Water Quality

Water Quality Conditions

Water quality conditions are issues that need to be taken seriously. It is necessary to check pH and ammonia and nitrite, nitrate levels to maintain a proper balance for you fish. When putting water into your tank you must remember to dechlorinate it. I recommend using Kordon's Aquarium NovAqua or Kordon's Aquarium AmQuel. They remove Ammonia and Toxic Metals and Chlorine. This is a necessary step in keeping an aquarium. Check the pet store for more information regarding the use of these items.

New tanks

Ammonia is a problem when setting up a new tank. There are not the well-established bacteria present that would help in removing the ammonia. A tank will, over several months, begin to develop beneficial bacteria (Nitrosomonas) which will automatically break down this toxic ammonia into the somewhat less toxic nitrite. This process, however, is usually not sufficient to eliminate all of the ammonia, although it is of some benefit. Using this beneficial bacteria to its best advantage can be done by adding a biological filter (see Filters). A new tank will not have developed any of these beneficial bacteria, and this is why it is so important to allow your tank to sit for at least 2 weeks before introducing fish (although it can take as many as five weeks for the bacteria to form in significant numbers).

Read about new tank syndrome or tank cycling

Test Kits

Test Kits are a very important step in good aquarium management. I recommend investing a little money in these. You can monitor the water's condition and prevent many health ailments among your fish!

pH

pH is an issue to keep under watch (especially if your tank is crowded). It is measured on a scale of 1 to 14 to measure the acidity or alkalinity of your tank's water. Goldfish thrive at the 7.2 - 7.6 range (your pH testing kit will come with a colored chart to follow ) You will want to keep the pH levels in line or you could have dead fish. Goldfish are able to stand variations in pH much more so than other fish, but you should make an effort to maintain their water in this range. Over time, the water in your tank will become more acidic. Being aware of this and doing partial water changes is generally all that is needed to maintain the pH.

pH too low results in acidic conditions. This can be caused from too much fish waste in the water. (this is less likely to occur in a well-established tank) At pH levels below 7.2 Ammonia is ionized to Ammonium and is less toxic to the fish. Acidic water can cause your fish to weaken. It is best to do routine water changes to keep from having this type of problem.

Symptoms: anorexia, excess slime, isolation, fish resting on the bottom of tank, and then finally blood streaking in the fins and death. (known as Acidosis)

pH too high results in alkaline conditions. Ammonia is more likely to be toxic when the pH levels are high.

Symptoms: Fish will produce excess slime, and gasp at the surface. Losses can be severe. Once this takes place(Alkalosis) it is hard to reverse.

There are many brands and types of inexpensive tests available at pet stores to check your pH levels, as well as Ammonia levels. They have colored charts to follow for the diagnosis. There are products available to increase your pH levels as wells as lower them.

Ammonia

Ammonia is made up of fish wastes(urine+feces) and excess food. Ammonia can accumulate from dead fish tissues. Ammonia can cause many problems with your fish's health, and is dangerous to your fish even in small concentrations. They can die from too much ammonia. Low levels of ammonia can result in their fins being a reddened color, and the fish producing excessive mucus. Every effort should be taken to keep this dangerus aquarium chemical as low as possible. Concentrations as low as 2 parts per million have been shown to be deadly to fish, and concentrations only marginally higher can prove disasterous for your entire tank. The optimum level for ammonia in a tank is 0 ppm.If the ammonia levels in a tank are found to be very high, an emergency water change may be needed. This water change may need to be as much as 80% in extreme situations if the fish are in immediate danger of being poisoned and killed. The sudden water change will also be stressful to the fish, but in an extreme situation where ammonia levels have surged, it is safer than leaving them in the polluted water. Ammonia is more dangerous at higher temperatures and is also more dangerous at a higher pH. The more fish you have in a tank, the higher the concentrations of ammonia will be and the faster they will rise!

Symptoms: Fish will isolate themselves, lie on the bottom of the tank, keep their fins clamped, secrete excess slime or mucous. They may have red fins and show symptoms of dropsy or have a pinecone effect. Unfortunately this will allow them to be more susceptible to parasitic and bacterial infections.

Treatment: Water changes and management of your pH will go a long way in helping to cut losses associated with Ammonia.

Some hobbyists use a product labeled "Zeolites" to help with the Ammonia.

