What is water?

Welcome back to the irregularly scheduled rants, this is a topic that gets me so angry, and I can see the issues that are facing the industry. But we as keepers can make choices, and even if that isn't the same choice that others make it will still matter to the fish you keep. 

Welcome back to the final part of the question, what are your parameters. This time we are looking at hardness and phosphates, and then that is it for analytical chemistry for a while.    So dive in and learn a little more. I'm aware we've done hardness in another episode, but it never hurts to revisit this topic. 

Continuing looking at the water tests that should be a regular part of your fish keeping, looking at nitrates and pH. For beginners and more experienced aquarist alike.    Nitrates are so often miunderstood, they're seen as being completely safe, but in fact they are deadly at higher concentrations. 

What are your parameters is a question I ask far too often. Most issues in fish keeping can be traced back to issues with our water, so when trying to help I will ask that question.  But what do I mean, what are I refering to when I ask that question? What is ammonia and why is it an issue, why do we want to know. Where does ammonia and nitrite come from, and what harm do they cause?   This is for those just starting out, and for more experienced aquarists, hopefully there will be something interesting for everyone.    Ruth McDonald has been keeping fish for over two decades now, and has been researching fish since her master thesis into what fish eat dead bodies took a turn into what fish like to eat. She's taught at university level, and has been running Tropical Fish Keeping UK for 10 years. 

According to a recent article 90% of aquarium fish are wild caught, and that's destroying the ocean. Is this even close to the truth? And are wild caught fish even an issue that the aquarists need to be concerned about?  The first episode back after an unplanned break Ruth explores something that she's passionate about. How aquarists can use their hobby as a real conservation tool. 

Do you love the look of planted tanks, or know how much they can add to your tank in terms or removing nitrates, and enrichment for your fish. But the cost is just too much. Well here are some ideas on how to start keeping plants without blowing the budget. 

The much loved Siamese fighting fish, or the betta is a great fish to consider, today we dive into the species to give you some more information. 

So what is in water that will impact our fish? Let's have a look at what's in our water and how it gets there. Why is this important? How can we protect our fish?  Want to find our socials?  Patreon  https://www.patreon.com/tropicalfishkeepinguk UK Facebook Group -Tropical Fish Keeping UK  https://www.facebook.com/groups/TropicalFishKeepingUK International Facebook Group - Tropical Fish Keeping  https://www.facebook.com/groups/tropicalfishkeepingint Instagram  https://www.instagram.com/tropicalfishkeepinguk/ Website  www.tropicalfishkeeping.co.uk          

Want to save some money, and make things healthier for your fish, then have a look around your house for things you can feed to your fish. 

One of my favourite little fish, the guppy is a great addition to the right set up, but all too often they're not kept right, the adults are cheaply bought from the pet store, and no selection on the fry that are born.