Periodic testing of the water parameters and the importance of
test kits
Fish produce waste and along with other organic components over time the
water will change its composition. There never should be a time where a
fishkeeper should become complacent to where they forego keeping tabs on the
parameters of their water. There is always a series of events occuring in your
aquarium that you can not see that may be having an adverse affect on your
fish. Depending on whether or not your tank is fully cycled, different tests
should be performed on a regular basis. Testing should be more frequent
during the period while the nitrogen cycle is taking place in an aquarium. It
is important to closely monitor the ammonia and nitrite during the intial
stages of a cycle to protect the health of the fish.
The reasons we test these parameters are:
- Ammonia introduced by fish waste and decomposing organic debris,
is the most toxic nitrogen compound. It is present in two forms. Free
ammonia (NH3) and ionized ammonia (NH4+). Free ammonia is the most toxic of
the two and will cause death in very low concentrations. The concentration of
each form is pH and temperature dependent. The higher the pH and the
temperature the the more toxic the ammonia. Once the nitrogen
cycle is complete and with a properly functioning biological filter, the
ammonia readings should remain at zero.
- Nitrite is less toxic than ammonia, but still very toxic as it
inhibits the ability of the blood to carry oxygen and with levels exceeding
.55ppm a condition called "brown blood disease" can occur which is always
fatal. Nitrite is oxidized into nitrate by nitrobacteria bacteria present in
the tank. As with ammonia, once the nitrogen cycle is complete and with a
properly functioning biological filter, the nitrite readings should remain at
zero.
- Nitrate is the end product of the nitrifying phase of the nitrogen
cycle. It is much less toxic than either ammonia or nitrite. However,
excessively high nitrates in the water is often used as an indicator of poor
water quality and over an extended period of time can be harmful to the fish.
Levels exceeding 50ppm are considered unhealthy for fish. Nitrate can be
absorbed by plants and is reduced into free nitrogen by anaerobic bacteria
living in the bottom substrate. An aquarium that does not have live plants in
it will not have any anaerobic bacteria present, so nitrates will accumulate
in the aquarium and need to be controlled by performing regular partial water
changes.
- pH indicates the ratio of hydrogen ions to hydroxyl ions on a
logarithmic scale from 0 (pure acid) to 14 (pure alkaline). Fish can tolerate
a wide range, but cannot tolerate a rapid change. If you need to alter your
pH you must do it slowly over time. Fish maintain a certain level of pH in
their bloodstream and altering the level of pH in the tank rapidly can throw
the fish into shock. Only under emergency circumstances should a rapid change
be attempted and you should be aware of the risks of doing this. In saying
that, it's best to try and not have to alter your pH but rather to choose fish
that closely match the level of pH of your water source. Or find a way to
naturally raise or lower the pH. As stated above, pH affects the free
ammonia/ionized ammonia composition. Algae and live plants in a fish tank can
drastically change an aquariums pH from night to day as well, due to a change
in the amount of dissolved oxygen affecting the carbon dioxide present in the
water.
These are the water parameters that will make or break a fish tank and you
should have test kits available for at all times.
The Effects Of Poor Water Quality On Your
Fish
We have all heard of the term cause and effect
. That term can have no truer significance than when we are talking about
what it means to the fish we confine in these enclosed environments! Depending
on how committed we are to caring for our fish, our fish will either have long
satisfying lives, or rather short periods of existence. By doing our utmost
to maintain a healthy aquarium, the cause and effect can either be
rewarding for the fish and the fishkeeper, or aggravating for the fishkeeper
and devastating to the fish. I am not going to go into a big lecture on the
duties of fishkeeping. I hope I've made it clear throughout this site the
importance of caring for your fish in the proper manner. Bottom line is, if
you are going to keep fish, take care of them and their environment. If you
can't commit to doing so, then fish keeping is not for you. (Small lecture
over)
Allowing the conditions in our tanks
to deteriorate tend to have a snowballing effect. Poor water quality in a fish
tank can effect one fish or all fish. Important signs to watch for include: