All hobbyists start as beginners and there is no shame in that, but a (sad but true) crucial mistake I have seen quite a few beginners make is realizing there is more to aquariums than a "glass box of water". Understanding what TDS, nitrogen cycle, and beneficial bacteria are is an extremely important part of the hobby. Understandably there are some species of fish that are more resilient than others, but still improper water parameters can be deadly to your little finned buddy. But let's touch on beneficial bacteria.
Establishing and maintaining beneficial bacteria is one of the most crucial parts of keeping a healthy aquarium. What does benefical bacteria do? In short anything that inhabits the tank will produce waste. Waste builds up in a tank as all the inhabitants excrete. Waste also builds up from possible decaying uneaten food, dead plant matter, a dirty filter pad, a fish that died (that happened to die where you couldn't see it) etc.
As waste accumulates, good bacteria grows that converts waste to Ammonia. Even low levels of ammonia is very deadly to fish. As the ammonia levels rise, another beneficial bacteria grows that converts ammonia to nitrite. Nitrite is not as toxic as Ammonia, but it is still harmful to your fish. As Nitrite levels rise, another beneficial bacteria grows that converts Nitrite to Nitrate. This process is called aquarium cycling or the aquarium nitrogen cycle.
Nitrates are generally not dangerous to fish except at extremely high levels. Nitrates cannot be removed from freshwater aquariums by beneficial bacteria because the bacteria necessary to remove Nitrates grows in an environment that is lacking oxygen. There is too much oxygen in freshwater tanks for this to happen. Nitrates are manually removed with regular partial water changes…and that’s why partial aquarium water changes are extremely important.
Lest we forget. Don't wash your aquarium pumps or other equipment with hot water, as this could kill your benefical bacteria colony you've worked so hard to establish.
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