Aquarium Water Treatment
Aquarium Water Treatment (Pretreatment)
No human being would like to go for a swim in a pond of stagnant water filled with weeds and other filth. How can people then expect the fishes to live in such waters? In an aquarium, the tanks need to have clean water for fish to survive. Impure water in the fish tank is not only detrimental to fish’s health, but it can also be fatal.
The foremost thing required for successful fish rearing is good knowledge about water conditions. Fishes survive only under sound water conditions, thus it essential to do proper water treatment, before using it in any aquarium.
Three basic and important steps for water treatment are:
- Before putting the water in the aquarium, all the toxins in the water should be removed through proper filtration methods.
- It is essential to maintain proper chemical balance in the water, best suited for the type of fish.
- High water quality should be maintained at all time.
Before taking any steps for water treatment, it is important to address the source of water used in the aquarium. Different sources post different threats and so they have to be treated accordingly.
If the water used in the aquarium is drawn mainly from the municipal tap water, the chances are very high that the water may contain excessive chlorine and ammonia. Both the chemicals are very harmful for fishes. Chlorine found in the municipal water is deliberately added to treat the water, to make it safe for public drinking. However, excessive chlorinated water if used in aquarium could cause harm to fishes. This extra chlorine has to be removed by using de-chlorinating agents.
While de-chlorinating agents help only in reducing the chlorine content in the aquarium water, they do not help in complete water treatment. Ammonia is more lethal than chlorine and has the potential to kill the fishes. A complete water treatment is achieved when both ammonia and chlorine are eliminated from the water.
If the main source of water supply to the aquarium is from well, it is considered to be good for fishes. The water from the well is generally considered to be of good quality. It contains high amount of minerals. Presence of minerals is excess makes the well water hard and it increases its density. Although well water is naturally purified, before using it in aquarium it has to be given proper water treatment.
Regardless of the source of the water, for maintaining healthy fishes, it is vital to have a good water treatment system in place, before using the water in the aquarium.