New Tank Syndrome

Establishing an aquarium is easy if you understand the “nitrogen cycle”. What? It takes about five weeks to get through the nitrogen cycle with a new tank. Once fish are added to the aquarium, the cycle begins:

1. Fish take in oxygen and release carbon dioxide into the water. Also released is a byproduct called ammonia. Ammonia is toxic to fish. It irritates their gills.

2. More ammonia is released into the water as fish eat and produce natural bodily waste. A high concentration of ammonia in aquarium water will make the gills dysfunctional, thus fish will not be able to breathe and will soon die.

3. In new aquariums, the pH of the water is typically too alkaline. This becomes a concern only when ammonia levels increase. The ammonia buildup is compounded if too many fish are added to the tank in the beginning. Also overfeeding contributes greatly. Ask Petland for advice on adjusting pH, and adding the “right number” of a hearty species to begin your tank. One small pinch of food every other day is recommended to start.

4. Bacterial bloom (cloudy water) will occur two to four days after fish are added to the tank. The cloudiness, caused by initial bacterial growth, is not harmful to tank inhabitants and will clear on its own.

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5. During the first week of this biological process, bacteria will begin to grow in the gravel covering the aquarium, and on the carbon, sponge, and floss found inside and outside power filters. This is “good” bacteria – it will consume the toxic ammonia and convert it into nitrite. The buildup of this bacterium will take between one to three weeks before it will be abundant enough to completely detoxify the ammonia in the tank.

6. There will be a significant drop in the ammonia level once the bacteria population is hefty. However, nitrite is also toxic to fish. It hampers the red blood cells in fish from absorbing needed oxygen.

7. A second type of bacteria develops in your tank to convert toxic nitrites into non-toxic nitrates. This bacteria is slow in multiplying, and may take up to five weeks to gain control over the nitrites in the water. Unless nitrate levels become extremely high, your freshwater fish should survive.

8. Now, high levels of nitrates act like fertilizer, producing a carpet of algae on tank floor and walls. Live plants in an aquarium will feed on this fertilizer, helping to reduce nitrate levels and thus reduce algae growth.

9. Stress from the ammonia and nitrites building up in the tank will undoubtedly have some ill effects on the fish in a newly established aquarium if some preventative measures are not taken.

Petland has home test kits that should be used to monitor ammonia, nitrites, pH, and other water quality conditions at the beginning and through the life of your aquarium. Petland can also test your water sample for free and give you advice on your conditions.