Aquatics

Aquarium fish have different preferences with regard to water quality. Aquarists can reproduce the desired water quality for their fish by using some of the many aquatic aids now available.

Aquarium Management


Toxic pollutants such as ammonia and nitrite must be detected and removed before exposing fish to the water.

Water hardness and pH, as with temperature, should be altered slowly over a period of several days in order to avoid distressing the fish and making them susceptible to disease. Water hardness is a measure of the quantity of dissolved salts that are present. Pure rainwater has very few dissolved salts and is termed "soft water".

As it seeps through the rocks and soil the rain water becomes enriched with various salts. This is greatly facilitated by the slightly acid pH of rain water. If the rocks are chalk or limestone more salts are dissolved than if they are sandstone or granite. Consequently, water from limestone areas is rich in dissolved salts and is hard, whereas water from sandstone or granite areas is low in dissolved salts and is soft.