Nitrite

Nitrite is the 2nd most dangerous of natural aquarium chemicals. It is very important to keep these levels as low as possible. It should be kept below .25 parts per million. A level of 0 ppm is the idea level. If nitrites are high they can reduce a fish's ability to get enough oxygen. So basically a fish can be suffocated! Nitrites occur naturally in an aquarium as the result of the denitrification process. (ammonia breaks down and results in nitrites) By reducing ammonia levels you will have an effect on nitrites as well. The more fish you have in the aquarium the more nitrite you will have. Having a larger tank and less fish helps with this immensely!

Nitrate

Nitrate is the final step in the denitrification process. It is created when the nitrite in your tank has been broken down by the beneficial bacteria or by actions associated with plants or algae. Nitrate is not harmful to fish, and there are no ill effects linked to its presence in the aquarium. It is best to keep it at levels under 40 ppm, which can be done with routine water changes.

Water Hardness

Water Hardness is determined by the presence of dissolved minerals in it. Thus being called Hard water. Water with fewer minerals is soft water. Goldfish do fine in either.

Density

Density refers to the amount of salt in the water. Goldfish will not survive in salt water for any length of time. However, adding a small amount of salt to the tank will not kill your fish! It is stated that it will perk up the immune system. You should only use freshwater aquarium salt for this.

Chlorine and Chloramines

Chlorine and Chloramines in the water are not suitable for your fish. There are many products available to remove these. I recommend using Kordon's Aquarium NovAqua or Kordon's Aquarium AmQuel. They remove Ammonia and Toxic Metals and Chlorine. Chloramine can be removed by aerating the water for longer days or by using a chlorine remover with a zeolite or zeolite/carbon filter.

Aeration

Aeration is a way of increasing the oxygen that your fish will receive. It directly benefits the fish as well as aids the nitrification of waste products. It can be completed during the actual filtration process or with an airstone or diffuser. This allows the oxygen to diffuse into the water and waste gases such as ammonia to diffuse out. You can purchase airstones or bubble wands very cheaply and they will keep the water's surface agitated and keep it from going stale.

Misc Water Problems

Cloudy Water

Cloudy Water may be caused by fish wastes, dead fish, food(see stories below), or plant life. It may be caused by overfeeding. You will want to make a partial water change of 25%. If the tank is newly set up you may experience this condition. This is caused from floating silts from the gravel. You will want to maintain a good filtration system and use carbon to remove the floating matter.

The information below was sent to me by Lorett

Yesterday I came across your site while searching for cloudy water remedies.. The water in my 20 gallon goldfish tank has been cloudy since the day I bought it and set it up approx. 4 months ago. I have tried to be a good fish mom and have done the suggested weekly maintanence. I would do the 20-25% water change once a week and the water was still cloudy ( milky white ), after a month of this and no sign of the water quality increasing I began toatally emptying the tank...cleaning it completely including removing stones and rinsing them. After 3 days or so the water in the tank would be milky white again..after a week the water would be so bad I could barely see the fish at the back of the tank..( I have been doing complete water changes approx. every four days for the last 3 months.) I emptied it again on Wednesday night ( the 27th of May ) This time I did something different... the only thing I could think of.. I changed the food.. I had been feeding the fish " NUTRAFIN MAX Goldfish Color Enhancing Pellets" They are pink in color and the feces was easily found against the green gravel. I decided to feed them some of the flake food that had been given to me " NUTRIFIN MAX Goldfish Flake Food" ... It is now Sunday the 3rd of June and the water is still as clear as it was on Wednesday.. Apparently I have finally found the problem.. In all the sites I have viewed no one ever mentioned that cloudy water could be caused by the food itself.. it was always rotting leftover food or excess fecal matter and the way it effected the Ph balance . Whatever the difference is between the flakes and the pellets, there is something in the pellets that reacts with the water, whether it be when it is still in pellet or fecal matter form.. I will keep you posted as to how this story turns out.. You may consider editing this ( very long winded message) and posting it on your site so other new fish parents can learn that their cloudy water might be caused from something as simple as the wrong food. By the way, I have bookmarked your site and will be viewing it often, I found many items of interest and have learned a lot in the last couple of days.. Thank You for the very obvious and extensive research and time you have put towards this site.. it is fantastic. Loretta from Guelph, Ontario Canada

Hello,

I found a letter from Loretta on your site. I sent her the email below. Thought you might like to know that pink pellets certainly do effect tank water! I think maybe the smaller tanks are effected more. Thank you for your site. My problem is solved!

Purrlcat

My email to Loretta:

Hi,

I read your letter (to a goldfish site) about milky water in the goldfish tank. You found out it was pink fishfood pellets causing the problem! Thank you!

