Now that the tank is running smoothly, and the temperature should be around seventy-eight degrees. I would suggest adding two products that I use in my tank to aid in the breakdown of waste and improve cycling. They are called "Cycle" and "Waste Control" from Hagen. I have been using them since day one and they work wonders. OK time to use our test kit to test several components of your aquarium water. We will test the "PH", "Nitrites", "Nitrates", "Ammonia", "Iron", "Phosphate", "Carbonate Hardness" and "General Hardness". There are several different test chemicals out there but I use the Hagen test kits and find them very reliable. You're saying to yourself, I don't have any fish in the tank, why test the water. The simple answer is we need to know where the water is because in order to get a nitrogen cycle going and for it to complete a cycle, fish need to be introduced. Before we go on I will take the time to explain what a nitrogen cycle is. Nitrogen cycles happen continuously in nature on it's own, but in a Freshwater Tropical Fish Aquarium ecosystem we need to control it.
In stage one, ammonia is produced in the aquarium via tropical fish waste, dead plants and uneaten food. This waste will break down into either ammonium (NH4) or ammonia (NH3). Ammonium is not harmful to tropical fish but ammonia is. If the PH is under seven, you will have ammonium. If the PH is seven or higher you will have ammonia. Most home aquariums unless they are home to fish that need low PH will be above seven
In stage two, bacteria called nitrosomonas will develop and they will oxidize the ammonia in the tank, essentially eliminating it. The byproduct of ammonia oxidation is Nitrites. Nitrites are just as toxic to tropical fish as ammonia.
In stage three, Bacteria called nitrobacter will develop and convert the nitrites into Nitrates. Nitrates are not as harmful to tropical fish as ammonia or nitrites, but nitrate is still harmful in large amounts. The quickest way to rid your aquarium of nitrates is to perform partial water changes.
A new Freshwater Tropical Fish Aquarium without anything in it will not start a nitrogen cycle on it's own. There are several ways to start a cycle but since this is a new setup I will will discuss the first two. The safest and least expensive method is to add a few flakes of fish food every twelve hours. This replicates uneaten food which will decay and become ammonia and the cycle begins. The downside to this is approximately two more weeks without any fish. The second way and the one I have used is to add fish. I started with six neon tetra and a couple silver-tip tetra. Danios are hardy as well. This is quicker but remember ammonia and nitrites are deadly to fish and this can kill them. Daily water tests must be conducted and water changes preformed if the levels climb to high.
Water testing is a very important part of having a freshwater tropical fish aquarium. If we don't know what the water is doing we will not know why we have cloudy water, our plants and fish die or maybe algae is growing. Earlier in the article I listed the main items that needed to be tested for. I will now give you the range that each should be on average for a community tank.
In stage one, ammonia is produced in the aquarium via tropical fish waste, dead plants and uneaten food. This waste will break down into either ammonium (NH4) or ammonia (NH3). Ammonium is not harmful to tropical fish but ammonia is. If the PH is under seven, you will have ammonium. If the PH is seven or higher you will have ammonia. Most home aquariums unless they are home to fish that need low PH will be above seven
In stage two, bacteria called nitrosomonas will develop and they will oxidize the ammonia in the tank, essentially eliminating it. The byproduct of ammonia oxidation is Nitrites. Nitrites are just as toxic to tropical fish as ammonia.
In stage three, Bacteria called nitrobacter will develop and convert the nitrites into Nitrates. Nitrates are not as harmful to tropical fish as ammonia or nitrites, but nitrate is still harmful in large amounts. The quickest way to rid your aquarium of nitrates is to perform partial water changes.
A new Freshwater Tropical Fish Aquarium without anything in it will not start a nitrogen cycle on it's own. There are several ways to start a cycle but since this is a new setup I will will discuss the first two. The safest and least expensive method is to add a few flakes of fish food every twelve hours. This replicates uneaten food which will decay and become ammonia and the cycle begins. The downside to this is approximately two more weeks without any fish. The second way and the one I have used is to add fish. I started with six neon tetra and a couple silver-tip tetra. Danios are hardy as well. This is quicker but remember ammonia and nitrites are deadly to fish and this can kill them. Daily water tests must be conducted and water changes preformed if the levels climb to high.
Water testing is a very important part of having a freshwater tropical fish aquarium. If we don't know what the water is doing we will not know why we have cloudy water, our plants and fish die or maybe algae is growing. Earlier in the article I listed the main items that needed to be tested for. I will now give you the range that each should be on average for a community tank.
- The PH of my tank is generally in the range of 7.0 to 7.6. It is more important to have a constant PH rather than the so-called ideal PH.
- Nitrites should be kept below .3 mg/L. Nitrites are toxic to fish so if the nitrites climb above this level do a minimum 20% water change.
- Ammonia should be kept below 1.2 mg/L. If the level is above this mark follow the instructions in the test kit to determine the level of toxic ammonia and if a water change is necessary.
- Nitrate levels should not climb above 50mg/L. Levels above this will contribute to the growth of algae. I try to keep my levels around 25 mg/L as this supplies the plants with food but not enough for algae growth. There's a fine line between the the balance of nitrates with the number of plants in the tank.
- Phosphate levels should remain below 1.0 mg/L. Phosphates are a result of poor maintenance or overfeeding. If the levels climb above 1.0 mg/L do a 20% water change.
- Iron levels should be kept as close to .1 mg/L as possible. Iron is a necessary element if you have live plants in your freshwater tropical fish aquarium. A lack of iron will result in poor plant growth and even plants dieing. Excessive levels of iron on the other hand is toxic to fish. A case where more is not better.
- Carbonate hardness should be kept at or slightly above, 80 mg/L. Carbonate hardness (commonly called alkalinity) is the capacity for the water to neutralize an acid. I maintain a level of 80 - 90 mg/L.
- General Hardness is the hardness of your water. A level of 40 - 80 ppm with give you a slightly hard water which I find works great in my community tank.
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