Fullofit343

You know it just occured to me. Why bother doing water changes as long as parameters are doing fine. what is the point in doing weekly or bi-weekly water changes rather then just once a month or whatever just to give the fish some new clean water. Obviously this curosity isn't going to stop me from doing regular maintnence because i know it's important, i'm just wondering why.

KyWildFish

Great question, heres some reasons.

Not everything in your tank can be measured. The Nitrates and other pollutants are monitered using test kits and the like but there are other things that build up in the water that you probably arent accounting for. Metal ions in the water slowly build up and are hard to measure without the proper test equipment. Also a whole array of other pollutants that are not a normal concern can become an issue after a while.

There are more than just nitrogen cycle bacteria in your tank that are consuming nutrients and producing byproducts. Many different types of chemcials from acids to bleach like components are produced by these bacteria. It's always good to change the water at least every once in a while, even if your normal pollutants are under control.

agabr123

fresh water also adds oxygen and minerals for your fish, and allows you to do gravel vacuums so that you can remove waste and excess food, which will buildup and cause an ammonia spike if you dont

aquarist48

I think it's a necessity to keep the fish alive. Eventually the tank will go foul, the fish will die and the cycle crash with the tank and stand on side of the road waiting for people like we/us fish lovers to get it and do it right