Main Problems Of An Aquarium

Having fish in an aquarium has always been attractive. We are talking about pets that are relatively easy to care for in environments that are part of the home decor. However,  there are those who enter the world of fishkeeping without understanding the main problems of an aquarium.

Managed marine aquariums can have significant drawbacks that put your fish’s lives at risk. Some of these will be notorious, but the solution isn’t always that simple.

The important thing is to learn how to handle these situations to protect our pets’ lives. The goal: to have an aquarium that is and looks healthy.

High ammonia concentration

This is a difficult problem to notice.  Even with a high percentage, the water generally remains the same color and there are no large variations observable in the aquarium. However, fish are at serious risk of intoxication when this occurs.

Ammonia increases when we fill the tank for the first time. Therefore, it is not recommended to introduce fish into it for the first two or three weeks after filling. But, in addition, this compound appears when we do not change the water or when there are problems with the filter.

The best way to avoid this is to change a portion of water every now and then and keep the filter always active. If a fish dies or if we put too many specimens in the aquarium, this unwanted phenomenon is likely to occur.

unwanted algae

Having marine plants is a good option, but if you suddenly get some algae, that’s bad. The main cause of this disadvantage is the high concentration of phosphate, or even the excessive exposure of the aquarium to sunlight.

The  tap water sometimes comes with a certain amount of phosphate, which focuses on standing water. To combat this problem, the first thing is to perform a test to detect if levels of this compound are high.

But  if we want the algae to disappear, we have two practical alternatives  that will help us in the long run: the first is to incorporate fish and other animals that eat algae, and the second is to add marine plants. These are useful for absorbing phosphate.

green water

This is one of the main problems with an aquarium. And, in fact, more than an inconvenience, it is the consequence of something we mentioned earlier: the appearance of algae. To be more precise, this is what is causing this coloration in the water.

There are special products that are used so that these residues fall directly into the aquarium substrate. However, the main thing to do is to attack the origin of the appearance of algae, that is, the high concentration of phosphate, sunlight, etc.

Placing the aquarium in a place where sunlight does not reach it directly can avoid this situation.

aquarium fungi

Among the main problems in an aquarium is the growth of fungus. These directly affect the fish, adhering to its mouth and other parts of its body. Also, they are visible to the naked eye because they appear as white dots or spots that invade certain scaly areas.

We can classify this problem as a  disease that affects this type of pets. The best way to avoid this problem is the usual maintenance of the aquarium: changing the water, implementing a filter, etc.

There are antibiotics provided in drops that can return an affected fish to normal.

Bad odor is one of the main problems in an aquarium.

This stands out among the main problems with an aquarium, and many people go through it at least once. In general,  the bad smell is caused by too much food, or when there are too many fish for the size of the aquarium.

The solutions will depend on the source of the problem. The best thing to do in this case  is to buy a bigger aquarium, if we intend to increase the number of fish. We must also control aspects such as excess food and even the quality of it.

Other actions, such as changing the carbon in the filter and replacing the water, can resolve the situation. We must be careful with the excessive use of soap when washing the container or the decorative elements of the aquarium. Far from contributing, we can poison our pets and remove useful microorganisms.

Other problems, such as changing the color of the water to brown, originate when we place logs in the marine habitat. The logical conclusion is that the main problems of an aquarium originate from lack of maintenance and care.