Pet Tips: New Tank Syndrome
New Tank Syndrome
(Photo by ©iStockphoto.com/cornelius30)
Is your water hazy, cloudy, or looks rather gray. This is a problem confronting most aquarium hobbyist, which can be fixed with patience and knowledge of the aquarium water cycle. What most novices don’t comprehend is the co-existing bacteria life that exist in their tank along with their fish. Bacteria that is necessary to breakdown the ammonia produced by the aquarium inhabitants.
The bacteria build up in an aquarium is what actually produces the hazy, gray look of the water in the aquarium, and is most common within 3 to 4 weeks of setting up a tank, adding new fish, and or death of a inhabitant within the aquarium. Even excessive water changes can produce this outcome, as essentially you will be resetting the bacteria levels contained in the water.
To reduce the chance of this happening to you:
- Make sure your filtration is rated for your aquarium size.
- Add an under gravel air filter. (In most cases, this will greatly improve the quality of the water in the tank as it helps the bacteria colonize within the gravel)
- Check to make sure all your inhabitants are accounted for. One dead fish can through off the bacteria level.
- Introduce fish in to the aquarium over a period of time. A few every month will allow the water to adjust. Adding fish to quickly before sufficient bacteria buildup, can produce a toxic environment.
- Do partial water changes of about 25-30% every other week.
- If you have the sufficient lighting, purchase plants. These are natural filters that can also help keep your bacteria levels down. Caution: If you do not have the correct lighting to maintain the plant health, plants will also discolor the water as they wither.
If you have done the above and are still having the same problem, you may have to much inhabitants for your tank. You might consider getting a bigger aquarium or reducing the amount of inhabitants in the tank.
To learn more about the water cycle please read: Nitrogen Cycle: The Key to Biological Filtration
