Keeping Your Freshwater Aquarium Manageable

It is known that you need to clean the tank and change the water in it as often as necessary to keep your fish healthy and happy. You can make it easier by making some active decisions to keep your tank clean.

Filters are a must! Water flows through it and residual waste is left behind, keeping your tank cleaner for longer. One thing to watch out for is phosphates. Phosphate is separated from decomposed waste.

Examples of phosphate sources are dead fish and plants, fish waste, uneaten food, rotten algae, and aquarium salt. You can also buy red sea salt mix via Marine Depot.

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Phosphates are actually present in every aquarium and are harmless to fish, even in high concentrations. What can harm fish are algae that grow from high concentrations – look at the misty green water.

Algae growth starts at 1.0 ppm (parts per milligram), so it is advisable to keep the level at 0.05 ppm or less. To keep phosphate levels under control, perform normal maintenance or cleaning, change the water, and clean the filter.

Feed your fish sparingly to produce less waste. You can also purchase phosphate absorbers and water treatments. Test the water source every time you change the water in your tank. The water test kit is another essential item to include on your aquarium shopping list.

Another problem is nitrates. Nitrates are nitrogen compounds that are created when food is converted into energy and then into waste. This is what happens with nitrification – ammonia breaks down to nitrite and nitrite is then converted to nitrate.

Remember, bacteria need oxygen to work. Therefore, keep the tank clean and tidied so that oxygen can pass through.