Concerning aquariums, issues are unavoidable. Big or tiny, old or new—it makes no difference. Issues will arise. Long-term success depends on identifying the root problem and resolving it before things spiral out of control. They are also a great way to learn more about how your aquarium works and what you can do to keep it healthy in the future.
The aquariumsolutions.com.au bulk of the issues come down to a water quality issue in the end. This is not surprising given that water is the most important component of an aquarium design.But from one issue to the next, the specifics of what’s wrong with the water might vary dramatically. Some of the most common are listed below.
Algae
Simply said, algae will appear. Even healthy aquariums have some degree of algae growth. The objective should be to maintain the algae under control rather than to completely eradicate it. Controlling the two things the algae requires, light and food, is the simplest method to do this. Overfeeding shouldn’t be done, and keeping the tank out of direct sunlight will help a lot with algae development.
Similarly, removing problematic algae that has already established itself involves limiting its access to light and nutrients. Until the algae starts to disappear, lighting may be decreased to a few hours per day and feedings can be scaled back to every other day. Cut off its supply of food by physically removing as much as you can, coupled with a thorough gravel vacuuming and water change. Another alternative is to provide some competition, such as real plants that will fight for resources or fish and/or snails that will consume the algae directly. Finally, you may wish to test your water supply if the algae persists despite your best attempts to get rid of it. Phosphates and nitrates, which are found in certain water sources, are nutrients that algae feed on.
Green or cloudy water
Cloudiness is a regular occurrence in new tanks and may be caused by a few different things, each of which requires a different approach to remedy.
Fine substrate particles from a freshly installed aquarium can cause the water to become cloudy. There is no need to be concerned since they will, at most, settle out or be captured by the filter after a few days.
• Dissolved minerals—Cloudiness may occur if the source water used to fill the tank contains a high concentration of dissolved minerals and/or heavy metals.Testing the pH will reveal a high pH, which is an easy way to see whether this is the case. A specialised water conditioner may be used in this situation to reduce pH and precipitate out the extra minerals. Another option is to locate a source of water that is purer. However, be careful not to change the pH too quickly if the tank already contains any life. Significant pH fluctuations are hazardous to the fish, not the cloudiness.
• Bacterial Bloom – A bacterial bloom can occur at any time, but it is more common in new tanks.Commonly, overfeeding, rotting plants or fish, or a general lack of upkeep are to blame for the problem. Remove the bacteria’s feeding supply, regardless of the underlying reason. The cloudiness will disappear in about a week with less feeding and a few water changes.
• Green Water – As you might expect, free-floating algae blooms cause green water.With the presence of light, the reasons and treatments for this issue are much the same as those for a bacterial bloom. Light is necessary for algae, but too much of it may cause excessive growth. Reduce the light, stop feeding, and change the water to treat green water.
The “New Tank Syndrome”
So typical that it even has a name! Too often, a beginner will set up their first tank, add some fish, and then watch helplessly as those fish die over the course of the next days or weeks. They didn’t know that maintaining a healthy aquarium required more than just occasionally replacing the filter cartridges, as you can see. Every aquarium’s filtration system depends heavily on microorganisms. Bacteria transform the extremely harmful ammonia in fish waste into the less hazardous nitrite and then into the comparatively innocuous nitrate. Fish soon get poisoned by their own waste in the absence of these microorganisms. Fortunately, growing these bacteria is simple if you know how. Cycling is a procedure that is required for every aquarium.
Aggression
Some fish are known and even revered for their poor tempers, but even those famed for their calm attitude may exhibit symptoms of violence from time to time. Although there are numerous potential reasons, the fish is often upset about something in his environment. Potential reasons include:
• Insufficient space
• a lack of or absence of schools (for schooling fish)
a gender imbalance, where men often vie for women’s attention; having too many men and not enough women may cause issues.
• Species incompatibility, such as housing fin nippers with fish with delicate, flowing fins or unrelated species with similar appearances.
• Aggressive individuals—some fish are simply more aggressive than others.
Many aggressive issues may be resolved by just adding or removing fish to make things better. Removing the bully rather than the victim is preferable. Also, sometimes putting problem fish in a separate tank temporarily or rearranging and adding decorations to the tank can help.
Spikes in Ammonia
Ammonia may be an issue in an existing tank if its equilibrium is upset by a new supply of ammonia or a loss of the helpful bacteria that digest it, just as it can be in a new tank before a bacterial colony is developed. The cause of excessive ammonia generation is often a decaying object within the tank. This may be a dead plant or fish, a blocked filter, or just a tonne of garbage building up in the gravel. On the other hand, over cleaning might result in the loss of germs. Good bacteria are present in the tank on almost every surface, including the gravel, any decorations, and, of course, the filter. It is not a good idea to remove any of these objects from the tank, so you may wash them with tap water or any cleaning solution since you’ll probably destroy most of the beneficial bacteria.
In either case, the objective is to control the ammonia until the bacteria are able to retrain themselves to tolerate it. While the bacteria are rebuilding, the ammonia level in the tank will need to be carefully regulated with water changes if fish are housed there. Feeding has to be temporarily stopped since it will just cause the system to experience greater stress (in the form of waste). The ammonia may also be partly dissipated by vigorous aeration.
PH Issues
Stability best sums up a healthy aquarium, if there were just one word. A steady pH, stable filtration, and stable temperature. Knowing this, it should come as no surprise that maintaining a steady pH is much more essential than precisely matching the pH that is advised for your fish. If your fish seem healthy and the pH is stable, altering the pH isn’t advised. However, there are a few techniques you may use to alter pH if you discover that it is unusually far outside of the intended range (perhaps as a consequence of the source water). Just keep in mind to move slowly if there are fish in the tank already.
Small amounts of these should be added to the filter at a time to gradually raise or lower the pH; wait until the pH has stabilised before adding more.
