WaltA wrote:

On Mon, 30 Apr 2007 13:04:19 +0100,(Carol Hague) wrote:
Fish poo breaks down into nitrites, which, if allowed to build up will
eventually kill the fish.

but it will not remain as nitrite (unless you have a badly overstocked
tank and/or bad fitration)
You of course meant to say nitrate which is the final decay product
which is not especially harmful to the fish, in contrast to nitrite.
Nitrate can only (conveniently) be got rid of by water changes, **

Sorry, I'd got it backwards ! I thought it was nitrates turning into
nitrites, but you're right, it's the other way round. They'll be asking
me to hand in my Chemistry O level at this rate :-)


But I agree that water changes can be infrequent but best practice
suggests more often than once in a blue moon.

Alan is right that many fresh water trops can be kept without frequent
water changes, however, in Alan's day not many people were
keeping/breeding for example discus. That is now much more common
(easier) with modern practice.

Alan seems to be saying (if not insisting) that water changes are
completely unnecessary however, which was what I was arguing against.

anyone for going to uk.rec.aquaria.misc ??

We have wandered a bit off topic now, I guess - sorry about that.

--
Carol
"The glassblower's cat is bompstable"
- Dorothy L. Sayers, _Clouds of Witness_