Alternatives to water changes for 1/2 months

[NewFishPerson]

Bit of a bizarre thread, but I need help.

The problem I have is I'm going to be unable to do any water changes for one to two months. The short story is I went in for an operation, suffered complications and now I'm unable to weight bear on my legs. Please understand this is an unusual circumstance for me, I'm not trying to find a way to stop doing water changes entirely, it's just for the period I'm not going to be able to walk and carry buckets of water.

I've looked into a few products that may or may not help me but the setup is as follows: 90L medium planted tank tank, 13x Endler Guppies, 5x Otocinclus, 3x Horned Nerite Snails. I need to deal with nitrates and organics for the down time. I've looked at a few products and wanted to run them past the more experienced here to see what you recommend. First is API Nitra-Zorb: This looks like it will filter Nitrates out of the water and is easily recharged with salt. The second is activated carbon; this should filter out dissolved organics and I plan to change this every week. Last I'm considering either Purigen or Poly-Filter (the chemical filter, not just polyester wadding) I've heard good things about both of these products ability to pull organics out of the water but wonder if it's worth spending on if activated carbon will get the job done cheaper.

If you have any experience of any of these products or have suggestions for better alternatives please let me know!! I can still do simple maintenance like vacuum the substrate or top off water, but large water changes are a little too dangerous for me in my current condition. Again, please know I'm not trying to avoid doing water changes permanently, just for this difficult time.

Thank you.

 

[Byron]

A few years back I was facing the liklihood of a similar situation, so I considered alternatives. Fortunately the surgery was deemed unnecessary in the end, so I was spared that and the fish problems.

There is only one real option, and that is to find a person who is willing to do a water change every week with your supervision. The benefit of a water change is such that it really cannot be achieved no matter the filtration. This is all the more important if you have seen nitrates increase (not sure this is what you intimate). The stated fish load in a 90 liter (23 gallon) is certainly not pushing the limit. But getting someone to change out say 4-5 gallons once a week wold be the ideal option.

Best wishes for the surgery.

Byron.

 

[NewFishPerson]

Whenever my brother comes to visit I'm sure I can coax him into performing a water change. Nitrates are not really rising as the tank is, I get the same reading each time I've tested, I even keep the solution in the test tube to compare and its always the same colour.

I'm going to put carbon in because I doubt it will harm anything and it will at least help a small amount in removing organics if I do have to go a few weeks without changing. I have the carbon anyway as I purchased some when I bought my hang on back filter as an add on purchase.

Thanks