Being a strict very- frequent- water- change- on- all- my- tanks gal, I am horrified at what my daughter and son in law are doing. They have a 65 gal. tank with a Tilapia who is at least 12" long plus several African cichlids, deep gravel and lots of rocks. They got the Tilapia as a 1" baby from a lfs long ago. They NEVER change the water. Only top off the evaporated water every few weeks or months. The fish are swimming in sewage as far as I can tell. And how on earth did this fish grow so large? The cichlids are all 4-6" and raised in there from babies too. And they feed the fish dry DOG FOOD. Any ideas how this all can work? They don't want or ask for my help or opinion so I keep quiet. And I am a discus keeper so you know my water change routine!
Barb
Does seem rather bazaar??? Nitrates must be through the roof, and ammonia spikes frequent....do they perhaps have a sump?...maybe they change/service that??....plus...'dog food....Hmmmmm
Jon, they wouldn't even know what a sump is. They have a med. size Penquin bio wheel HOB, nothing else. No air pump and airstone, nothing. I can barely stand to look in the tank since I know what the water quality is in there. But it is always clear. The Tilapia is huge!
Barb
Good grief...the original Rid-X users?......wow.....
This reminds me of a friend's situation. She couldn't understand why I did so much with testing water and doing frequent water changes. She told me her husband doesn't do all that stuff and "his fish are fine". She said he only adds water to their tank when it evaporates.Then one day she told me her husband's fish were all dying and they couldn't figure out why. They got away with this for a long time though.
Maybe there are probiotics in the dogfood.
Back in the day, this lead to what was know as "Old Tank Syndrome". When I first started keeping fish, it wasn't uncommon for hobbyist to recommend NOT changing excessive amount of water..... when you got everything just right, you didn't want to disturb the balance. :o
Dennis
"old tank syndrome"....it's very common amongst some fish keeping 'experts'....er hobbyists ;D
I don't know about the other fish but Tilapia are renowned in the aquaculture industry for their tolerance of ammonia levels (and maybe the levels of other nitrogenous compounds).
If they have lots of gravels and rocks (rocks with little holes?) then denitrification could be going on in there.
This would leave the accumulation of built up compounds like minerals and other things that bacteria would not be able to eat to be explained.
Or maybe they do do an occasional water change.
Quote from: BillT on July 15, 2013, 01:05:24 PM
If they have lots of gravels and rocks (rocks with little holes?) then denitrification could be going on in there.
The Bailey brothers have a show where they talk about using lava rock in a denitrification system.....
http://www.petfishtalk.com/shows_special/denitrification/denitrification.htm (http://www.petfishtalk.com/shows_special/denitrification/denitrification.htm)
Dennis
Tilapia can breathe surface air. They can live in very filthy waters. This is why I don't eat them.
Quote from: Frank The Plumber on July 15, 2013, 01:58:04 PM
This is why I don't eat them.
;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
When my sis was married to the hog farmer, some of the things I saw hogs and chickens do and eat was down right disgusting... but I still eat both!
;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
Dennis
I did a survey for a company that was trying to remove the uric acid taste from pork. They gave us samples of several different types to see if we could taste the uric acid. Uric acid is by the way "Pee pee". Which pork tastes least pee pee ish? There was one that tasted very pee peed. These guys were genetically modifying the hogs to hold less uric acid within their bodies. Most hogs go nearly diabetic from the feeds that we use to fatten them quickly, their organs go almost dead from overload. This is why they taste pee pee ish. My sis in law is a hog farmer in S Ill. small scale. In an experiment we feed a group of just regular old hog piglets a diet that was fairly lean and really nutritious. Apples, fruits, nuts, and clean scraps, veggies and forage items. We butchered them and they were sweet with no pee pee taste. Most hogs are fed heavily on food scraps from our industrial food machine. A lot of sugar and a lot of corn sugar scraps. High fat content feed and meal derived from animal by product. Blood guts bones and the like. This causes them to taste like pee pee. Chickens the same. Her chickens eat ants. God is that an awful tasting egg.
When I had chickens they foraged naturally and were fed wholesome whole grains and our leftover fruits and veggies. The store bought eggs we get now are like water and taste bland compared to what we got from our chickens.
