Tank Water Better Than Tap - Water Changes?

Ok so my tap has detectable ammonia and 40-80ppm nitrates and so I’ve been researching and experimenting with my tanks to get nitrates to become stable and low naturally to reduce need for water changes.I switched all my filtered betta tanks to unfiltered with deep gravel and pothos and now have had 0 ammonia 0nitrite 0-5nitrates on all 4 tanks and stable without water changes. And my goldfish tanks (combination of methods) now have 0,0,0 and 0,0,5 and stable! There is nothing wrong with my test kit.

So now changing water will make my parameters worse. I top up water in my topless tanks daily but how often do I need to change out water if these remain stable ( no aquatic plants). And why? Anyone out there with low maintenance natural tanks with experience on this?

 

If your tap is that high, I suggest calling your water company and asking what the deal is. That’s over reasonable if it’s a constant level.

 

I think the problem is a really old building/ neighborhood with old plumbing and we can’t afford a new system or an ion exchange system at the moment. The city isn’t going to do anything about it. The water at my work where I have several tanks are most affected..but they are doing renovations and new plumbing soon which should help.. I don’t drink the tap water there.

 

Regardless of my tap water how often do I need to do water changes if My nitrates are consistently near zero? Does anyone else do low maintenance tanks out there?

 

I’ve heard that cyanobacteria can become a problem in low nitrate tanks (make their own-as nitrogen fixers) but they can’t fix n in well oxygenated water. That’s why it’s been an issue only in my long established zero nitrate betta tanks (I’m adding low flow bubblers in corners to help.)

 

Regardless of my tap water how often do I need to do water changes if My nitrates are consistently near zero? Does anyone else do low maintenance tanks out there?

Water changes also help replenish lost minerals - used by fish and plants - as well as remove organics.

Likewise, plants appreciate some nitrate in the water, so a water change for you is basically what others would do by adding fertilizers... so you're doing it for free!

 

Regular frequent water changes is the modern way to take care of tanks and balance nitrates and there is nothing wrong with it- it suits some folks who have had success, like the process and/or find it easier. Many on here are militant about it. But it isn’t the only way to successful fish keeping. As a kid (dark ages before water tests and Internet forums) my dad taught me the key to healthy fish was a balanced minI ecosystem. The goal was for most wastes to be recycled by the system. We didn’t know the science of n cycles or have fancy filters but our fish survived and thrived, often decades- After restarting the hobby recently and following current methods I found more stress, work and lower fish survival.. so trying to go back to focus on balancing the minI ecosystem with less oscillating parameters introduced with frequent water changes. But I also want to understand the system to do it even better than the old days. I was just curious what others with natural tanks do once the nitrates stabilize..but maybe this is the wrong forum..

 

Regular frequent water changes is the modern way to take care of tanks and balance nitrates and there is nothing wrong with it- it suits some folks who have had success, like the process and/or find it easier. Many on here are militant about it. But it isn’t the only way to successful fish keeping. As a kid (dark ages before water tests and Internet forums) my dad taught me the key to healthy fish was a balanced minI ecosystem. The goal was for most wastes to be recycled by the system. We didn’t know the science of n cycles or have fancy filters but our fish survived and thrived, often decades- After restarting the hobby recently and following current methods I found more stress, work and lower fish survival.. so trying to go back to focus on balancing the minI ecosystem with less oscillating parameters introduced with frequent water changes. But I also want to understand the system to do it even better than the old days. I was just curious what others with natural tanks do once the nitrates stabilize..but maybe this is the wrong forum..

This. Obviously it's impossible to do with an unplanted betta tank but once you get there, all you do is top off your evaporation, add fish food and the occasional fert, and remove the excess plants so you can sell them to buy more fish food.

 

Thanks for your reply. My betta tanks are full of pothos just not aquatic plants.

 

Also, you can get stable nitrates without plants if your substrate microbiome is optimized. Like marine folks do..I’ve done it

 

I specialize in it, but never with something so small. And never without plants, but I did have to add nitrates so it's definitely possible without plants. The setups I've used are very DIY too and focus on the completion of the nitrogen cycle. The catch is getting enough anaerobic bacteria that doesn't produce H2S or H2SO4, both of which will kill an ecosystem rapidly.

 

I've had water in my system for a year. Fish and plants (herbs and vegetables) for 8 months. No water changes so far. It's a small system; a 20-gallon fish tank plus another six or seven gallons of water in the expanded clay pebble grow bed. About 5 gallons a week is lost to evaporation and plant respiration. If nitrates ever get much above 40 and stay there very long I would do water replacements until I could increase the nitrogen demand from the plants. Hasn't happened yet but it has been close. Will need a larger fish tank and grow beds as the fish grow. It's time to do both now in fact.

Your pothos are rooted in the fish tank but you are doing essentially the same thing I am. Aquaponic folk would call it a deep water culture. There are also needlessly expensive kits you can buy that just have net cups floating in the fish tank with basil or lettuce growing in them.

As far as the high nitrates in your tap water. I would consider using rainwater instead.

 

Thank you. yes- with the amount of terrestrial plants and high growth rates I maintain I guess they are essentially equivalent to aquaponic tanks. With lots of lava rocks on the deep substrate instead of the clay pebbles. Because Goldies are messy I additionally have a sponge filter, an hob filled with floss and pumice and a bubbler under plant roots ..but these tanks have also stabilized (for now- still monitoring daily) <5ppm nitrates!

 

I’ve thought about rainwater but would I then need to supplement with minerals occasionally?