10 water changes in 6 years on a planted tank?

[dragon1974]

Isn't that what they do on Tanked? Setup all these cool tanks but not giving you the background or anything related to fish keeping

[Las Vegas]

Well, I wouldn't want to say, "They're lieing" about the tank and water change statements. This is afterall his store. Look at his setups. They are very clean and professional. Don't just list him as a common LFS. He obviously is very professional looking and his stock is well cared for. I would consider buying from him. But back to the main point, if he has learned how to do what he said, then just keep an open mind and try to understand. Before it was considered a lie to say you can't go a week or a month without cleaning a filter. Now the Hamburgh filtration system says you can go a year without cleaning. I would love to learn how to do what he says he's doing.

[warblad79]

Well, I wouldn't want to say, "They're lieing" about the tank and water change statements. This is afterall his store. Look at his setups. They are very clean and professional. Don't just list him as a common LFS. He obviously is very professional looking and his stock is well cared for. I would consider buying from him. But back to the main point, if he has learned how to do what he said, then just keep an open mind and try to understand. Before it was considered a lie to say you can't go a week or a month without cleaning a filter. Now the Hamburgh filtration system says you can go a year without cleaning. I would love to learn how to do what he says he's doing.

I have not clean my canister filter for over 4 months now but I do 100% water change per day. so it's possible not to clean your filter for 6 months without issue but it would be totally BS without cleaning filter and no water change for 6 months.

[mee]

I have not clean my canister filter for over 4 months now but I do 100% water change per day. so it's possible not to clean your filter for 6 months without issue but it would be totally BS without cleaning filter and no water change for 6 months.

Think you meant 6 years. I am sweden regarding the validity of the video, but... there does come a point where a biological system can become self cleaning. The earth is a prime example (or used to be before we started messing with it). Much of the earth is a giant filter system, both biolgical and mechanical, and it is what we are trying to mimic with our filtration and water changes.

[Las Vegas]

Now, remember, the guy in the vid did not say he hasn't changed water. He said he's done 6 or 10 water changes in the last 6 or 10 years. Something like that. So he has done water changes. I would be very happy if I could get away with 1 or 2 water changes a month. I suspect the guy in the vid meant to say a water change exchange "year" with week. But then somebody else confirmed that an employee said that they have never seen anybody clean or change the water..... so hmmm?

[mee]

Just to be clear I was not advocating not doing water changes, or what this guy claims to be doing, as he also clearly seems to be saying.. He obviously is trying to ride a fine line between selling his discus and letting people know to grow them you need lots of big water changes..

[ericNH]

I've seen this video before and I don't think he's lying. But I still do my water changes - when I skip water changes my discus get spots on their tails, and I am in a constant battle with algae.

Right now my discus are very happy and healthy, they eat like pigs, and they swim right up to the front of the tank when I approach. They even try to wriggle under my fingers and nip my knuckles when I am putting Al's fdbw cubes against the tank wall. And they're growing thicker. In short, water changes work and have given me a level of success that I am not going to mess around with.

[Las Vegas]

I watched his vids a couple of times again. He is very clear on what he is saying about the water change on that "show tank" and his "breeder tanks". He does say for the show tank that he can go this long on the water change due to the quality of his filtration/sump/uv system. I personally want to figure this combination out so I could reduce my water changes safely. I believe him. I will try to copy his set up.

[reaperkeeper]

Do videos of this type set people up for failure, or do people who see these videos, who have no experience in the hobby, bite off more than can chew or take on more work than they thought? Its a tuff one for sure, but I don't think its entirely the video production that is at fault. I think people don't realize how much work it really is, I think people, generally, get excited and want the end product without the work. They don't research enough to have a full understanding. I think its called impulse buying. Face it, money rules the world, some people (not all people) will do anything for more money.
Now you have to add all the different opinions, mix thoroughly, add some drama.......and WALA!
Who is really at fault..........
Does it even matter?
Life is precious - all life, protect who and what YOU can control, pray for who and what you cant and don't let it ruin your life.

So I feel like I now have to explain that last part because I know some people will take it wrong.
I regards to Discus, like it has been said, educate people however you can, do any of you go to your LFS and ask the owner if you can hang up a advertisement for this forum? That is in your control.
Some one starts a tank in CA and you live in MI, the new person fails in CA and you hear about it from another forum member, could you have prevented the failure.....not likely...why worry about it? Wasted energy....

Oh how I wish we lived in a perfect world......

[nofearengineer]

All I have to contribute is my laughter at how bad the miracle mud website is. Such technobabble. I really hate it when people spout scientific terminology when it's obvious they have no real scientific knowledge. Their list of trace elements in the mud is borderline hilarious.

[Pices]

He did say he hydrovacs the gravel, that he only wipes the front of the tank, and that you'd have to do much more frequent water changes at home. I've watched this video at least 10 times and each time I catch something I didn't hear the previous time. I actually bought a Refugium, some miracle mud with the intention of doing less water changes on my 125 gallon after seeing this video. Then I found this site and quickly moved my fish back to their old 75 gallon tank minus the gravel and just a couple Anubis growing on a couple pieces of wood. I'm doing daily or every other day water changes on the 75 gallon and my little precious' are very happy. I'm going to take this slow since that video is pretty much the opposite of this forums recommendations. Good to hear both sides of this. I was feeling like a chump until I heard from those of you who say he's the real deal. I'm thinking of doing my own miracle mud experiment, with more frequent water changes of course and I will post my progress here in a couple months. Getting tired of looking at that 125 gallon with only 2 little fish in it! They are LFS discus that I had planned on replacing anyway, so....why not? Oh if anyone already knows, why not? Do tell!