Starting Your Own Aquarium

It's fun to start an aquarium at home. Aside from the fact that fish it's really cool to look at the swimming fish in your aquarium, it is also a wonder how fish can survive with just plain water and feeds. Well folks, we know little about the life in an aquarium.

Aside from the aquarium, decorations and the fish, you still have to consider a lot of things when starting your very own aquarium. You have to succeed in copying the natural habitat of your fish so it can survive. With that, you need the aid of a mechanical heater, filter, air pumps covers. light fixtures and you also need to take care of the other organisms living in your aquarium.

Yes, aside from your fish, there are more organisms inhabiting your aquarium. No need to fuss though, because they are all part of the fish's circle of life. They are present too in their natural habitat, so it won't really harm them. Actually, those other organisms are beneficial to your aquarium.

These organisms are called Nitrifying bacteria, they are also known as nitrifiers. They are immediately present after you have effectively set up your cycling tank. These nitrifiers actually act as biological filters in your aquarium. If it weren't for them, your tank will surely be a toxic waste dump. Nitrifiers specifically work on excess ammonia in your tank.

We all know that ammonia is present in the natural habitat of the fish, so we should make sure that it is also present in your own tank; however, if it exceeds the normal amount of ammonia inside your tank, then that can be a problem. We have this situation called "ammonia poisoning", where in the damage to our fish can really be threatening. Ammonia usually targets the tissues of the fish, most especially in the fish's gill and kidney. If this happens, the fish will be physiologically imbalanced and they can be more prone to different diseases. This can even lead to death. Your aquarium needs water bacteria treatment

That is why nitrifiers are very important in our own aquarium. They regulate the amount of ammonia present in our tanks. These nitrifiers will first convert ammonia to a substance called nitrite. Then these nitrites will be then converted again as nitrates. Nitrates can now be used inside the tank.

Nitrifying bacteria actually depends on oxidation. It's a biochemical reaction where in oxygen will be then transporting electrons that was extracted from ammonia or other nitrite compounds. That is why oxygen concentration in our tank is very important. If there is a low oxygen level, that will cause the bacteria to then use nitrite or nitrates which will then reverse the process of nitrifying. Instead of nitrifying, the process will be denitrifying then.

Now that we know how tedious it is to have our own aquarium, we should really make sure that you are decided and willing to do all the preservation needed. We need to do anything to prevent what we call the New Tank Syndrome. As the name itself, tank starters usually fail to establish the cycle in their tank, which will cause the death of their fish.