WATER CHEMISTRY 101
Regular water changes are good for your fish and the water quality in your
tank and for your fish. I change at least 25% every week and use SeaChem
Prime water conditioner to get rid of chlorine. My water pH is kept at
7.6 which is high (should be around 6.8 to 7.0) but there should be no
problem as long as you check nitrite levels every week. Tankmates can be
kept with Arowana's but must large enough to defend themselves. Keeping
several arowana's together is not a good idea, they will compete for food
and fight. It all comes down to water quality and feeding.Variety is the
key to a well balanced diet. If you have very high ammonia, nitrate, nitrates,..
etc... you will encounter problems such as gill curling, bad body and head
shape, and frayed fins. I have not raised arowanas for a long time and
still eager to learn more about these gorgeous fish. If any of you have
any tips or suggestions, feel free to e-mail me. I would be glad to post
it up for other arowana fans to see. Since fish confined to aquariums build
up waste products and the levels can become toxic its up to you to provide
clean water for them to live in. In the wild the entire eco-system provides
the "filtration" . In an aquarium the waste products from your fish build
up releasing ammonia, which will kill your pet even in small amounts. There
can also be other things in your water harmful to your fish such as: choramine,
chlorine, parasites and bacteria. Just because your water is crystal clear
it does not mean it is free of contaminates. I could get real crazy about
water chemistry and bore you to death so I'm just gonna break it down into
the simplest terms. pH 1 to 6.9 is considered acidic / 7.0 is neutral /
and 7.1 to 14 is considered alkaline (or basic) Unless you have a species
where pH is critical to survivability or breeding...don't play with it.
If you have high pH...watch your ammonia levels (for example pH 8.2 with
5.0 ppm ammonia present = death....while pH 6.0 with 5.0 ppm ammonia is
low) note:freshwater To adjust pH you should be in the "zone" to do so
(120-240 ppm Total Alkalinity/Buffering Capacity) pH swings are stressful
to your fish (this happens in soft water with low buffering capacity) TOTAL
ALKALINITY/BUFFERING CAPACITY In short terms this is the "stability" of
your pH. Without the correct Buffering Capacity your water pH is subject
to swings, which are harmful to your fish and plants. Buffering Capacity
refers to the waters ability to absorb acids and bases to prevent rapid
changes. This is NOT what people talk about when refering to a species
preference of water hardness. TOTAL HARDNESS This is the hard one to explain.
Carbon Dioxide in water exists in two forms, the free form (bad) and the
bound form (good). The free form will make your water soft and you guessed
it...the bound will make it hard. Soft water is not good for aquariums
because it can not stabilize the pH. Your Total hardness should be in the
range of 150 to 300ppm. Minerals play at part in this, put a rock high
in calcium in your water and your hardness will increase. This IS what
people talk about when refering to a species preference of water hardness.
AMMONIA First step in the "Nitrogen Cycle" This one is easy...if you test
for it and it's present something is going wrong. Fix this by water changes,
better filtration, or less fish in your tank. There are products to help
lower it (zeolite for example) but you should find the cause and eliminate
that instead of combating it. A stabilized aquarium should take care of
ammonia by the bacteria present in your tank. Remember....ammonia toxicity
is directly related to your pH. (another reason why pH stability is important)
If ammonia is present...so is Nitrite (another toxin) NITRITE Second step
in the "Nitrogen Cycle. The easiest way to explain this one is every aquarium
develops a cycle...appropriatly called the "Nitrogen Cycle" It goes like
this: Ammonia (toxic) is eaten up by Nitrosomonas a bacteria, You then
have Nitrite (still toxic) left on the dish. Then along comes Nitrobacter
another bacteria and eats that Nitrite (toxic). You then have Nitrate left
(nontoxic). If for some reason not enough Nitrobacter are present the levels
of Nitrite increase to dangerous levels. NITRATE Third Step in the "Nitrogen
Cycle" I said Nitrate is nontoxic...I lied. It is only toxic in large quantities
(over 200ppm) note: ppm means parts per millio Nitrate is one cause of
excessive algae growth Water changes will get rid of excess Nitrate. Live
plants help too. CHLORINE/CHLORAMINE Chlorine...smelly and toxic to fish,
get rid of it. Chlorine is very unstable and will evaporate very quickly.
