The inhabitants of the aquarium will feel good only if the composition of the water matches the parameters they need. You can define it in different ways, the desired option is selected based on a specific situation.
It is necessary
tests to determine the composition of water
Instructions
Step 1
Fish and plants thrive in a properly equipped aquarium. You can understand how optimal the conditions created for them by the aquarist are based on many signs, the main ones are the behavior of the fish and their appearance, the state of the plants, the color of the water. If you see that not everything is in order with the aquarium, you urgently need to take measures to bring it back to normal.
Step 2
For an accurate assessment of the composition of water, use special reagent kits produced by many foreign companies. For example, Tetra, a well-known company for aquarists, produces Tetratest AnalySet tests that can accurately determine the chemical composition of water; they can be purchased at pet stores. The tests are provided with detailed instructions for use. At the same time, the constant use of such tests is quite an expensive pleasure - a set of reagents costs several thousand rubles, so it is better to learn how to determine the composition of water by indirect signs.
Step 3
Replace approximately 1/7 of the tank's water volume with fresh water once a week to help maintain the correct water composition. In a properly designed aquarium, a biological balance is established. The water of a freshly filled aquarium is whitish, which indicates that it is not yet fully suitable for fish life. It contains a lot of bacteria, the smallest particles of organic matter that got into the water with soil and plants. All this should rot, active aeration helps this process. When the initial processes of organic oxidation take place in the aquarium, the water becomes very transparent - this is the so-called "old" water, it should be protected.
Step 4
Do not use shell rock, dolomite, limestone, marble chips or other materials with a high limestone content as aquarium substrate. If there is a lot of it in the soil used, the water will always be hard; no changes will help to fix this. Chemical tests only state increased rigidity, nothing more.
Step 5
If you are going to keep fish in the aquarium that need soft water, treat the used soil with a solution of hydrochloric acid or sulfuric acid, then rinse it thoroughly. The acid will destroy excess calcium in the soil, it will no longer get into the water, increasing its hardness. Having carried out such a treatment and weekly replacing part of the aquarium water with fresh (soft and settled), you can be sure that its composition meets all the necessary parameters. You can judge about this by the state of plants and the behavior of fish.
Step 6
One of the clear signs of a violation of the composition of the water is its bloom. For flowering, appropriate conditions are needed: a large amount of rotting organic matter (the aquarium is poorly cleaned) and excessive lighting. Under these conditions, microscopic green algae, which are always present in the aquarium, begin to multiply rapidly. Blooming water indicates a violation of biological balance. It is useless to fight flowering by changing water, a new portion of the minerals it contains only stimulates the growth of algae. A darkening of the aquarium, combined with good aeration, will help to cope with the problem. In this case, an indirect sign - water bloom - makes it possible to understand that the chemical composition of the water is disturbed.
