Tannin Aquatics
CCA Members
If you were like me- a kid growing up in the hobby, one of the things you remember being literally "drummed into your head" over and over was that you need to perform water exchanges in your aquarium. It was like fastening your seat belt in the car, closing the door behind you, or brushing your teeth...Just something you did to have a nice aquarium. It's a good habit that I keep to this day-like many of you do-and it's always paid off nicely for me.
Yet, as I've grown up and experienced more in this hobby and industry, I can't tell you how many times this "instinctive" practice of water exchanges was not only forgotten, but even sort of vilified by hobbyist over the years. A lot of hobbyists just hate doing water exchanges in their aquariums! Like really hate them. They'd rather do almost anything else. Entire aquarium product lines, schemes, and philosophies have been invented over the years to help limit- or even "eliminate"- having to do water exchanges. Hobbyists go to great lengths and expense to avoid doing them. I've seen guys literally flood their homes- like, major "insurance-claim floods", by desigining and building complex automated water exchnaging systems for their tanks that failed. Expensive, complicated, semi-reliable stuff- all to avoid picking up a siphon hose. (click to read more)
Yet, as I've grown up and experienced more in this hobby and industry, I can't tell you how many times this "instinctive" practice of water exchanges was not only forgotten, but even sort of vilified by hobbyist over the years. A lot of hobbyists just hate doing water exchanges in their aquariums! Like really hate them. They'd rather do almost anything else. Entire aquarium product lines, schemes, and philosophies have been invented over the years to help limit- or even "eliminate"- having to do water exchanges. Hobbyists go to great lengths and expense to avoid doing them. I've seen guys literally flood their homes- like, major "insurance-claim floods", by desigining and building complex automated water exchnaging systems for their tanks that failed. Expensive, complicated, semi-reliable stuff- all to avoid picking up a siphon hose. (click to read more)
