Half Moon Betta

Once you’ve set up your fish tank aquarium you can take pleasure in your new hobby. Taking care of a fish tank is fairly easy, however a number of problems may come up, especially in recently set up aquariums. It may all appear OK for a while then slowly algae starts to develop and take over the aquarium, the fish start to die and your lovely, new aquarium looks nothing like the clear, sparkling fish tanks you see in the pictures. What happened? And more importantly what can you do to set it right?

Please don’t panic and please do not rush off to the pet shop, buy some chemicals and dump them into the aquarium. This will inevitably compound the problems! Another thing that novice fish tank owners often do in a panic is to completely clean out the tank to start over. This is the worse thing to do as the beneficial bacteria that you have managed to culture in the tank will be completely destroyed and you will then have to do the recycling again.

What you do need to do is understand what is going wrong and bit by bit deal with it, without any chemical procedures which will disturb the the aquarium’s balance further.

Increase of Poisonous Chemicals

The worse occurence is sudden fish death. Was the tank cycled correctly before you added the fish? The commonest cause of sudden fish death is a build up of ammonia or nitrites from their waste products. You will need to buy a test kit to see if this is the cause. If you didn’t properly cycle there will be insufficient nitrogen fixing bacteria to cope with with the waste products, especially if you have too many fish.  Is your tank too crowded? This will inevitably put a strain on the bacteria dealing with the waste and lead to an increase in the concentrations of ammonia and nitrite.

Bullying Fish

Have you made sure you have the correct assortment of fish varieties in the tank? A number of fish are no problem when immature but will turn into bullies as they mature. Tiger barbs are notorious for being bullies. Fish that are bullies are best removed from the tank and given away!

Insufficient Water Changes

Have you done partial water changes often enough? Even though nitrites and ammonia are removed by the bacteria, less toxic nitrates are produced. Still ‘less toxic’ is not ‘non toxic’.. When the concentration of nitrates become too high they could cause harm to your fish and they must be removed by a partial water change.

Using Chlorine or Chloramine Contaminated Water

Tap water always be contaminated with chlorine which can be removed by leaving the water standing for a few days. Some authorities also add chloramines which cannot be removed in this way. If your tap water is contaminated with chloramines, or you are not sure, you need to use a chemical to deal with them them before you add the water to the fish tank.

Overfeeding The Fish

Overfeeding is a very common problem, the result of which is uneaten food decaying. This then releases toxic chemicals that add to the burden of the bacteria. The consequence is an abrupt increase in these chemicals that will more than likely cause harm to your fish. When you are feeding tropical fish ensure you give them no more than they can clear up in about three minutes. If you see food sitting on the tank bottom you have overfed them!

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Once you’ve set up and stocked your fish tank aquarium you are ready to take pleasure in your new hobby. Aquarium care is reasonably straight forward, nevertheless a number of problems can sometimes occur, particularly in recently set up fish tank aquariums. Everything looks perfectly OK for a short while then gradually algae starts to develop and take over the tank, your fish start to die and your lovely, new aquarium stops looking like the pristine, sparkling tanks in all the pictures. What went wrong? How can you make it right?

Do not panic and certainly don’t go to the aquarium shop, buy some chemicals and throw them into your aquarium. This will inevitably increase your problems! Another thing that new fish keepers tend to do in a panic is to clean the tank to start over. This is the worse thing to do as the helpful bacteria that you have managed to culture in the tank will be also removed and you will then have to do the recycling again.

You really need to find out what is wrong and gradually put it right, without chemical treatments which may change the balance of your fish tank even more.

Increase of Poisonous Chemicals

The most worrying trouble is the sudden death of your fish. Did you take the time to cycle the tank before before you stocked with fish? The usual cause of fish dying suddenly is a build up of nitrites or ammonia from their waste products. You will need to buy an aquarium test kit to check if this is the problem. If the tank wasn’t properly cycled there won’t be enough of the bacteria to deal with all of these toxic waste products, especially if you have too many fish.  Do you have more than the recommended numbers of fish in the tank? This will inevitably put a strain on the bacteria processing the waste and lead to an increase in the concentrations of nitrite and ammonia.

Fish Bullying

Have you made sure you have the correct combination of fish varieties in the aquarium? A number of fish can be peaceful when young but will turn into bullies as they mature. One example is the Tiger Barb. Bullying fish are best taken out of the tank and given away!

Lack of Water Changes

Have you been partially changing the water at least once a week? Although nitrites and ammonia are processed by the beneficial bacteria, they are converted into nitrates which are less toxic. However nitrates can also cause a problem. Should the levels of nitrates increase too much they could cause harm to your fish and they must be removed by doing a partial water change.

Adding Chlorine or Chloramine Contaminated Water

Water from the tap will always contain be contaminated with chlorine which can be removed by leaving the water to stand for a day or two. Some water authorities sometimes add chloramines which cannot be removed in this way. If your tap water is contaminated with chloramines, or you are not sure, you need to use a chemical to deal with them them before putting the water in the tank.

Overfeeding The Fish

Overfeeding is a frequent problem, that leads to uneaten food decaying. This then causes the release of lethal chemicals that add to the burden of the bacteria. The outcome is a rapid increase in these chemicals that can cause damage to your fish. When feeding tropical fish take care you only give them only enough that they can clear up in about 3 minutes. If you can see food collecting on the bottom of the tank you’ve added too much!

For more information and good deals on fish tank aquarium please visit us at Best Fish Tank Aquariums or Cheap Fish Tanks for Sale