Main Problems Of An Aquarium

Having fish and an aquarium has always had a certain charm. We are talking about animals that are relatively easy to manage, immersed in an environment that reproduces their natural habitat. Yet, there are those who immerse themselves in the world of aquarists without fully knowing the main problems associated with having an aquarium.

Controlled marine ecosystems can have drawbacks that can endanger the life of your fish. Some of these are well known, but their solution is still not easy.

The important thing is to learn to deal with these situations to safeguard the life of our small animals. The target? Have an aquarium that is healthy.

High concentration of ammonia

This is a problem whose appearance is not easy to notice. Even when the water contains a high percentage of ammonia, in fact, the liquid remains the same color and there are no visible variations in the ecosystem. However, fish are in grave danger of poisoning when this happens.

Ammonia increases when we first fill the aquarium. For this it is advisable to wait two or three weeks before throwing in the fish. Similarly, however, ammonia can increase when we do not change the water or when there are problems with the filter.

The best way to prevent this from happening is to change a little water every certain amount of time while keeping the filter active. If a fish dies, or if we put too many specimens in the aquarium, this unwanted phenomenon is likely to happen.

Unwanted algae

Having marine plants is a good idea, but if all of a sudden you see algae appear on their own, it’s not a good sign. The main cause of this phenomenon is a high concentration of phosphate, or an overexposure of the aquarium to sunlight.

Tap water sometimes contains high amounts of phosphate which eventually settle in standing water. To prevent this, the first thing to do is a test to detect how high the levels of this compound are.

If we want the algae to disappear, there are two practical alternatives that can help us in the long run : the first is to catch fish and other animals that eat algae, the second is to place marine plants in the aquarium. The latter are very useful in the absorption of phosphate.

Green colored water

This is one of the main problems of an aquarium. In fact, more than a drawback it is the consequence of a phenomenon just mentioned: the appearance of algae. To be more precise, it is the algae that float in the water that color the aquarium green.

There are specific products to be used to ensure that these residues settle directly on the bottom of the aquarium. Still, the best solution is to attack at the source what causes the appearance of algae: high concentration of phosphate, sunlight, etc.

Placing the aquarium in a place where sunlight does not reach directly can prevent this situation.

Aquarium mushrooms

Among the main problems of an aquarium, we find the appearance of fungi. These directly affect the fish, attaching themselves to their mouth and other parts of the body. Also, you can easily see them because they fleck your pets’ scales with white.

This inconvenience could be categorized as a real disease. The best way to avoid them is with good hygiene habits: changing water, cleaning the filter, etc.

There are antibiotics given in drops that can cure fish from this ailment.

Bad smell is one of the main problems of an aquarium

This is one of the most common problems in an aquarium, and many people have encountered it at least once. In general, the smell is caused by overeating or the presence of too many fish compared to the size of the aquarium.

Solutions depend on the source of the problem. The wisest thing to do is to buy a larger tank if we have increased the number of fish. But we also need to keep things like overeating or its quality under control.

Other actions, such as changing the filter carbon or replacing the water, can alleviate the situation. When cleaning the aquarium, we must be careful of excessive use of soap, especially on the decorative elements of the ecosystem. This, in fact, instead of helping, could end up poisoning our fish and removing useful microorganisms.

Other problems, such as the water turning brown, are due to the immersion of pieces of log in the marine habitat. The logical conclusion of all these inconveniences is that they are mainly caused by a lack of care and attention towards the aquarium.