You may be thinking you can simply siphon out the water, throw some back in, and the job is done. Studies are inconclusive but some evidence suggests this hormone has other harmful effects on even fully grown and already matured fish. Regardless, changing the water regularly removes any doubt so is simply good practice! Why You Must Follow A Set Procedure This leads to internal abnormalities that lead to a premature death. However, there’s some evidence that their bodies are stunted while their internal organs are not. The stunted growth theory is that in overcrowded conditions (a high population in a small pond for example), this hormone emitted by all the fish in the water soon reaches high levels and causes the entire population to have stunted growth. This is a survival mechanism that helps the whole community because if the fish only grow to a smaller size, there’s physically more room for each and they need less food and resources each too. It covers everything about all the seamless tank maintenance practices you could imagine and more! If you are a new or even experienced goldfish owner and feel tired of what seems like endless water changes, you should also check out our best-selling book, The Truth About Goldfish. In goldfish aquariums, there is another important reason to frequently change the water: Because goldfish emit a growth-inhibiting hormone (or pheromone) that is harmful at high levels. Too many Goldfish can result in stunted growth That’s Not All! Image Credit: Keung, Shutterstock The inevitable being that you must still regularly replace the water. So, in summary, yes, a filter does keep your fish safe and delays the inevitable. However, in high enough concentrations, nitrates still do harm and can be only be removed through a water change. This is known as the nitrogen cycle.īoth ammonia and nitrites are poisonous to your beloved fish, and a filter turns these extremely harmful chemicals into far less harmful nitrates. Well, technically, the filter helps and is necessary, but you must still change the water regularly.Ī filter will assist with keeping the chemicals and solid particles in your aquarium water under control – up to a point! However, it’s incapable of completely removing the toxins produced, so they will build up.įish waste turns into ammonia after a short period of time, then bacteria turn the ammonia into other chemicals known as nitrites, yet more bacteria turn the nitrites into nitrates. We know what you’re thinking, but the answer to this question is, unfortunately, no. This process must be repeated at least once a week, and it may need to be done more than once a week if necessary.But Doesn’t a Filter Keep The Fish Safe? Image Credit: mariait, Shutterstock Then refill the tank with clean water to replace the water that you removed.

Add the correct amount of water conditioner before refilling the aquarium. Then stop the hose from removing any more water. Use your water changing hose to drain 50-90% of the water in the tank. These hoses can be bought almost anywhere fish are sold. The best tool any goldfish owner can have is a water changing hose that can be attached to the sink. Fortunately, goldfish are not nearly as sensitive to large water changes as other freshwater fish, and a large water change will not shock goldfish. This means that the water in your goldfish tanks will need to be changed more frequently, and that a larger portion of the water needs to be changed, in comparison to other fish tanks.

Unlike other fish, goldfish produce almost 10 times the amount of ammonia as other fish. If the nitrates are not manually removed they will build up to dangerously toxic levels and poison, or maybe kill, your fish. Over a few days nitrates will begin to build up in the water of your goldfish aquarium or pond. During a water change you will replace a portion of the dirty water.

Goldfish aquarium water change