| Any article you read on keeping an aquarium will | | | | methemoglobin. The blood is then rendered unable to |
| emphasize the necessity of maintaining a clean tank. | | | | carry oxygen. Symptoms of nitrate poisoning are tan |
| This is because the most common killers of fish | | | | or brown gills, rapid gill movement, listlessness, and |
| come partially from an unclean tank and sneak up on | | | | again you will see fish near the water's surface |
| your fish silently. Regular maintenance of your | | | | gasping for air. To treat your fish for nitrate |
| aquarium will help prevent the three major killers of | | | | poisoning, do a large water change (75-100%), Add |
| freshwater aquarium fish from making an appearance. | | | | salt (preferably chlorine salt), reduce feeding, and |
| The number one killer is ammonia poisoning. Ammonia | | | | increase aeration. The salt idea sounds strange for a |
| poisoning occurs when ammonia levels in the water | | | | freshwater aquarium, but surprisingly salt prevents |
| rise. This usually happens when you set up a new | | | | methemoglobin from building up. As always, there are |
| tank, or when a mechanical filter fails, or when | | | | cautionary steps you can take to prevent nitrate |
| colonies of good bacteria die due to fish medications | | | | poisoning from occurring. The preventative actions |
| or changes in the water chemistry. The symptoms of | | | | you should take for nitrate poisoning are actually the |
| ammonia poisoning on your fish are: purple or red gills, | | | | same as they are for ammonia poisoning. Clean your |
| fish go to the surface gasping for air, lethargy, loss | | | | tank, clean your tank, clean you tank! |
| of appetite, fish lying at the bottom of the tank, and | | | | Finally, the most common killer or freshwater |
| red streaks on their fins or body. To treat for this | | | | aquarium fish is algae. Algae is the greenish fog that |
| disease, bring the water's pH balance to 7.0 or lower, | | | | appears in the aquarium's water. Algae grow when an |
| change 25-50% of the water, discontinue or reduce | | | | excess of nutrients is provided. Over growths of |
| feeding so less waste is created and use chemicals | | | | algae can occur when a light is left on, by |
| to neutralize ammonia. There are steps for | | | | overfeeding the fish, and not changing the water in |
| prevention you can take to make sure this never | | | | the tank. To treat for overgrowth of algae, change |
| happens again. Stock a new tank slowly and do not | | | | 100% of the water and clean the tank. This can be |
| introduce too many new fish at once. Test the | | | | prevented by feeding the fish sparingly, changing and |
| water regularly, especially when adding new fish, | | | | cleaning the tank on a regular basis, getting snails or |
| medicate sick fish and repair your filter quickly when | | | | crabs that eat algae, and by having plants in your |
| failure occurs. You can probably guess the final | | | | aquarium so they soak up nutrients. |
| prevention advice -remove uneaten food and change | | | | The need to keep a clean fish tank can not be |
| water regularly! | | | | stressed enough. Keep your fish healthy and your |
| After ammonia levels elevate, nitrate levels follow. | | | | aquarium pretty - the number one preventative |
| This causes nitrate poisoning in your fish. Nitrate | | | | measure for the major killers of your freshwater |
| poisoning is also referred to as "brown blood disease." | | | | aquarium fish is to maintain a clean aquarium! |
| A fish's blood turns brown because of an increase in | | | | |