no water changes for 6 months???????

[hitmanhart62089]

I saw a post on one product that said you dont have to do water changes for 6 months with it, but it forgot its name can u help me out?

 

[yvez9]

i don't know
but i know someone here is trying it out i think

I'll see if i can find the post

 

[yvez9]

here ya go
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showto...6%20months&st=0

Tetra EasyBalance

 

[rdd1952]

Even if the water stays in perfect condition for 6 months, how can you possibly go that long without doing a gravel vacuum to clean up the waste (dead plant leave too in planted tanks). I don't really see the point of a product that makes water changes unnecessary. I have to do them to keep the bottom clean.

 

[Tolak]

If that stuff worked the way they say, your lfs would order a barrel every 6 months when they do water changes. Would you buy fish from them if they did that?

Tolak

 

[corbypete]

been using it for over a year, and two water changes later.

IMO it does work, ive never had to gravel vac, and my water is tested weekly before each treatment, the nitrates sometimes rise but fall within 12 hours of application.

As for algae, i have a tank int he conservatory, it filled full of algae so it was thick green within a week when i set it up.... however after easybalance usage i have had no algae, or rather, some aglae int he first two weeks, then none after that at all, it must be the phosphates.

water gets tired after about 4 months, so probably best to make a change around then or if the water, despite being safe, gets too much debris floating in it.

 

[Inchworm]

It's understandable, I guess, what with all the talk about cycling tanks, that people would think that the only important thing about having good water is having ammonia, nitrites and nitrates in balance. This is not true. There's a lot more going on in a tank than that.

In addition to having fish in the tank, you are also growing a lot of bacteria. Some of them are the beneficial bacterias that keep the chemical in check, but there are also harmful ones that grow on dirt and uneaten food and can easily kill your fish if their immune systems weaken. This is true in all tanks, but they are kept in control with regular water changes.

Beside that, I would be concerned about any product that neutralizes nitrites. I hope someone who understands this process would comment further, but it seems to me that if part of the beneficial bacteria consume ammonia and the other ones consume nitrites, wouldn't this mean that part of the normal beneficial bacteria colony is being starved and perhaps no longer exists? If this is the case, it would mean that a tank that has used this product for a while is no longer cycled as we know it. Rather it has become dependent on the product for its chemical balance and if its use were discontinued, the tank would undergo the cycling process again, at least in part.

 

[freddyk]

It does work. It will keep your fish alive. That's not the same as keeping the fish thriving though. It sounds like a pretty lazy way out, like tying a dog to a treadmill.

Don't let any product replace water changes. For one, the tank builds up other elements that it might not take care of. For another, the fish take nutrients from water that needs to be replenished. Even if every possible harmful substance is neutralized, you're still keeping the fish in stale, unclean water.

 

[tetraqueen]

It does work. It will keep your fish alive. That's not the same as keeping the fish thriving though. It sounds like a pretty lazy way out, like tying a dog to a treadmill.

Don't let any product replace water changes. For one, the tank builds up other elements that it might not take care of. For another, the fish take nutrients from water that needs to be replenished. Even if every possible harmful substance is neutralized, you're still keeping the fish in stale, unclean water.

This is going to sound stupid but Why did God make rain if it was not to change the water for the fish.

 

[corbypete]

it also contains trace elements, meaning your putting in goodness aswell for your fish and plants each week, probably more than the cruddy tap water used weekly.
it controls the phos, so no algae,
it controls the nitrates/nitrites/ammonia, so no need for bacteria
it eliminates any 'tank troubles' people get normally, no spikes, no worries.
tests come out cleaner than ever, old trapped food doesnt kill your tankmates.

tank has never been easier to keep going, the fish eat well, piranhas dont eat if theyre not happy.

 

[The-Wolf]

think of it like this
a fizzy pop bottle (once opened) will eventually go flat (loose its' fizz).
you can re-fizz the drink by injecting more co2.

this is what happens to tank water, eventually all the goodness dissipates
by doing regular partial water changes we are putting the "fizz" back into it.

 

[annka5]

I really don't like the idea of the stuff, it just doesn't feel right somehow. BUT, it's really difficult to say what's wrong with the idea. Assuming it keeps nitrates in check, it replaces trace elements, then so what if its not "new" water? After all, the air you and I breathe has been breathed a zillion times before, but its not somehow "used up" as a result.

 

[Inchworm]

This is going to sound stupid but Why did God make rain if it was not to change the water for the fish.

I really like that thought, tetraqueen. I'll think of it when I'm standing outside, in the middle of a downpour, waiting for a bus to come.

 

[corbypete]

think of it like this
a fizzy pop bottle (once opened) will eventually go flat (loose its' fizz).
you can re-fizz the drink by injecting more co2.

this is what happens to tank water, eventually all the goodness dissipates
by doing regular partial water changes we are putting the "fizz" back into it.

Or injecting our CO2/fizz, using easybalance.

You could also use yeast and ferment the water to re-produce the CO2, as one does with real ale, using nature.

Doesnt stop Boddingtons injecting theirs instead of full fermentation techniques for gas.

Two methods, one outcome, differnet quality, but still the same outcome. Some prefer one, others the other, each to their own

 

[prankster705]

I am still sticking to the good old water change... I don't know what is the real problem to do (if you aren't CFC or someone like him...


PS: Inchworm good to have your original user name back...