help in the body (not subject) of an email to
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http://www.nanfa.org
/-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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/ reflect the beliefs or goals of the North American Native Fishes
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/ subscribe, unsubscribe, or help in the body (not subject) of an email to
/ nanfa-request_at_aquaria.net. For a digest version, send the command to
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/ For more information about NANFA, visit our web page, http://www.nanfa.org