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Keep in mind, fish are alive; they breathe, eat, and get sick just like any living thing. Many people consider fish to be more of an art form then a pet, but they are wrong. Before you put any fish into any environment make sure you find out what their natural environment is like. That way you know how healthy they will be in the stagnant unfiltered environment you will be exposing them to. Basically making a fish swim in an unfiltered environment without frequent water changes is like making a human live in a room where they $hit and piss without ever removing the waste. How long do you think you'd survive in that kind of environment? And if you think by adding “fresh” water you are helping, remember these facts; a) chlorine is just as toxic to fish as it is to us (Chlorine gas is what’s used in the gas chamber), and b) the majority of ammonia created by the fish does not evaporate with the water it builds up. You need a chemical cycle in the tank and you need to do frequent water changes.
Fish chemistry (Nitrogen Cycle)
Fish create toxic Ammonia (NH4)
Nitrosomonas (Bacteria 1) convert the Ammonia into a toxic Nitrite (NO2)
Nitrobacter (Bacteria 2) convert the NO2 into Oxygen (To be used by Nitrosomonas to create NO2, and the fish to breathe) and a not so toxic Nitrate (NO3)
Ammonia in any quantity will kill your fish. And if there is to much Ammonia in the tank for the Nitrosomonas to convert into NO2 it will build up. Nitrate (NO3) is also toxic to your fish but they can handle it a lot longer then the ammonia. A weekly 25% water change will keep the Nitrates at a low enough level to be safe.
Common misconception, "My fish look perfectly healthy." Fish do not start to show stress until they are very close to death. Usually by the time you see the result of the stress (Fin splits, parasites, loss of color) it is to late to save the fish.
-Al
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