Aquarium Water Quality

Ok, so we've covered most of the major aspects of aquarium water quality but there are a few other things to think about to keep your fish and plants happy and healthy and the biological filter working to its best ability.

Oxygen

One of the things that affects aquarium water quality is oxygen levels.  Fish need oxygen in order to survive but unlike us they rely on the oxygen that is dissolved in the water as do the bacteria in your biological filter and even the plants need oxygen once the sun goes down. Unfortunately the warm water that you get in a tropical tank holds less oxygen than cold water making it sometimes difficult to keep the oxygen levels where they should ideally be.

Oxygen gets into the water at the surface where the water is in contact with the air.  The greater the surface the greater the uptake of oxygen.  One way to increase the surface of your aquarium is to agitate the water at the top of your tank. The easiest way to do this is with the filter outflow.  You can also use airstones and in emergencies you can always resort to a partial water change.

The Golden Rules of oxygenation are to avoid oxygen depletion by not overstocking your tank and avoid over feeding - over feeding will result in uneaten food sitting at the bottom of the tank where they will cause a sudden increase in bacteria that will deplete oxygen and water quality.

So- Don't overstock and Don't overfeed.

If your fish show any of the classic signs such as gasping, rapid gill movement or staying near the surface do an emergency water change to increase the oxygen levels.  Up to 50%.

Temperature

Aquarium water quality is also about the temperature.  All the fish that we recommend for beginners thrive within a temperature range of 72-78F.  Some of them will be happy in temperatures outside of this range but to be on the safe side try to stay within this temperature range to avoid stressing your fish.

You need to monitor the temperature to keep it within this range so a good quality Aquarium Thermometer is a must.  Don't skimp on the heater or thermostat as any sudden temperature changes are likely to kill your fish and trying to save money here is a false economy.  If you can afford it use two Submersible Aquarium Heaters , this way if one goes wrong the other will take the load until you are able to get a replacement.

Should something go disastrously wrong and the temperature fall or rise by a large margin don't do anything to suddenly correct it.  If the water is too hot, do several partial water changes to gradually bring it down.  If it is too cold because the heater has broken, bring the temperature back up gradually.

It is sudden changes in water conditions that kill fish whether it is temperature or pH.  Most fish will survive a temporary glitch.

Chlorine

Whenever you do a water change using tap water you are going to add chlorine to your tank - Bad idea!  Chlorine, whilst being good for us in terms of water quality is not good for fish or the bacteria in your biological filter so try hard to avoid introducing it to the tank unless an emergency means that immediate actions is needed.

If you leave water to stand for 24 hours the chlorine will evaporate.  Sometimes chloramines are used instead of chlorine and these can take up to a week to evaporate.  Both of these processes can be speeded up by boiling the water and then allowing it to cool.  This is fine for partial water changes but difficult where large amounts of water are concerned.

A water butt kept outside does the job for me but a bit of planning means that chlorine can be avoided on maintenance water changes.  When your filling your tank for the first time, the easiest way is to fill it then leave it to stand before adding any plants or fish.  Frustrating I know but worth it.

The simplest way of all is to use a water conditioner that you can get from your local aquarium store.  Water Conditioners are very cheap and will remove the chlorine from tap water ready to use for water changes.