That's how these chickens were as well Pauline. They pretty much had the run of the field behind the main house and ate what ever it is that chickens find to eat. The eggs were firm with bright orange yokes... not like the runny things they sell at the grocery.
As for the hogs, they raised all the grain for them on the farm. It was 1200 acres back when farmers were still farmers and not agra-businessmen. We had this big red machine that attached to the tractor and was powered by the PTO. It was loaded with dried corn and a bag of vitamin & mineral supplements and then it was all ground and mixed. The sows with piglets got it mixed with water and the hogs in the fields got it dry in big feeders much like bird feeder where gravity lowered the food as it was consumed from the hopper. Funny how I can remember all this, I was only 6 or 8 years old at the time.
Dennis
Thanks for all the good input here. Last time there was a true water change in this tank was when they moved and the tank was moved, about 40 gal new water was added then. And that was about 5 years ago. It is a mystery to me, but I think Frank has the right idea, Tilapia can breathe air and can live in filthy water. The rocks in the tank are not like lava rock, they are pieces of marble and granite slabs he got from some kitchen supply store.
Barb
Interesting topic, Barb. I guess it comes down to the fact that some animals can live in sewage. I've never eaten Talapia because I heard that itwas a trash fish. Now that I know more, I will never eat one.
I have raised my own beef and pork and had chickens for eggs. I'm too old to bother with that now. It's a lot of work and a good bit of pain when it comes time to take a large mammal to theslaughter house. I have chosen to pussy out and my my meat from the supermarket.
Aquaculture fish tat have a strong flavor due to being raised in crowded, not optimally filtered water will be depurinated before they are sold as food. the process of depurination is basically putting the fish in a pond or tank with good water quality and over a week or two letting the bad tasting chemicals ooze out.
Well done Tilapia is not bad tasting.
I found this thread by visiting where you can see who is looking at what. Just now I saw a "guest" watching this thread and add something to an old thread.
I went to another fish forum and some idiot water expert said that he could keep the water perfect for fish with his method of filtration. Even at that poor excuse for a fish forum he didn't last. Fresh clean stable water is what fish need to do well. I can't deny what I see with my own eyes.
Fish can be tough. Many can keep themselves alive in poor water until they give up the will to live.
The Tilapia is still alive. He is about 12" now. But all the Africans are gone. I never look in the tank when I am there.
Barb
I love Tilapia. They are very mild, almost like a blank palate so you make them what you want them to be. That said, I like all fish, from trout to catfish, sword fish, salmon, walleye, perch, and bass, blue gill, anchovies & sardines. Yumm Yumm.
Dennis
Quote from: LizStreithorst on November 02, 2015, 03:46:13 PM
I found this thread by visiting where you can see who is looking at what. Just now I saw a "guest" watching this thread and add something to an old thread.
I went to another fish forum and some idiot water expert said that he could keep the water perfect for fish with his method of filtration. Even at that poor excuse for a fish forum he didn't last. Fresh clean stable water is what fish need to do well. I can't deny what I see with my own eyes.
Fish can be tough. Many can keep themselves alive in poor water until they give up the will to live.
I think I know the guy you are talking about. Was he going around talking about how certain types of bacteria can do everything? Or better yet, can you post a link to his profile?
Quote from: BallAquatics on November 02, 2015, 05:44:10 PM
I love Tilapia. They are very mild, almost like a blank palate so you make them what you want them to be. That said, I like all fish, from trout to catfish, sword fish, salmon, walleye, perch, and bass, blue gill, anchovies & sardines. Yumm Yumm.
Dennis
...Kippered herring, smoked oysters, pickled herring, halibut steaks, monk fish(poor man's lobster tail).....my Mom made the best ceviche by pickling blue gill......MMMMMmmmmm
No. I know where he was but don't remember his user name. I could find him but it's not worth my time to dig him up for you. If you want to find him look in the right places. He was just another guy wanting to be Mr. Big Britches. Not worth your time either.
It wasn't you. My beer store is called Big B and you're not my beer store :P
But I could be. Just deposit beer in my mouth. You won't get it back though. Haha, lol
Blackend catfish YUM YUM