Question: What Is Aged Aquarium Water?It has recently been reported that aged aquarium water is essential. What is aged aquarium water, and how does an aquarium hobbyist get it?Answer: To put it simply, aged aquarium water is water that has been allowed to sit and "age" for at least 24 hours prior to use. Anyone can age their own water. The bigger question is whether using aged water is preferable to using chemically treated water. There are pros and cons to each.Why Use Aged Aquarium Water?At one time early in the aquarium hobby, the standard was to use aged water. At that time, department stores and chain pet shops did not exist. Often a LFS (local fish shop) was a fair distance away, and was only open for limited hours. Therefore it wasn't always quick or convenient to get chemicals to treat tap water before use in an aquarium. On the other hand, aged water cost nothing but the time it took to let it stand. Therefore it was a popular alternative to chemically treating tap water to remove chlorine or other treatments used by local water treatment facilities.

Virtually everyone had buckets or tanks of water sitting around that were being aged.Another advantage of aged water is that the water chemistry is allowed to stabilize. cheap corner fish aquariumsWater delivered to a tap is under pressure, and therefor contains dissolved gases, in particular, CO2.buy aquarium fish in canada A significant amount of dissolved CO2 will temporarily lower the pH of the water. buy freshwater ghost shrimpAfter standing for a period of time, the pH will rise, sometimes significantly. where can i buy fish tank standThe change will vary based on the amount of dissolved CO2. fish tank stand ideas

Regardless of how small, changes in pH are stressful for fish. If the change is extreme enough, it can be lethal. Allowing water to age so it reaches a more stable pH, has advantages for the health of your fish.where to buy cheap fish tank standPros- Costs nothing- Allows water parameters to stabilize- More natural, adds nothing artificialCons- Doesn't remove all hazardous materials- Takes at least a day, or longer- Doesn't allow for adjusting water temperatureIs Chemically Aged Water Better?With the advent of department stores that carry basic aquarium supplies, and are open 24 hours a day, it has become easier to obtain chemical water treatments. It is even possible to order aquarium products, such as water treatments, via the Internet and have them delivered to your door. Furthermore, most new aquarium packages come with a small bottle of water treatment. As a result, the trend has moved away from using aged aquarium water most of the time, and now owners now use chemically treated water most of the time.

Does that mean using chemicals to "age" water is better? Chemical treatments have two primary advantages. They render water safe for use almost immediately, which is a huge improvement on the one to two day wait for aged water. The other advantage is that chemicals can neutralize heavy metals and other dissolved constituents that the aging process cannot touch. This is particularly important in areas where water sources have a high mineral content. Most chemical treatments also include a component, such as stress coat, that soothes the skin of the fish.Personally I prefer a combination of the methods. By aging water, the dissolved gases have time to be driven off, and the water temperature can also be stabilized to the desired range. The use of a chemical treatment ensures that any heavy metals or other harmful chemicals are neutralized. The added benefit of the stress coat is a great side benefit of using a chemical treatment. The negative is that it takes time to age the water, while still incurring the the additional cost of a chemical treatment.

How To Age Aquarium WaterThere are two ways to age water. One is to place water in a clean bucket or water jug (with the cap off) and allow it to sit for several days. This method takes a bit longer, but doesn't require any additional equipment. It's often used to age smaller quantities of water, either for a small tank or for topping off a larger tank. The down side of this method is the smaller quantity of water that can be aged this way. It also doesn't allow for adjusting the water temperature to a desired range. However, because most homes are relatively warm, this is usually not a problem if the water is only being used to top off a larger tank.Another method to age water is in an aquarium. It may be the aquarium that will have fish added later, or simply an extra tank used solely for the purpose of aging water. There are several advantages to aging water in this fashion. First, it allows a larger volume of water to be aged. It also speeds up the process, as a filter, power head, or other means to agitate the water can be employed.

Vigorously aerating the water more rapidly drives off dissolved gases, as well as chlorine. What would take three days in a water jug, can be accomplished overnight in a tank with heavy aeration.The other big advantage of using an aquarium to age water is that a heater can be used, thus allowing the water to be heated to the desired temperature. By stabilizing the pH and temperature, the aquarium owner can minimize stress to the fish. When setting up a new aquarium, I strongly recommend aging the water in the tank for at least one day or more. Use a water treatment, and you have the best of both worlds. But remember, aging the water doesn't start the nitrogen cycle. That won't kick in until you add fish to the tank. This page was last updated 29 October 1998When thinking about setting up your aquarium, you may not pay too much attention to the water since most people believe there are other things that are more important like the equipment, right? You cannot be more wrong. As strange as it might seem, if the chemistry of the water is not balanced, your fish and plants will not survive, no matter how expensive your devices.

Trust me, I experienced it the hard way! The parameters of the aquarium water can be adjusted naturally or by using chemicals, according to the type of fish you want to keep. While some hardy fish can live in any water, others have specific requirements and they will not have a long life unless you fulfill them. Note: If you are a beginner, I would suggest you getting a low maintenance fish for a start. To see if the water in your tank is right for your fish, use testing kits to measure the pH and any chemicals. In general, the water from your tank is more sensitive in the first weeks after you set up the tank; after that it’s easy to maintain balance. PH is the acidity or alkalinity of the water and many hobbyists have difficulties in establishing the balance. Most types of fish require strict levels of pH, therefore you need to test the water every few days. If your fish require neutral pH (7) you are lucky considering this level is easiest to establish and maintain.

Otherwise, you will have to use chemicals and adjust the decorations in your tank; for example, some stones can influence the PH of the aquarium water. Ammonia and nitrites are naturally produced by fish and if their levels are not controlled they can easily become toxic. Ammonia will appear in the water from fish waste and is eliminated and transformed into nitrites by the filter. Since nitrites are toxic, they will be turned into nitrates that will not cause any problems to the fish. If you notice an imbalance in these parameters, you need to perform daily small water changes and monitor the levels closely. Nitrates are generally harmless, but they can become a problem in the long term. If they accumulate in the water they will become toxic. To prevent this, you have to make sure you have enough plants in your tank to create a natural ecosystem; the chemical balance of the water will be maintained with little to no effort. All you have to do is perform weekly water changes to remove part of the nitrates.

KH and GH are the carbonate hardness and the general hardness of the water. These parameters need to be balanced according to the preferences of the fish and any imbalance can destroy the entire population of the tank. You should pay special attention to the water that you introduce in the tank; test the KH and GH every few days to see if any chance occurs. Also, these parameters are directly connected to the pH of the water. ** The higher the pH, the higher is the level of GH. You can purchase a KH/GH test kit at any LFS or even online. My recommendation would be the KH/GH test kit by API. If you notice your fish do not have an appetite or they start to lose their pigmentation, there might be a problem with the parameters. In this case, you will need to adjust them until you reach the desired level. Find out what levels your fish need and take into consideration changing the plants. Seriously Fish is a good website to find out about different fish needs.

In the beginning, it is not recommended to change the entire amount of water. This will require a new cycle, which means that your fish will be moved to another tank for the next few weeks. Start by changing small amounts of water every day; make sure to test the water in the tank as well as the water you want to introduce. Do not change the filter, especially in the middle of the process. The bacteria present in the filter will actually help you establish the suitable parameters and it will clean the water from any toxic substances. If you have rocks or corals in your tank, think about removing them before they increase the pH of the water. There are no strict rules on how you need to take care of the water in your tank. Every single element, from the fish to the plants to the substrate can influence the parameters. The only method is to experiment with different levels and see what works best for your aquarium. I can’t stress enough the importance of your aquarium water.