Proper Water Condition in Freshwater Tanks

Creating the perfect water conditions for a freshwater aquarium deals with much more than filling your tank with regular tap water. It is crucial to creating and maintaining a delicate balance, provides the ideal environment for your fish.

In their natural environment, fish are exposed to a natural cycle, where the water is naturally filtered and waste are swept away. In contrast, fish in an aquarium remain in contact with these wastes, until they are removed. It is the responsibility of the fish owners to eliminate this waste, maintaining a clean aquarium.

Maintaining a clean and healthy water aquarium includes pH, hardness, and oxygen content. A fish owners need all these to the live fish in the aquarium healthy.

pH:
The pH scale measures acidity in water and ranges from 0 to 14 A pH of 7 is neutral, 1 is very acidic, and 14 is very alkaline. The beginner's aquarium should have a pH of 6.5 to 7 Test kits are very easy to use and are available in most pet stores. The pH of a tank should be monitored every week or so to see changes, as any drastic change will affect the fish.

Water hardness:
Water hardness generally refers to the amount of salt in water. Water with high concentrations of salts is referred to as "hard" and vice versa, low in salt water is known as "soft." The extent of the hardness ranges from 0 to over 30, with 4-8 represented soft water and 18-30 relate to hard water. Most freshwater fish do well in water 3 to 14 degrees of hardness. Kits can be used to the hardness, when most water is usually in the order, unless the local tap water is extremely hard or soft.

Oxygen Content:
Although many filters provide ventilation, or a new supply of oxygen to the aquarium, that's a good idea to also have an air pump in the tank, so good. A rich supply of oxygen is always a good idea to have in the tank. There are two basic air pumps: diaphragm and piston. The membrane is much more common and usually a maintenance-free ventilation for the tank owners. The pump is powerful and ideal for larger aquariums. A airstone is a porous stone, with the air and penetrate into the tank. The air hose attaches the pump to airstone and is a simple plastic tube. It is of crucial importance to ensure that the hose is manufactured for use in an aquarium, so that is guaranteed, as a non-toxic.

These three things, pH balance, hardness, and oxygen content, are important for creating the ideal environment for your freshwater fish. They are relatively easy to monitor and manipulate, and often will ensure the health of your freshwater fish.