Aquaria In Relation To Science :: essays research papers

The hobby of fish keeping is much more difficult than it seems. It is also directly dependant on science. The bacterial cycle is one aspect related to science. As is how different filters work. Water conditions such as temperature, ph, and salinity play a big role in successful fish keeping as well. Science and Fish keeping go hand in hand.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When a tank is first started fish waste and excess food begins to decompose at the bottom. One type of bacteria breaks it down to ammonia, which is highly poisonous to fish. Then a second type of bacteria breaks down the ammonia to nitrites, nitrites are also moderately poisonous to fish in small amounts. Lastly a third type of bacteria converts nitrites to nitrates which are not harmful to fish but build up to toxic amounts generally within a few months. That is why 20% water changes every two weeks is essential to healthy fish keeping. It generally takes a tank 21 days to cycle. During those 21 days there are 3 days where the ammonia spikes to a large amount and 2 days later on when nitrites spike generally.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are 2 types of filtration for fish tanks biological and mechanical. Biological is what I spoke about in the previous paragraph. Those bacteria grow best on objects besides gravel. That is why having plastic plants and other dà ©cor in the tank doesn’t just make the tank look nice but also give the bacteria a better place to grow. Mechanical filtration aids in biological filtration in two ways, the water is filtered through a medium that helps dissolve the ammonia and nitrites into smaller pieces easier for the bacteria to convert, and filter out bigger objects from the water such as excess food. Generally the filter media is activated carbon within a floss cartridge.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The ph value in a tank doesn’t generally matter for basic to medium aquarium hobbyist. As long as it is between 6.5 and 7.2, ph ranges from acidic to base water. Some fish however like higher more acidic ph values, where as some fish are very stressed in acidic water and are more susceptible to disease and death. Temperature is very important to maintain to a certain extent. Most tropical and salt-water fish enjoy temperatures from 68 °F-78 °F. It is essential to have a heater in your tank to maintain the temperature. Salinity is important to monitor and control in salt water tanks.