Experiment: take a cup of water test for chlorine (write down ppm), take
a spoon and agitate vigorously for one minute, take a second test and write
down the ppm. Notice the drop in ppm? Chloramine...ammonia mixed with chlorine.
Both are deadly to your fish. Much more stable than chlorine. Many water
treatment facilities have changed to this. Combat both these chemicals
with more chemicals. Use a water conditioner/detoxifier like Kordon's AmQuel,Tetra
AquaSafe NH/CL,Seachem Prime etc... It all sounds complicated but just
a basic understanding and a test kit will keep you in tune with what is
going on in your aquarium. Test weekly for nitrite and every other week
for pH and you should have no problems. Make sure you let your new aquarium
cycle through the "nitrogen cycle" first before adding fish, that may take
up to four weeks. You may want to test your tap water before doing water
changes, and add a conditioner to remove chlorine/chloramine with every
water change too. Filtration Corner Filter This is an old one. This type
of filter sits inside the tank...you guessed it, in a corner. Usually has
a combination of charcoal and filter floss that sits on top of a perforated
plate. An air pump is hooked up to it and bubbles air through the plate
sucking water through the top of the corner filter. Not a good choice for
anything over 10 gallons. Even then it is not the best choice...spend a
couple more bucks and get at least an UGF. The corner filter provides mechanical,chemical
and a little biological filtration. Undergravel Filter (UGF) Alot of people
beat up on the good ol' UGF. Yes they can become serious problems when
they are not maintained properly. Food and waste materials will get clogged
up in your gravel and nitrite levels will soar. They are not meant to provide
any mechanical filtration, just biological. That means you need to clean
your gravel alot. (Once a week) Use a product like the Python to "vacum"
your gravel out. I use a combination of power/UGF or canister/UGF in all
my tanks. Well...most of my tanks, undergravel filters should not be used
with "diggers". (Red Devils, C. Frontosa's, etc.) One way you can use them
with digging species is to place slate rock between two layers of gravel.
The UGF provides very good biological filtration, large quantities of beneficial
bacteria cling to the plates and eat up the bad bacteria. They provide
no mechanical or chemical filtration. Undergravel filters are the way to
go when space behind your tank is minimal and you want a clean look. One
last thing about UGF's, use powerheads on them. Power Filters The power
filter is probally the most popular today. It is very easy to set up and
maintain, draws a large amount of water through them and provide very good
mechanical and chemical filtration, very poor biological filtration. Problem
is they hang on the back of your tank and look bad if you have no background.
Also they tend to clog quickly. Rinse your filter "sponge/bag" frequently.
Its also best to change just one sponge/bag so the beneficial bacteria
is not taken out of your tank. Some power filters have only one sponge/bag.
Some models have paddle like wheels which provide a little better biological
filtration. All in all it is the best choice for beginners and aquariums
up to about 75 gallons. Canister Filters Canister filters share alot with
the power filters except for the water that is passed through them is under
pressure and is forced through larger quantites of filter materials. They
don't require the weekly attention that power filters do but when they
do need cleaning it is usually a big job. One of the other differences
is that most canister filters sit on the floor under your tank and do not
distract from the natural scenery like power filters do. The canister is
especialy suited to large tanks where large quantities of water need to
be cycled and filtered. Some models have heaters built into them too. Canister
filters provide very good mechanical,chemical and biological filtration.
Wet/Dry Filters These filters do it all. Basically they are another aquarium
sitting under your tank. The large surface area provides excellent oxygen
exchange with the help of bio-balls (they look like sea urchins). This
type also provides excellent biological,mechanical and chemical filtration.Also
every type of filter media in the world can be easily added. Accesories
like heaters and skimmers and other things can be added too. The only drawback
to this type of filter is the cost, usually starting around 200.00 bucks.
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1999
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