I have recently changed my goldfish from a 55 gal to a 20 gal. The water turned milky and I couldn't figure out why, so I started searching for an answer on Goldfish websites. And I found your letter of your experience. Then I remembered: a few weeks ago, I found some extra pink pellets around the house and mixed them in with some green pellets I had been using. It didn't effect the water in the big tank, but as soon as I switched to the smaller tank - milky white water! So, after reading your letter, I picked out a bunch of pink pellets and threw them away and fed only green pellets last night (8 Sept.). The water is almost cleared up already today! Thanx for the tip. No more pink pellets! Purrlcat

After several months of white cloudy water and many partial water changes, I stepped back to review what I have been doing that may have caused this problem. I recalled buying a large container of fish food,Nutrafin Max Goldfish flake food, on sale that I have not tried before. Thinking this could be it, as was taking down my 55gal and transferred my gold fish into a 20 gal and the first day everything was fine and the water was nice and clear. The second day I fed the fish Nutrafin Max Goldfish Flake Food and within hours noticed the water was white and cloudy again and there was a sour smell to the tank. I went to your website and saw that another person had the same problem with the same brand of food. I did a 25% water change and switched foods and the problem seems to be solved. To other goldfish users--heed the warnings and if your tank is cloudy, switch foods! sent in by Heather

Another cloudy water story

I appreciate reading all the information on this website. It has helped me to manage my 29 gallon goldfish tank this past winter.

Cloudy water has been my biggest challenge. I have two filters going, one the original filter that came with the tank (the Walmart kit) and a Aqua Clear 200 filter with sponge, charcoal and ammonia media bags that are changed once a month. I have been doing 30% water changes (cleaning the gravel with a siphon),on a weekly basis and still struggling with a cloudy tank. I have solved the problem, finally, and this is what I did. My problem was due to a lack of understanding of goldfish habits. I discovered that after feeding my fish, they proceeded to root around in the substrate until every last scrap of food was found and eaten, sucking on the stones and throwing them aside in their search for food particles that fell into the gravel. In doing this, they also stirred up the gravel and disturbed the bacteria action that was going on down there (the source of the cloudy tank). I now call this habit goldfish "housecleaning". Here is how I corrected the problem and now enjoy a crystal clear tank from one water change to the next.

1. I removed all but a thin layer of gravel on the bottom of the tank so more of the bacteria action happens in the filter instead of in the gravel.

2. I feed the fish only twice a day, morning and night. This gives the filter more time to process the particles that are sucked into it during the goldfish housecleaning period.

3. Every night before I turn off the aquarium light I stir the substrate with a long-handled spoon to loosen the waste particles and bacteria working on them. By morning the tank is crystal clear and there is much less particulate lifted into the water after the fish have been fed when they do their "housecleaning".

4. I place a very thin layer of polywool between the last two layers of media in the aquaclear filter, which I change daily in the morning, when I feed the fish. The polywool filters out all the fine particles that the filter misses with just the media bags and sponge. This is so effective in filtering out the fine particles and producing crystal clear water that it must be changed often in order that the filter doesn't plug up and overflow.

5.The result is a crystal clear show quality tank and some very contented goldfish!

Barb Tougas

Rocky Mountain House, AB

email: ubtougas@teluplanet.net

Sour Water

Sour Water may smell bad and be cloudy. It could be caused by rotten food or an imbalance caused by the use of strong drugs in the tank. Do a 25% water change.

Dirty Water

Dirty Water could be from the excess waste of fish, or overfeeding. You would want to do a 25% water change. When you are viewing your tank and see food particles or waste in the water your water is dirty and needs to be cleaned! When you stir the gravel and debris begins lifting and floating around you are need of a water change.

Yellow Water

Yellow Water may be caused from fish wastes or decayed food. The fish may be darting around and gasping. You will want to do a 25% water change and check your pH.

Cleaning your aquarium

Water Changes this is a routine part of maintaining a healthy environment for your fish. I would suggest looking at the variety of options available to remove the debris and waste from the gravel bed. There are many types of vacumn systems available that do a great job. You need to remove approximately 25% of the water each cleaning. This should be done every week if you have a 10 gallon and every 2 weeks if you have a 20 gallon. I would recommend at least a monthly cleaning on 55 gallons and larger (even bi-monthly cleanings would be better). This keeps the ammonia levels from surging to high and helps control the waste and debris that accumulates in the tank bottom. Helps the overall water conditions for you fish!