Why Are Water Changes Necessary?

[ronald sherman]

now after reading every single post as I spend on average daily reading this forum, 2-3 hour's daily. I started with discus over 2 year's ago first reading this forum daily for 3-4 month's before starting my first discus tank, btw before this point I have had tropical fish my whole life include 3 tank's the biggest being 90 gallon. but not being discus the normal care is laughable. anyway I did the most important correct thing and that was ordering them from 1 of the sponcer btw over 2 yr's latter 7 of those 8 are still alive and I found that after 6 month's or more of having them and seeing different member's discus it changed my goal's from what I thought I'd be happy with too wanting higher and higher quality now I have 3 discus tank's and have changed my standare from the 2-3 times a week when I started too every other day when I was in the hobby about a yr and started my second tank getting small fry from a member who was breeding 2 pr 8 discus that I bought for the second tank were all 2-2.5 in top's not that I'm complainting I was tankful getting such quality discus fry at a very good price I can honest say 80% of my discus are around 6 in the second batch 2 are a good 6.5 in and I'm sure that would not be the case if I didn't change my care now for the first time I have a pr that has breed and I started changing the tank water 2 daily and with them being only 10 day's free swimming they already are eating other food and today for the first time I'm amazed that they are less than half the time now attached too the parent where up too yesterday was 100% I'm amazed at there growth in the last 3 day's today they are started too form the shape of discus

[cameron]

Thank you for taking your time to read the posts ronald.


And I feel like you guys are getting a bad opinion here with me saying I'm trying to do as few water changes as necessary. Let me try and put this different because I don't want all of you guys to dislike me. I do not like water changes. If some of you do that's fine but I would much prefer to spend my time watching the fish and if I want to interact feeding by hand. Therefore my goal is to try and do as few water changes as necessary, key word necessary. I want to minimize work but that doesn't mean that if the Discus will stay barely alive and stunted with a water change every two weeks I'll do a water change every two weeks. I want to do the minimum to allow them to grow to adult size and stay healthy. If that is 5 60% water changes a week than that's what I will do. Just saying this to clarify things.

[afriend]

Rick,

Thanks for this thoughtful and respectful answer. Just another observation. If most new sd members are not breeders, but instead have a single display tank in family room in the home, wouldn't breeders and sellers sell more fish if they could offer options in tank maintenance that get "similar" results, but don't require the kind of "daily" work that most breeders are used to? Clearly 100% daily wc with heavy feeding is best. But I would guess a good many hobbiests would be willing to invest a little more money in tanks and filtration systems and a little less time in water changes. Again, I'm not debating which is "better". I'm just saying breeders could potentially sell more fish if people had less labor intensive means to care for them and still get healthy 6" fish. Maybe if breeders could present both case scenarios to potential buyers, more people would enjoy the hobby. Some speak in absolutes, as if you don't have a setup like a breeder's fishroom, and carry out daily 50% wc you may as well not bother with discus. I think that is an unnecessary extreme to go to.

And BTW- anyone who has not tried other methods should not comment on whether they work or not.

OC Discus,

I agree completely. Everyone has different goals and objectives. I for one would very much like to have the biggest most beautiful fish, but I'm unwilling to expend the effort and set up the type of tank that will accomplish this. Instead, my interest is along the lines of having a display tank containing lots of decorative items and thus presenting a focal point of interest in my family room containing a number of healthy adult discus. Since I have numerous other interests that occupy my time as well, I have put in place automated systems that greatly reduce the amount of maintenance required to keep a high standard of water quality. This might not result in show quality fish, and that's OK with me.

Paul

[afriend]

Thank you for taking your time to read the posts ronald.


And I feel like you guys are getting a bad opinion here with me saying I'm trying to do as few water changes as necessary. Let me try and put this different because I don't want all of you guys to dislike me. I do not like water changes. If some of you do that's fine but I would much prefer to spend my time watching the fish and if I want to interact feeding by hand. Therefore my goal is to try and do as few water changes as necessary, key word necessary. I want to minimize work but that doesn't mean that if the Discus will stay barely alive and stunted with a water change every two weeks I'll do a water change every two weeks. I want to do the minimum to allow them to grow to adult size and stay healthy. If that is 5 60% water changes a week than that's what I will do. Just saying this to clarify things.

cameron,

I understand where you are coming from because I had exactly the same question as you when I first began about 14 years ago. And strangely enough, I got the same sort of response "you need to make large water changes because that's what works". What you are really asking is why are large water changes necessary and how much is enough? I expect that you will get allot of different opinions, so you are going to left with deciding on your own. Don't worry about others disliking you, they just don't get it that you want to know why so that you can make intelligent decisions. I would encourage you to keep it up, and if others get their feathers ruffled a little bit, so be it.

There are other considerations besides water changes when it comes to tank maintenance. These include preparing the water before it is added to the tank, feeding, removing feces and uneaten food, and cleaning algae and filters. And then there is always the question of who is going to do these things when you are away from your home for awhile. So what I'm suggesting is that you study these considerations as well before proceeding. It takes a commitment to keep discus so my advice is to study the situation as much as you can.

Paul

[afriend]

It is kind of like people living in a 3rd world slum. Yes they are alive and if they are the only people that you have ever seen then you might think that is how people are suppose to look.

-john

I sort of like living in a 3rd world slum with other slum people. What's wrong with that?

[John_Nicholson]

I sort of like living in a 3rd world slum with other slum people. What's wrong with that?

Hey be true to yourself buddy.

-john

[afriend]

Ok so now it seems like the main point of water changes is to control DOCs.

And afriend, just a quick question you said the system was less work with Purigen and 30% daily water changes for adult discus - is that over caring - i.e. a lot more than is necessary? Just curious because I wasn't planning on doing 70% water changes 3-4 times a week for younger discus and 30% a day with Purigen seems like a lot more than what I'm doing.

cameron,

I have never raised juvies, only adult discus, so I can't help you there. I have given thought to reducing the 30% daily water exchange with my tank containing adult discus, but I not willing to do it because I don't want to risk the health of my fish. My filtration system dissolves the organic compounds in the feces and causes it to breakup. The organic compounds in the feces is then absorbed by the Purigen, and the balance of the feces is either captured by the mechanical filter, or flushed out by the water exchange. So what I suspect is that the water exchange is still necessary.

Paul