Six Reasons Why You Should Never Neglect Changing Water In Your Aquarium Tank
-pH Control – pH stands for hydrogen potenz. It is actually the
concentration of hydrogen ions present in your aquarium tank,
and as you know, hydrogen ion concentration refers to acidity of
the water in the tank. As fishes live in the water, performing
all their biological activities, the pH value is bound to
change. The best way to ensure that the pH values remain
conducive for the health of your fish is to change the water
often.
2. Kh control – For the scientifically inclined people, Kh is
the hydrolysis constant. Simply speaking, it is ability of water
to buffer, which means, maintain a particular optimum level of
the acids and bases in it. Changes occur in the fish tank over
time due to the inclusion of chemicals produced from biological
activity. That is one reason why the water has to be
periodically changed.
3. Controlling nitrate levels – Ideally speaking, a saltwater
aquarium must have a nitrate concentration of at the most 20
parts per million and a freshwater aquarium must have at the
most 50 parts per million. Fish excretion is in the form of
ammonia, which increases the nitrate level of the tank. There
are protein skimmers available that can help to keep the nitrate
levels to optimal levels within the tank. But these skimmers
will not be able to remove the organic debris that collects in
the tank from time to time. That is the reason why complete
water changes become necessary. In fact, aquarium sellers do
stress upon nitrate level maintenance as the most important
reason for making periodical water changes.
4. Detoxifying the aquariums – Dead aquatic organisms,
byproducts of metabolic activities in the fish and other
aquarium residents and the excretion products of your fish will
definitely introduce some toxic products in your aquarium tank.
Some toxic materials can also enter from the external
environment, such as when things drop into your tank or when
some microorganisms enter through the air. They could play havoc
with the health of your delicate fish. You cannot effectively
monitor such toxic intrusions. The best way is to change water.
5. Cleaning aquarium accessories – If you have live elements in
your aquarium tank such as live sand, live rock, sponges, bio
balls, etc. it is best to provide them with clean water of
aquarium standard to filter out the wastes that they produce
from time to time.
6. Controlling algal growth – Algae are microscopic plants that
grow in all types of aquatic environment. They grow faster in
aquariums because the water there is stagnant and favorable for
their growth. However, algae can pollute the water in the closed
environment to drastic levels, which could also mean health
problems to your fish. Not only that, algae will compete with
the fish with the resources available in your aquarium. If you
change the water from your aquarium regularly, you are also
removing the algae that have grown in them.
Hence, water changes in your aquarium are a very important
aspect of aquarium cleaning. They ensure that your fish live
longer and healthier in the home you provide them.
About The Author: Richard Gilliland provides expert opinions
and advice on saltwater aquariums and reef tanks at
http://www.satlysup ply.com