Aquarium Water Change

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Aquarium Water Change

Consistent high quality of water is an absolute necessity for the fishes and aquatic plants in captivity or aquarium. Since aquarium is only a simulation of the natural environment for your aquatic pets, you need to take deliberate measures to keep the water of your aquarium healthy for them. Regular aquarium water change is one such very effective step in the direction.

Sounding simple, aquarium water change is equally tricky a task. This article attempts to provide insight into the reasons for aquarium water change, the quantity of water to be changed, the frequency of changes, and some points to remember during aquarium water change. Lets cruise.

Reasons for Aquarium Water Change. The purpose of water change is twofold:

Cleaning & Maintenance. You change the aquarium water to clean the tank. The key source of water clouding and poor quality is Aquarium Feeding. When fishes in the aquarium are fed then, in the process, many food particles sink to the bottom of tank, where they begin to decay. In addition, the undigested food is released into the system as Fish Waste. All this debris and waste make the water toxic and its essential to flush them out of the system. In addition, invisible harmful wastes are also present in an aquarium, mainly in the form of Nitrates & Phosphates. All these toxic substances lead to a drop in the pH and the Alkalinity of water, thereby adversely affecting the health of fishes in particular and the overall health of the system. Water change helps in partially removing and partially diluting this waste to keep them within the required level.

Minerals Replenishing. You also replenish essential Minerals & Trace Elements to the livestock, which get lost due to the consumption by fish as well as their partial filtration by the Aquarium Filters. Trace Elements are vital for the health and the vigor of fishes. Aquarium water change replenishes these vital Trace Elements in the system.

Water Change - Frequency and Quantity. There is no rule of thumb for how often or how much the aquarium water needs to be changed. The frequency and the quantity of Aquarium Water Change vary from system to system. The only rule is to change the aquarium water as much and as often as possible in order to keep the water quality of the system consistently high, stable, and healthy.

The quantity of Biomass present, the amount of food added daily, the quantity of waste build up, and the total volume of water in the system determine the stability of Water Quality in an Aquarium. Therefore, well or over stocked small tanks will require more water changes as compared to the larger ones with less population. Usually fifteen to twenty five percent water change per week is recommended, but you may increase the frequency and the amount of water change, if the system requires so. Small but frequent water changes are desirable though practically not possible.

Tips and Precautions during Aquarium Water Change.

Allow the fresh water to stand for some time before adding it to your aquarium. This helps even out the water Temperature with that of aquarium water, else a sudden temperature change may stress the fish. Letting fresh water stand also aids in the sedimentation of Heavy Metals (which can now easily be removed), and in the dissipation of dissolved gases.

Use Reverse Osmosis (RO) or any other filtration technique in order to add in the aquarium, the purest water possible.

Take care not to dislodge the useful Bacterial colonies while cleaning Gravels & Filters as well as when changing the aquarium water.