Andre
03-11-2009, 10:53 PM
he Arowana tank water looks clear but the ammonia stench from it is rather strong! What should I do?
The number one cause of illness or disease in Arowanas is poor water quality. Poor tank water conditions stress and compromise the health of new or young fish as well as adults and long-term occupants. While maintaining a healthy tank sounds like a given to any serious aquarium keeper, good water care habits fall by the wayside all too often with established tanks.
Think you’re doing OK since your tank looks clear and your fish appears healthy? Think again. Fish survival and water clarity do not serve as accurate indicators of water quality. Numerous dissolved toxic substances can be present in crystal clear water. PH and temperature fluctuations do not affect clarity, either.
Unfortunately, poor water quality can take a physical toll on an Arowana so swiftly, it may be too late before you notice any signs of stress. In other instances, Arowanas may adapt to slowly deteriorating conditions. They may manage to survive until the overwhelming stress leads to “sudden” illness or disease.
The only way to accurately gauge water quality is through regular water testing. The best way to prevent water quality problems is to ensure you have adequate filtration and follow a regular water maintenance and tank cleaning schedule.
Water Testing for Quality Control
Water testing should be performed a minimum of once per week. The more often you test your water, the more likely you are to detect a problem early on. Treating water problems before they reach dangerous levels is crucial to preventing stress. It is much simpler to diagnose and remedy small water quality problems than to treat compounded, crises-level conditions.
Your water testing regimen should involve measuring levels of ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH. You should also monitor tank water temperature closely.
• Ammonia is highly toxic to Arowanas and no measurable amount should be considered acceptable. Ammonia is produced by fish excrement, excess food, and other sources of decaying organic matter. Ammonia is continually released into any tank and processed by beneficial bacteria. Measurable levels of ammonia may indicate over-feeding, over-crowding, excessive waste buildup, or inadequate biological filtration.
• Nitrite is also extremely toxic and no amount is considered safe. Ammonia is converted to nitrite within tanks, so nitrite buildup commonly follows a spike in ammonia level. It is also indicative of over-feeding or overcrowding, or inadequate or malfunctioning filtration systems.
• Nitrate is the final product of the nitrogen cycle within the tank. It is formed when nitrite is oxidized by bacteria. It is far less toxic to Arowanas than ammonia or nitrite, and fish can tolerate slowly elevating nitrate levels. Sudden nitrate spikes combined with decreased oxygenation levels can result in nitrate shock. Ideally, nitrate should be kept at or below 25 mg/L.
• pH is the acidity or baseness of the water. The maximum acidity of tank water is 1, while the maximum baseness is 14. Arowanas kept at between 6.5 to 7 pH will experience the least stress.
• Water temperature should read between 24C (77F) to 30C (86F) for your Arowana to thrive. Check temperature at various times of the day to detect the effects of sunlight or lamps. Use two thermometers in separate areas of the tank for the most accurate reading. Remember that heaters are small appliances that can and do malfunction and fail.
Your water test kits must be kept in excellent condition to provide accurate readings. They should be used within six months or discarded. Discard testing materials that are old or may have been contaminated.
Improving Water Quality
Water quality is best improved with a slow, methodical approach. It is essential that you identify and correct whatever is causing the water quality problem. Quick fixes or chemical cures or correctives rarely help long term. Many such products only make things worse and may interfere with accurate testing. For the benefit of your Arowana, it is best to learn to correct problems by improving water quality rather than quickly altering its chemical makeup.
To your success,
The number one cause of illness or disease in Arowanas is poor water quality. Poor tank water conditions stress and compromise the health of new or young fish as well as adults and long-term occupants. While maintaining a healthy tank sounds like a given to any serious aquarium keeper, good water care habits fall by the wayside all too often with established tanks.
Think you’re doing OK since your tank looks clear and your fish appears healthy? Think again. Fish survival and water clarity do not serve as accurate indicators of water quality. Numerous dissolved toxic substances can be present in crystal clear water. PH and temperature fluctuations do not affect clarity, either.
Unfortunately, poor water quality can take a physical toll on an Arowana so swiftly, it may be too late before you notice any signs of stress. In other instances, Arowanas may adapt to slowly deteriorating conditions. They may manage to survive until the overwhelming stress leads to “sudden” illness or disease.
The only way to accurately gauge water quality is through regular water testing. The best way to prevent water quality problems is to ensure you have adequate filtration and follow a regular water maintenance and tank cleaning schedule.
Water Testing for Quality Control
Water testing should be performed a minimum of once per week. The more often you test your water, the more likely you are to detect a problem early on. Treating water problems before they reach dangerous levels is crucial to preventing stress. It is much simpler to diagnose and remedy small water quality problems than to treat compounded, crises-level conditions.
Your water testing regimen should involve measuring levels of ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH. You should also monitor tank water temperature closely.
• Ammonia is highly toxic to Arowanas and no measurable amount should be considered acceptable. Ammonia is produced by fish excrement, excess food, and other sources of decaying organic matter. Ammonia is continually released into any tank and processed by beneficial bacteria. Measurable levels of ammonia may indicate over-feeding, over-crowding, excessive waste buildup, or inadequate biological filtration.
• Nitrite is also extremely toxic and no amount is considered safe. Ammonia is converted to nitrite within tanks, so nitrite buildup commonly follows a spike in ammonia level. It is also indicative of over-feeding or overcrowding, or inadequate or malfunctioning filtration systems.
• Nitrate is the final product of the nitrogen cycle within the tank. It is formed when nitrite is oxidized by bacteria. It is far less toxic to Arowanas than ammonia or nitrite, and fish can tolerate slowly elevating nitrate levels. Sudden nitrate spikes combined with decreased oxygenation levels can result in nitrate shock. Ideally, nitrate should be kept at or below 25 mg/L.
• pH is the acidity or baseness of the water. The maximum acidity of tank water is 1, while the maximum baseness is 14. Arowanas kept at between 6.5 to 7 pH will experience the least stress.
• Water temperature should read between 24C (77F) to 30C (86F) for your Arowana to thrive. Check temperature at various times of the day to detect the effects of sunlight or lamps. Use two thermometers in separate areas of the tank for the most accurate reading. Remember that heaters are small appliances that can and do malfunction and fail.
Your water test kits must be kept in excellent condition to provide accurate readings. They should be used within six months or discarded. Discard testing materials that are old or may have been contaminated.
Improving Water Quality
Water quality is best improved with a slow, methodical approach. It is essential that you identify and correct whatever is causing the water quality problem. Quick fixes or chemical cures or correctives rarely help long term. Many such products only make things worse and may interfere with accurate testing. For the benefit of your Arowana, it is best to learn to correct problems by improving water quality rather than quickly altering its chemical makeup.
To your success,