# Potential causes of water quality deterioration in a tropical aquarium



## lil muppet

feel free to add to this! just thought it might help people... this is all my own work.

Potential causes of water quality deterioration in a tropical aquarium

	Dead plants: if dead plants are left in the aquarium they can harbour harmful bacteria within your aquarium which could dramatically increase the chances of water quality deterioration. Dead plants should be removed from the aquarium as soon as they are seen and also ding leaves can be removed from the plant before they naturally detach themselves.

	Dead fish: dead fish will provide a breeding ground for fungus which could transfer to the live fish which would need to be treated. The fungus would affect the water quality by causing an imbalance in the natural healthy and beneficial flora within the tank.

	Overstocking/Poor stocking choice: this will increase the amount of waste within the tank which will in turn increase the amount of ammonia which is toxic to fish and so should be removed by water changes and suitable chemicals.

	Inadequate filtration or filtration breakdown: if the filter you have chosen is not able to cope with the waste that is being produced in the aquarium or if the filter has broken down then the effect on the aquarium could be extremely harmful. Everything that the filter would usually remove with no problem would be released back into the aquarium which would increase the amount of ammonia, nitrate, nitrite and general aquarium debris.

	Poor maintenance/no maintenance: if regular maintenance is not carried out correctly or at all then this can cause a build up of sediment and ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and debris. If the substrate is not agitated regularly, a build up of gas can occur in air pockets within the substrate which could be toxic if released into the aquarium.

	Over feeding: overfeeding will increase the amount of food lying on the bottom which will decompose which will pollute the aquarium, this will also increase the amount of ammonia and bacteria within the aquarium.

	Toxins from outside source, hand, airborne or water borne introduction: if the equipment you use to maintain your aquarium is tainted with a chemical that is harmful to the fish tank e.g. bleach it can be transferred to the aquarium which will be detrimental to the tank. If you are handling something within the tank or moving decorations around within the tank you should wash your hands and make sure they are properly rinsed to ensure that toxins are not introduced into the tank from an exterior source.


----------



## petgoss

It might be worth adding that over cleaning the filter can be as bad as doing nothing. Never wash the filter sponge in tap water. Once a week take a bit of water from your fishtank into a bowl and just genltly clean the sponge in it but do not over do it. You do not want to kill the good bacteria living on the sponge.

Petgoss - create share and connect...


----------

