In the wild, water would be cleaned, replaced and replenished through natural cycles such as rain or flowing water, but an aquarium is a closed environment. This means that all the fish waste stays around them, and can ultimately build up and cause sickness and disease. The aquarium filter acts as a sewerage treatment works, taking the waste material, which is poisonous to fish, and turning it into harmless substances.
Other substances that are not dealt with by the filter are controlled through regular water changes. The toxins are then diluted by removing waste-filled water and replacing it with fresh water.
Here are a few top tips for keeping perfect water:
Keeping on top of your filter cleaning is a must.
Your filter holds all of the good bacteria that breaks down toxic chemicals so you really need to look after it.
Not only that, but your filter also catches large pieces of dirt and keeps the water clear but it can only do that if there are no blockages/disruptions in the way.
It’s a fun job, feeding the fish, as food will get the fish swimming around more and that’s pretty cool to watch.
However, it’s important to not get heavy handed with the food as any that is not eaten will start to break down and pollute the water. More fish die of over feeding than under feeding so only feed them 2-3 times a day and as much as they will eat in a couple of minutes. Always remove uneaten food, too.
Too many fish in not a lot of space will cause too much waste for your filter to handle.
Keep fish levels low, especially in a new tank, and never exceed the recommended amount of fish for your tank size.
Keeping natural, live plants will help bring more oxygen to tank during the day, remove nitrates from the water and prevent algae so it’s important to keep them healthy and growing well.
Give them a trim every now and then and keep them well fed with a good quality aquatic plant food.
Water changes remove and dilute toxins and introduce fresh nutrients and oxygen to the aquatic environment.
You should complete a 25% water change at least every 28 days.