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WATER CONDITIONS MUST BE CAREFULLY MONITORED

All hobbyists should be familiar with the basic water conditions possible, how to detect them, and what steps to take to alter them where necessary.

Acidity/Alkalinity (pH level) . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . This is important for setting up the water conditions necessary for maintaining and breeding tropical fish. While some fish, such as Killifish and Tetra's, prefer acid water, others, such as Livebearers, prefer alkaline water. A community tank is generally best at pH 6.8 to 7.0.

Use a pH test kit in order to regularly measure the waters pH. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pH levels can be altered to your requirements by adding pH adjusted fluid, a ph stabilizer or pH adjuster powder. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pH levels can be altered to your requirements by adding pH adjusted fluid, a ph stabilizer or pH adjuster powder.

Excessive alkalinity or acidity can also be reduced through the use of distilled water or rainwater. It is best, unless extreme water conditions exist, to adapt the fish to the tap water in your community.

Hardness (dH level) . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . Tap water, like natural water varies in hardness from place to place. Hardness consists mainly of the dissolved salts in water, involving primarily the chlorides, sulphides and bicarbonates. Many tropical fish prefer a relatively soft water, with a hardness of less than 8° dH.

Water is generally classified as: . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Soft with less than 8° dH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Medium with.............8° dH to 16° dH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hard with................16° dH to 25° dH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Extremely hard with over......25° dH

Use General and Carbonate Hardness Test kits in order to regulate the water. White deposits at the water line of a tank are a clear sign of high hardness. This hardness can be reduced by regularly replacing part of the water with aged tap water or water to which you have added a water softener agent.

Pollutants . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . The amount of dissolved nitrite and nitrate in the water is a direct indication of the level of water pollution. High pollution levels impair the health of fish and can be lethal. Use a Nitrite and Nitrate Test Kit to check the pollution level in your aquarium. To maintain a low nitrite/nitrate level, it is essential to change part of the water regularly. A mysterious source of death in the aquarium can frequently come from metal poisoning. Heavy metals, copper in particular, can be extremely toxic to fish. Check the plumbing for copper pipes and fittings. If the copper is new, use another source for your water supply. If the copper plumbing is over a year old, you can flush the possible contaminated water out by running the water for three or more minutes before you draw any for use in your aquarium.