WHY "PURE" WATER IS ACTUALLY BAD FOR YOUR FISH

 THE IDEAL WATER

If you're new to the world of fishkeeping, you might think the key to a healthy aquarium is the purest, cleanest water you can find. It’s a common assumption, but it’s also one of the most dangerous misconceptions for your aquatic pets.

I can't tell you how many times a concerned fish owner has come to me with the same story: "My fish are breathing fast, refusing to eat, and none of the disease treatments are working."

After a few questions, the root cause almost always becomes clear. The problem isn't a strange parasite or a rare illness; it's the water itself. But not in the way you might think. The issue is that the water is too clean.


 THE MYTH OF "PURE" WATER
Many beginners don't realize that "pure, clean water—like distilled, fully desalinated, or even collected rainwater—is highly detrimental and can even be fatal to fish."

Why? Because fish don't live in H₂O alone. They live in a complex, biological soup. Water that has been stripped of all its natural components is biologically barren and unsound. This also applies to standard tap water (or borehole water). While safe for us, it lacks the essential biological building blocks needed to sustain aquatic life.

 Lessons from Nature: How a Stream Comes to Life
To understand what your aquarium needs, look to nature. Think about the source of a stream. For the first few meters after it bubbles up from the ground, the water is crystal clear and contains no life.
It’s only after the newborn stream has made contact with the soil, leaves, and roots—becoming enriched with organic substances, colloids, and humic acids—that the first microorganisms and, eventually, larger creatures appear.

Your aquarium is no different. A newly filled tank is like that lifeless stream source. It looks ready, but it’s not a living ecosystem yet.

The Key to a Healthy Aquarium: The "Cycle"
The goal is to replicate that natural enrichment process. This is achieved through what aquarists call "cycling" the tank.
The most important development during this period is the growth of colonies of beneficial, nitrifying bacteria. These bacteria are the engine of your aquarium’s ecosystem. They are responsible for breaking down fish waste (urine and excrement), converting toxic ammonia into less harmful nitrites, and finally into much safer nitrates.

Source: Buce Plant

Without these bacteria, fish will suffer from water stress, leading to rapid breathing, loss of appetite, illness, and a shorter lifespan.

 How to Get It Right: Two Simple Methods
So, how do you create this ideal, life-supporting water? Here are two effective ways:

1. The Natural Method: After setting up your tank with plants and a filter, allow it to run without any fish for at least one week. This gives time for the water to "mature" and for the first bacteria to begin establishing themselves.

Source: Buce Plant


2. The Quick-Start Method: You can significantly hasten this process by adding about one gallon of "old" water from an established, healthy aquarium to your new tank. This inoculates your fresh water with the necessary nitrifying bacteria, giving your tank’s ecosystem a vital head start.

Source: Swell UK

By ensuring your water is biologically "alive" before introducing your fish, you are creating an environment where they can truly thrive. It’s the single most important step you can take for long-term success and the health of your aquatic pets.

Source: Encyclopedia Britannica

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

HOW TO CLEAN YOUR MINI AQUARIUM.

Image
FAQ: HOW DO I CLEAN MY AQUARIUM WHEN IT GETS DIRTY?                                                    HOW TO CLEAN YOUR MINI AQUARIUM.       Is your mini aquarium dirty? Mini aquariums require a little bit more upkeep than large aquariums because they lack filters.       It is advisable to change half the water of your aquarium once every two weeks and also avoid overfeeding to prevent water pollution.            Changing half the water is quite easy,you just need a small bowl in which you pour half the water of the aquarium into, making sure the fish does not follow in the process but if the fish follows you are safe since it isn't directly into a sink, you can either use a small net or you can improvise using a spoon to get the fish and return into the aquarium.     ...
Read more

AQUARIUM CARE

                  GENERAL HINTS FOR BEGINNERS. When keeping fish in your tank the following essential guidelines should be observed for proper maintenance of the health of the fishes. -   Never overfeed your fishes. - Always keep your tank as clean as possible by removing any uneaten food and introducing as much variety as possible into the diet. - Never over-crowd the aquarium.It is better to have a few fishes in radiant health than many gulping fishes battle-scarred through fighting over inadequate territory. - Never add small fishes into an aquarium that already contains large and well-established fishes unless you have expert knowledge of the nature of both the resident and the new addition. - Always be aware of the following early indications of foiling in the water, frothing  at the water surface, water becoming cloudy, fishes breathing more rapidly than normal water producing fetid odor. - Always check that all fishes ar...
Read more

IMPORTANCE OF NATURAL PLANTS I

                    WHY USE NATURAL PLANTS?       The use of live underwater plants in home aquariums has been fully explained and documented in many advanced countries of the world where the hobby "tropical fish keeping" holds a second place.          Majority of aquarium keepers in the country are fond of using plastic plants rather than real live aquatic plants. This could probably be the major reason for the unending fish deaths, cloudy water and the production of fetid odor from the aquarium water. In an effort to solve these problems I shall endeavour to put before the country's aquarists the true value of natural plants in the aquarium.          One of the most important functions of plants lies in the release of fresh 100% pure oxygen into the tank as a by-product of photosynthesis.           This aids fish-breathing and as a result the a...
Read more