When you are setting up an aquarium, don't forget about water testing. In fact, this is one of the most important aspects of maintaining an aquarium. Before you ever place fish in your aquarium, set it up with water for several days, and start the important nitrogen cycle with a product like Ecobio-Block. During this setup period it is crucial to test the water daily to monitor the cycle. As the cycle begins you will first see an ammonia spike, and then a nitrite spike as the ammonia is converted to nitrite by beneficial bacteria. Both steps will show up on water quality tests.

After adding the fish, monitor the water chemistry daily for the first few weeks. You can shift to weekly testing if all proves well in your aquarium. Testing can be done in aquarium supply stores but for your convenience, you can just buy a water test kit and do the testing yourself.

There are many testing kits to choose from in aquarium supply stores. There are test strips that you just dip in the water to test for pH, ammonia, nitrites, water hardness, nitrates and other water quality indicators. They change color after a few minutes and you consult the guide that comes with the test kit, to tell you whether the colors indicate the water quality.

Although the testing kits appear convenient, they are unfortunately often not reliable. You can however purchase the more conclusive test kits that include a test tube. You will also need to have a thermometer to keep track of the water temperature.

The health of your fish depends a lot on the quality of water so regular monitoring is a must. You need to make the necessary adjustments and additions to your aquarium to keep the water healthy.

Healthy pH level is around 6 or 7 for most fish, but they will generally tolerate a fairly wide range of pH. Any decor, food or medication added can change the pH level in your aquarium. You can increase or reduce the pH to healthier levels by adding some chemicals. A natural, but much slower approach will be to add driftwood or peat for more acidic water or a lime rock if you want more alkaline.

High levels of ammonia are lethal to your fish. You can help to reduce ammonia levels by doing a partial water change. Nitrite levels ideally should be close to zero. If nitrite levels are rising, add beneficial bacteria to convert them into less toxic nitrates.

What will work more quickly to establish a good bacteria colony is the Ecobio-Block. This can control the levels of organic waste in the aquarium for long periods of time and keep your aquarium clear and your fish healthy.

Regular aquarium water testing is the only way to ensure that you maintain a healthy water environment for your fish.

Leonard Boyler has been keeping fish for more than 20 years. His favorite products make aquarium care and maintenance very easy from start up to clearing up cloudy aquariums. To find out more about having an aquarium with clear water and healthy fish please visit ONEdersave.com.

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Written by Leonard Boyler using tags: aquarium, Fish, Pets