Aquarium water management articles

The Stuff That Water's Made of, by Lenny Llambi
Part 1: THE MOLECULE, TEMPERATURE SALTWATER, AND OSMOSIS
Summary: "In this series of articles, I hope to put many of the chemical principles behind aquarium keeping into laymen’s terms. In future articles I will discuss subjects such as the nitrogen cycle, dissolved oxygen, and pH. The more we understand each of these factors in water chemistry and why they are good or bad, the more we understand our hobby as a whole. This issue’s installment is going to start at the beginning: water."

The Stuff That Water's Made of, by Lenny Llambi
Part 2: CONDUCTIVITY AND GENERAL HARDNESS
Summary: "In the previous article we discussed water’s ability to dissolve ions and molecules (solutes) is determined by the fact that the water molecule has two polar, opposite charges (dipolarity). We also examined how our fish are able to pump water and other small molecules across their cell membranes, in order to match the concentration of solutes within their cells to the concentration of solutes outside of their cells. In this edition we will examine two water parameters which measure the amount of solute (to varying degrees) in your aquarium water: Conductivity and General Hardness."

The Stuff That Water's Made of, by Lenny Llambi
Part 3: PH AND ALKALINITY
Summary: "After our previous two perhaps somewhat arcane installments, we can finally begin using some more broadly understood terminology in our discussion of water chemistry. We will explore two water parameters for which we have all owned a test kit: pH and alkalinity. Whether we are keeping African cichlids, a planted aquarium, or a reef aquarium, these two water parameters can spell the difference between a successful aquarium and a disaster-in-a-box (a glass box that is)."

The Stuff That Water's Made of, by Lenny Llambi
Part 4: THE NITROGEN CYCLE
Summary: "This edition we’ll discuss the nitrogen cycle, which is the biological process of reducing ammonia to nitrate. Bacteria that use nitrogenous molecules to receive their energy drive this cycle."

The Stuff That Water's Made of, by Lenny Llambi
Part 5: DISSOLVED OXYGEN
Summary: "I think its safe to say that this topic is one of the least discussed water parameters: Dissolved Oxygen (DO). Its actually no surprise that DO is not a popular topic of discussion in aquarium literature. Life-sustaining levels of oxygen are easily maintained in the aquarium without much extra effort or thought. However, it seems like every time I have a catastrophic, mass extinction in an aquarium it is due to overlooking the aquarium’s oxygen requirements."

WATER CHEMISTRY, FOR DUMMIES by Grant Gussie
Summary: Hardness, alkalinity and pH are discussed technically, from a chemistry point of view.

FILTRATION AND THE NITROGEN CYCLE by Les Pearce
Summary: A straightforward explanation of the nitrogen cycle and its importnce to maintaining a healthy aquarium. A nice flow chart is provided.

FISHLESS AQUARIUM CYCLE by Chris Cow, Ph.D.
Summary: An explanation of the benefits of fishless cycling and an explanation of the technique.

WATER QUALITY by Dr. Adrian Lawler
Summary: "A volume of water (tank, pond, etc.) must have proper conditions to support life in a healthy state and a minimum of things (or toxins) detrimental to aquatic life." ...What to look out for.

WATER CONDITIONS: What Are They Like Over There? by H. & J. Wilkinson
Summary: Due to frequent moves, the authors, Henry and Jennifer Wilkinson, had to cope with different water conditions in different towns.

WATER CHANGES by Frank M. Greco
Summary: The importance of water changes and gravel cleaning. How often and how much. Checking incoming tap water.

NUISANCE ALGAE by Aquariumpros.com staff
Summary: Types of algae, what causes its growth (including a discussion of phosphates in tap water), and how to control it.

DO YOU HAVE UTS? by Dan Marentette
Summary: "Ugly Tank Syndrome." Milky water can be caused by filters that are too powerful for the size of their filter media. Blue-green algae is actually bacteria which looks like algae. It can be cured by EM (erythromycin) tablets.

BUFFERS by Bart van Dijk
Summary: When we over-work our bodies, excess lactic acid and CO2 changes the pH of our blood, so we have to rest to let our buffering systems catch up. Bart likens this to what happens in an aquarium.

ACTIVATED CARBON by Richard M. Greenfield, also by Bob Straughan
Summary: Two separate articles. Both authors are enthusiastic about the benefits of activated carbon, and emphasise that quality and correct usage are important.

IS pH AN OVERRATED PROBLEM? by Terry Ranson
Summary: Aquarists often adjust pH when their fish are unhealthy, whereas in reality they should be doing more water changes.

new WHAT IS YOUR OPINION ABOUT AQUARIUM SALT? by Majid Ali
Summary: Majid explains why overall he finds aquarium salt a beneficial additive for most tanks; a few words of warning are provided for certain fish.

pH: TO BE OR NOT TO BE CONSIDERED? by Madhu Soodhanan
Summary: pH in the wild and also in aquaria can fluctuate for many reasons. Fish can adapt to these changes, so don't rush to lower or raise pH artificially.

REVERSE OSMOSIS AND HOW I USE IT by Don Zilliox
Summary: RO is a way to get very pure water in which fish such as Apistogrammas can breed and raise their fry. Use of peat moss is also discussed.

WATER TREATMENT by Bill Shenefelt
Summary: Mineral laden 'hard' water may not be suitable for breeding fish such as killifish. There are three methods of removing minerals from water: distillation, mixed bed ion exchange, and reverse osmosis (RO).

COPPER IN YOUR WATER? by Bart van Dijk
Summary: Copper, and perhaps lead, can be absorbed into the water sitting in your house pipes. Before using water for fish or even yourselves, drain this standing water by flushing the toilet.

THE LEARNING AND APPLICATION TANGO by Bart van Dijk
Summary: Bart has observed that certain plastics are toxic to both fish and plants, due to "poisoning from emulsifiers used in the manufacturing process." He wonders what to do.

AQUAHUMIC, A WATER SUPPLEMENT by Loren E. Willis II
Summary: Natural water (especially Amazon) contains humates (fulvic and humic acids), but they are often removed from our city water supplies. Loren is experimenting with, and selling, a water supplement that he believes has many benefits when used in an aquarium. He invites feedback.

ALMOND LEAF - The poor man's water conditioner by S.N. Nagendra
Summary: Parts of the almond tree are used in traditional medicines throughout S.E. Asia and India. Some aquarists in India pick leaves off local almond trees and use them as a water conditioner. They release anti-bacterial substances, lower the pH, and absorb harmful chemicals. (They can be bought via the Internet).