Hi all, I hope this is the correct place to post... Please correct me if not I am new.
If a fish keeper monitors nitrates and keeps them low - either with plants or mAb coated media - it appears from all my reading and other keeper's experience that water changes are still important. I do not doubt this - however, I have not seen an explanation as to what builds up in the water to mean water changes are required to maintain water quality. Can anyone point me to any journals that investigate water quality? perhaps by Mass Spec or Gas Chromatography? I would really like to find out.
I should add context - my aim is not to efficiently increase the size of or breed discuss. Simply to keep my Discus healthy. I am also a microbial physiologist, I understand that the discus are sensitive to bio-burdon, presumably Fish keepers perform water changes to keep this lower too - but has anyone experience of measuring bio-burden? I assume most don't have access (take the time to perform) to spread plate analysis - therefore if people do measure bio-burden how? perhaps by dissolved oxygen (DO)? and if DO is there a hobbyist DO probe? and one last question: is UV exposure effective at reducing bio-burden - bringing me to my original question what is in the water other than nitrates that necessitates frequent WCs?
Please note I am not asking as a means to "get out of changes". I am asking because I have a curiosity for the biological cause and effect.
Thank you all - Dominic
UK Based, Planted tank (at the moment soon to be bare bottomed potted plants), 200L municipal water, 1x Pigeon Blood, 1x blue (hopefully 4 more when tank optimal), 28.8C, pH 7.6-8, Nitrates - about 5ppm, currently weekly water change also not sure whether use carbon (unsure of heavy metals in municipal water - question for another day
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