Nitrate = 0 / Fish Only

[krisiks]

I was wondering if someone has to change its water if nitrate is always low (For Fish Only Tank). Can someone tell me more about that?
I know that for reef tank, I still need to change water because of the trace elements in water, but what about fish only?
My tank has been setup for 4 month now and I have change water only once after cycle. Every 2 weeks I test for nitrate, and it is still low (Approx. 0).
Hope to hear from you people.
Thanks.
Kr|S

 

[pchromis]

Water changes are always necessary even if one parameter, like nitrates, is low. You can probably get away with changing water every other week, but you need to consider the bio load in the tank. If you have a small number of fish and you don't overfeed, two weeks intervals are fine. But bear in mind your tank is still new and with age and bio load increase, water changes become ever more important.

 

[lion_crazz]

What pchromis forgot to mention is that water parameters really are not the only reason for a water change. Whether you have good levels or not, water changes are also neccessary to replenish the trace elements in your tank. If you do not do water changes, these elements get exhausted and are never replenished for the fish to survive.

 

[mrdc]

Lion,
You beat me to it! I was going to say the same thing about the trace elements.

 

[krisiks]

Thanks for your replies.
OK, I think I will do a water change every 2 weeks.
Thanks for your advise.
Kr|S