My obligatory Intro post!

[ChasingFish]

 

[ChasingFish]

 

[ChasingFish]

 

[foxgirl158]

Do you have a sorority?? That’s so cool!

 

[ChasingFish]

Okay finally had time to upload some pictures, these above are all from my 75 gal community tank. Just want to mention that this tank was set up before I decided to do deeper substrate, and I haven't added more to it yet, but plan to at some point in the future. I'll add some more of other tanks soon.

 

[ChasingFish]

Do you have a sorority?? That’s so cool!

I have 4 female bettas, I don't know how many qualify as a sorority. But I really like the colorful, koi type markings they have.

 

[ChasingFish]

This is my 50 gal that isn't through cycling yet. Sorry it's cloudy, but not done with set up anyway.

 

[ChasingFish]

 

[ChasingFish]

This last picture just showing how deep the substrate is on this new tank.

 

[Fishboy_Max]

Hmm, the idea of lots of plants and deep substrate definitely helps.
But recently idk who to believe.
I see many people doing no water change tanks and having great success.
On the other side I understand all that was told to me when I asked about it.
If you look at it chemically it makes sense to do water changes, but as I said earlier in practice I have seen success.
However I'm more inclined to believe the people with many many years of experience on this forum.
For now I shall continue to do water changes, because better safe than sorry.
I completely get what you are saying and agree in some parts.
Well, no need for such a long debate for a welcome post, and I love your tanks!!
So, welcome!!!!!!

 

[lnsaneM]

Nice community tank

 

[betta4ever!]

Welcome!
Love your sorority gals.
As for water changes... The tank I've had most success with is my 15 gallon gbr tank. German blue rams are supposed to be a veeery fragile species and require pristine water. The fish are constantly spawning, and they rarely get water changes. Worked for me for over two years!

 

[WetPetMum]

Welcome

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Welcome! I am with you on the deep substrate and lots of plants. My Sumatra tank doesn't even have a filter, just a tiny pump to push things around. I do water changes simply because it makes sense to me. Living things put lots of chemicals into the water besides the big three (nitrate, nitrite, ammonia), chemicals that plants use to inhibit other plants; chemicals that animals use to communicate with each other (there's a name for all those but I can't remember at the moment; just woke up from a nap and the tea hasn't kicked in yet, sorry ). Test kits don't pick that stuff up, but they can build up. What effect that has, if any, probably depends a lot on the exact fish and plants you keep. Water changes are a safety policy against bad things building up into harmful concentrations.

I like keeping my tanks as natural as possible, and I used to think that water changes weren't natural. Then it occurred to me that natural water bodies have a constant influx of new water from springs, snowmelt, rain runoff. Water changes in an aquarium simulate this. Fish tend not to live in stagnant bodies of water, so water changes actually seem more natural.

All that said, I know there are people out there who swear by the no-change method. I'm fairly open minded about it. But I don't really see any reason for it.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Allelochemicals. That's the word I was trying to think of.