Water Quality in Freshwater Aquariums.?

Question

1.Alkalinity
2.Ph
3.Chlorine
4.Nitrate
5.Nitrite
6.Ammonia

I need to know what each of these things is.
I need to know how they relate to each other.
I need to know what would make them increase or decrease in a fresh water aqurium.
I need to know how to keep these at normal levels.

Answer 1

In a little different order:

4, 5, 6): All are a result of the wastes of your fish and decomposition/decay of excess food or dying leaves from plants, decomposing driftwood, dead fish & organisms that aren't removed from the tank. The first produced is ammonia, which is what you get when protein is digested or decays. Bacteria in your tank will use this an their energy source and convert it to nitrite. A different group of bacteria will use the nitrite and convert it to nitrate. Ammonia and nitrite are harmful to fish because they interfere with the absorption and use of dissolved oxygen in the water - that's why one of the symptoms for ammonia and nitrite poisoning is gasping at the surface - even though there may be plenty of oxygen in your tank, the fish isn't able to use it as efficiently as it would be able to otherwise. Ammonia and nitrite begin to stress fish around 0.5 ppm, while fish can tolerate nitrate to 40ppm. Nitrate is a plant fertilizer, so if this isn't removed from your tank with regular water changes, you may be in store for an algae outbreak. Depending on where you live, there may be some amount of nitrate in your tap water, so if you have an algae problem, test your tap water as well as your tank: http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm

3) Chlorine is something added by your water company as a way to chemically "sterilize" your drinking water. It's effectiveness is related to how long it's in your water. It will kill microorganisms after a short exposure, but it also dissapates in 24 hours, so it won't do anything harmful after that amount of time. That's why you often hear to let water sit out 24 hours before you use it. The only thing is, many water companies are now using chloramine (a molecule that combines chlorine and ammonia) because it lasts much longer. So it's no longer safe to assume that you can use water just because it has sat out for 24 hours. You can't just use any water conditioner to remove it either - if you use a product that's only meant for chlorine, or one that only says it "breaks the chloramine bond", these release the ammonia into your tank, and your fish may get a fatal amount in the exposure. Call your water provider to see which they use, then choose the appropriate product that will "remove" or "neutralize" the chemical they add: http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/chlor.htm

1 & 2) Alkalinity and pH are related. By definition pH is the measurement of the acidiity in your tank. The scale runs 0 to 14 with 7 being neutral. Numbers below 7 are "acidic" and numbers above are "basic". A change from one number to the next is sequence changes the acidity by a factor of 10. So 6 is ten times as acidic as 7. A value of 5 is 100 times as acidic as 7 (10 x 10), 4 is 1,000 times as acidic (10 x 10 x 10). For number above 7, each change is ten times "less acidic". Although most people think of 7 as the "ideal" for their tank, fish are able to adapt and live quite well in a range from 6 to 8.5 You do more damage trying to change the pH when it is usually unnecessary than to just allow the fish some extra time to adjust to your water and keeping the pH at a stable level. The only exceptions would be fish such as discus, some of the African cichlids, and saltwater where specific ranges should be established: http://www.firsttankguide.net/ph.php

Alkalinity is a measure of the the ability of the water to neutralize an acid. Unlike the term "basic" which is only pH values above 7, alkalinity can be present in pH levels down to 4.5 Some alkalinity is good in your tank, since it prevents the pH from changing too rapidly.

Answer 2

1, alkalinity, is the amount of salt in the water. Correct me if I am wrong

2, pH, the amount of hidrgoen ions in the tank's water

3. Chlorine, this is what people use to take out all the bacteria out of the tap water so if people drink it, it wouldn't harm us in any way.

4. Nitrate, this is the last production period of the cycling and plants consume these food

5. nitrite, this is the second stage of the ammoia/nitrite/nitrate cycling.

6, this is what chemicals comes out of the fish

...............
1, Alkalinity would be increased by ocean salt
2. pH can be raised by oyster shells and decreased by driftwood or peat
3. Chlorine is only neurtalized in aquariums
4. Nitrate is decreased by live plants consuming them and by water changes.
5 and 6. Nitrite and ammonia can be decreased by water changes or aquarium establishedment it can be increased by over feeding or overstocking a tank.
----
Normal Levels:
1. Use a hydrometer to mesure SG
2 4 5 6, are to be kept at normal rates by water changes.

Answer 3

You can find the answers to all your water questions here: http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/Basic_Aquarium_Principles.html

Navigate your way all through this site and you'll have all you need to know!

Good luck!!! ;o)