Freshwater

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Part III: Water, Chemicals, and Plants
to a whole lot of waste being excreted. This waste takes the form of ammonia, a
dangerous chemical that in high amounts can be lethal to your fish, and CO2.
Don’t worry; for every aquarium problem there is always a solution.
To solve the waste problem, your fish and you join forces to provide proper
biological filtration (utilizing living bacteria that constantly remove waste)
and cycling (building up bacteria at the beginning to convert ammonia to
nitrites and then to less harmful nitrates.) The CO2 is removed by plants in
the aquarium through photosynthesis and by air from airstones and filters
running in the tank.
Now for the good news: There is no problem getting these certain bacteria,
which are present in the water to start with, to help take care of excess
buildups. Now, we know that the word bacteria is usually associated with bad
and scary things such as infections, but in an aquarium system, bacteria
actually act as the good guys and save the day.
To understand all the weird and wonderful processes taking place in the
water of your aquarium system, then, you need to know about ammonia, bacteria,
cycling, and the other aspects of the nitrogen cycle. These ideas may
seem a little complicated at first (only because they are!), but the tips and
explanations in this chapter can help you cut a clear pathway through the
darkness that plagues the topic of water conditions.
A new system is not as biologically stable as an old one (conditioned aquarium),
but in time, of course, a new system becomes old and stable.
Conditioning Your Tank
You need to condition (also known as accomplishing the nitrification process,
start-up cycle, and biological cycle) your new aquarium to provide your fish
with the best possible chance for good health and survival. Conditioning sets
up a bacterial colony to get rid of the nasty waste products your fish excrete.
You have to be patient during this conditioning cycle because it does take time.
Rushing headlong through this vital conditioning process will undoubtedly
lead to quite a bit of heartache as you lose your fish to a condition known as
new tank syndrome (see the section “Preventing new tank syndrome,” later in
this chapter).
The main danger in any new aquarium is the rapid build-up of ammonia in the
water through excretion and the decay of nitrogen products such as fish food
and waste. As your aquarium begins to age, beneficial bacteria begin breaking
down the ammonia so that the levels do not become too high. Bacteria
are always present in your tank, but not enough in the beginning to take care
of the problem.