Tag: water quality tests

How Often Should Water Quality Tests Be Done In Aquariums or Fish Ponds?

Post author By GoldfishCare
Post date March 9, 2011

Water quality tests in aquariums or fish ponds should be done as much as necessary. Goldfish and other types of fish require clean water to live a long healthy life and you are the only one that can provide that for your pet fish. There are several factors that will influence how often you should be testing your water quality in fish tanks and garden ponds.

1. Do you have a newly set up aquarium or fish pond?
2. Is this an established fish tank or pond?
3. Is your pond or aquarium overstocked with fish?
4. Has any fish recently died in your fish tank that would cause concern?
5. Do you notice a smell to the water or your aquarium or pond is cloudy?

If your aquarium or garden pond has just been set up it will take some time for it to cycle. Your aquarium or pond needs time for the beneficial bacteria to develop and grow to be able to break down fish waste. This is known as the nitrogen cycle. During the cycling process is when ammonia an nitrite levels will rise that can stress and even kill your fish. It’s very important that you test the water quality daily for fish tanks and ponds that have been newly set up. Do water quality tests for not just ammonia and nitrite but pH and nitrate too.

Remember just because the water quality is clear doesn’t mean it’s safe for your fish. Water quality tests need to be apart of your regular maintenance schedule. If you have an established aquarium, water quality tests should be done at least once a week unless you notice fish showing signs of stress, you’ve recently has some fish die, the water smells or has become cloudy. If you notice any of these above you need to test your water quality immediately. Fish tanks should never be overstocked, if you do you will need to test the water quality more frequently, do more water changes and maintenance.

For fish ponds you should test your water quality every 1-2 weeks. The reason for this is that you have a bigger volume of water, you have more space for your fish to live and grow and you have pond plants such as water lilies and marginals that will help filter your pond. This will help keep your water quality perfect and safe for your fish. If however you overstock your garden pond with fish, you don’t have an adequate filter system and you have no pond plants or water lilies, you will need to test your water quality more frequently. Water plants are excellent for pond filtration and pond owners should aim to have their pond 70% full of pond plants to have crystal clear water and to prevent algae blooms.

When taking care of fish in aquariums or garden ponds water quality tests should be done frequently. Water quality can turn poor quickly if you have an aquarium filter malfunction or if any fish has recently died. Another point to mention is that goldfish are a very dirty fish and create a lot of fish waste. Keep up to date with water changes, water quality checks and maintenance that will help keep your goldfish and other types of fish healthy and disease free.

****Never Overstock Your Aquarium or Garden Pond With Fish****

Sincerely,

Jamie Boyle
The Goldfish Guy
“Helping Goldfish Owners With Advice, Fish Care and Fish Medication Treatments for Goldfish Diseases, Illnesses and Parasites”

Tags aquarium tests, Fish Pond, Goldfish, goldfish care, pond water quality tests, testing water, Water Gardens and Ponds, water quality tests

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How To Lower Nitrite Levels In Goldfish Aquariums and Garden Ponds?

Post author By GoldfishCare
Post date March 7, 2011
2 Comments on How To Lower Nitrite Levels In Goldfish Aquariums and Garden Ponds?

You should really only notice nitrite levels being high in new aquariums or small garden ponds that have newly been set up. As I’ve mentioned before in other blog posts is that it takes time for the nitrogen cycle to start working. It can take up to 4 weeks to properly cycle a new fish tank.

If you are experiencing high levels of nitrite in your goldfish aquarium or pond what you will need to do is make sure your goldfish are not showing any signs of stress. You really need to carefully observe your goldfish or any other types of fish you have in your aquarium. High levels of nitrite is extremely deadly! Nitrite can and will poison your fish and kill them quick.

Large Oranda Goldfish in Aquarium

If you do notice your goldfish are showing signs of stress you will need to lower your nitrite levels in your aquarium or garden pond. What you can do is perform a 25 – 30% water change immediately. This will reduce and dilute the presence of nitrite in your fish tank. After you do this I would also add aquarium salt to your aquarium right away. Aquarium salt will neutralize the toxicity of nitrite making it not harmful for your goldfish. Simply add 1 teaspoon of aquarium salt per every gallon of water. Lots of aquarium owners fail to realize is that aquarium salt helps fish in many ways and helps heal fish. All aquarium and pond owners should have on hand some aquarium or pond salt as you never know when you might need it.

If however your goldfish are not showing signs of stress and this is a newly set up aquarium or pond, just leave it! It will take some time for it to cycle and develop all the beneficial bacteria. Once the tank is cycled and there is an abundance of beneficial bacteria it will break down the nitrite forming nitrate which is relatively harmless to fish. During this time that your aquarium is being cycled make sure you regularly test your water quality for nitrite and record the readings. Recording the readings will show you if the nitrite is lowering. Always observe your fish and be ready to do an immediate water change if your goldfish are showing any signs of stress. High nitrite levels need to be taken very serious as it can quickly kill all your fish if you fail to act promptly.

Sincerely,

Jamie Boyle
The Goldfish Guy
“Helping Goldfish Owners With Advice, Fish Care and Fish Medication Treatments for Goldfish Diseases, Illnesses and Parasites”

How To Raise or Lower pH Levels in Goldfish Tanks and Aquariums?

Post author By GoldfishCare
Post date February 27, 2011

Having an aquarium involves regular maintenance such as water quality tests and you should know how to raise or lower pH levels in fish tanks if need be. Overtime your pH in your aquarium will lower and you will need to raise it depending on the type of fish you have. Certain species of fish like the water more of a acidic pH while others like the pH to be more alkaline. Aquarium owners should test their water quality at least once a week not only for pH but for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate.

Sometimes your water will get cloudy in your fish tank and you will know right off the bat that something is wrong. There are also times where the water is crystal clear and the water chemistry is at seriously dangerous levels for fishkeeping. You can’t tell just by looking at the water. I know it would be nice if we could, but we can’t. If you notice your goldfish showing signs of stress, testing the water quality should be the first thing you do. The more goldfish you have in your aquarium, the more waste is produced which will lower the pH if you don’t keep up with regular water changes.

Goldfish Tank, Aquarium With Large Goldfish and Koi

How To Raise pH Levels In Fish Tanks or Aquariums?

If you notice that your pH is low or acidic after testing your water quality you will need to raise your pH. In order to do so you will need to have some sodium bicarbonate also known as baking soda on hand. This is the regular stuff you buy right from your grocery store. Simply add 1 teaspoon of baking soda per 10 gallons of water. It’s always best to not change the pH too drastically as it can stress out the fish even more. If your pH was off quite a bit do it on a gradual basis until your reach the recommended pH based on the species of fish you have in your aquarium. Neutral pH is what you should be looking to have for goldfish tanks.

How To Lower pH Levels In Fish Tanks or Aquariums?

In order to lower pH levels you will need to buy some sodium biphosphate which you can buy right from your local pet store or online as well. To lower the pH simply add 1 teaspoon of sodium biphosphate per 10 gallons of water. More is not better when your dealing with changing water quality for fish. My rule of thumb is put less then re-test to see what the reading is and then add more if need be to get it within the acceptable pH range.

If you keep up with performing regular water changes, aquarium maintenance such as cleaning of the aquarium gravel and filters you shouldn’t have an issue with pH. If you do however you will now know how to lower and raise pH levels in your aquarium so that your goldfish can live a long healthy life.

Sincerely,

Jamie Boyle
The Goldfish Guy