STAGE TWO (WEEK 1)
WATER QUALITY
The use of water conditioners.
Research in recent years has resulted in a much greater
understanding of the aquarium environment and the development of many water
conditioners to help control water quality. In setting up an aquarium you are
creating your own mini-ecosystem and, as it's keeper, you will have to monitor
and control the water quality to achieve and maintain the optimum condition
for your fishes' health and well-being. Gradually, as you progress in
experience, you will learn about what is happening in this environment and how
to achieve these conditions; in fact, learning about the ecology and chemistry
of the aquarium can be one of the most interesting aspects of fish keeping.
All you have to do is let 'Aquatest' help you achieve the desired result,
direct from this web site.
So, what features of the water quality first
need attention when starting off a new aquarium?
At the moment your aquarium contains plain tap
water which has been ageing for about a week. Because tap water has been
processed to make it safe for us humans to drink it is very unlike the water
in which fish would naturally live and it contains various substances, which
your fish will not tolerate well. Therefore, you will need to add water
conditioners, which are designed to make the tap water safer and more
comfortable for your fish. If you use 'Aquatest' you will be able to carry out
a 'Tap Water' test and ascertain exactly what water conditioners you need to
use for your area.
You will also have to have an understanding of
how the water chemistry will alter when you add your fish. Fish (like all
living creatures) eat, and in converting food into growth and energy, produce
waste products. This waste will decompose in stages into different compounds
and initially your main concern will be with ammonia and nitrites. Ammonia and
nitrites produced from your fishes' waste will rapidly build up in the
aquarium and are very toxic to fish. However, nature has an antidote to
ammonia and nitrites in the form of certain 'friendly' bacteria which develop
a colony in your aquarium's filter system, eating the ammonia and nitrites and
converting them into much less harmful nitrates. To start off this colony, and
to build it up, you will need to add regular doses, of these bacteria which
are provided in liquid form, in a bottle. It takes a little time (usually
around 4-6 weeks) to bring the ammonia and nitrites under control but you must
be patient as this is an inevitable and essential phase in developing a health
aquarium.
The other factor that you will need to be
concerned with at this stage is the acidity/alkalinity (the pH balance) and
the hardness/softness (GH & KH) of the water. Local tap water varies
tremendously across the UK, so you will need to ascertain what your local
water values are using the 'Aquatest' 'Tap Water Test', which will than
recommend what water conditioners and their doses are required for your
aquarium. There are separate sections which explain more about
ammonia/nitrites, Nitrates, pH, GH and KH, which we think you will find
helpful.
If you follow our guidelines in using the
recommended products you will get your aquarium off to a really good start and
the next step is to monitor the various changes in the water quality using
'Health Check' part of 'Aquatest'.
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