Interpet

If there is something wrong with your fish; they look ill or are dying, or there are water quality problems, we strongly advise that you test your aquarium water.

Use the images and descriptions below to determine what's wrong, then click through for treatment advice.

What is the Nitrogen Cycle?

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Before adding fish to your aquarium there are some important things you need to understand about how the aquarium water remains clean and healthy enough for fish to live in.

The short video below talks you through this process, or read on for more.

The breakdown of fish waste; too much food and dead plant matter will cause toxic compounds – namely ammonia – to build up in the water and kill your fish. As an aquarium is a ‘closed’ environment it means harmful waste can build up quickly because there is not enough water to dilute it or to wash it away, as would be in a pond or river. Thankfully, there is a natural process called the ‘Nitrogen Cycle’, which we can recreate in the aquarium, to convert the toxic waste into safer compounds (The image below explains how this process works).

Nitrogen cycle, inforgraphic, aquarium

This Nitrogen Cycle is carried out by ‘Nitrifying’ bacteria that establish in the biological media of the aquarium filter. These bacteria generally take about eight weeks to grow and reproduce in the filter to large enough quantities to carry out their role in the Nitrogen Cycle.
During this early period, when there are few bacteria, fish keepers often experience fish deaths caused by the build-up of invisible toxic compounds: this is referred to as ‘New tank syndrome’.

Ways to prevent New Tank Syndrome and encourage the Nitrogen Cycle:

  • adding a bacteria based filter starter product speeds up the cycle process
  • starting with a few, hardier fish varieties, and only add new fish over a number of weeks, if not months
  • feed only little amounts in the early days to reduce the amount of waste
  • measure how much of the invisible toxins are in your aquarium with an aquarium test kit
  • for the first six weeks do weekly water changes (20% of your aquarium water volume) to dilute and remove waste and toxins
Affinity Ice Vent Pond Heater in an Affinity Living Feature Pool

Will my fish survive winter if the pond freezes?

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Yes, if you prepare the pond properly.

Pond fish will very happily live in a UK pond all year round as long as there is sufficient oxygen and water quality is good. To make sure this is achieved, it is necessary to keep an area of the pond surface ice-free all the way through winter. This will ensure that the necessary gaseous exchanges can continue to keep your pond and fish healthy. Without a “vent” area, poisonous gases will build up under the ice creating unhealthy water quality, these gases are caused by the breakdown of organic waste within the pond. Your fish also require oxygen to survive which enters through the surface of the water as the pond circulates. Without a “vent” this cannot be achieved and will result in low oxygen levels in the pond. It is also advised to keep your filtration running through the winter to ensure waste is removed from the pond to prevent pollution. Waterfalls and fountains can drop the water temperature, so re-directing flow away from waterfalls is good practice.

How can I stop my pond freezing over?

The most efficient way to keep an ice free area of your pond is to introduce a pond heater like the Affinity Ice Vent Heater. It is not essential to heat the whole pond as pond fish will happily live in wintery water, however the heater will prevent an area of the surface freezing. Under no circumstances should you smash ice on the surface of the pond or use hot/boiling water to melt ice. This can cause serious trauma to your fish. If you need to make a hole in the ice do so by pouring warm water gently in one location to create an opening.

The Affinity Ice Vent Pond Heater has a unique convection chamber design resulting in it needing less power to run (just 50 watts) compared to other heaters, saving you money.

Find out more about the Blagdon Affinity Ice Vent Pond Heater in the video below:

What else can I do to help my fish?

To help your fish further, you can re position your pumps and filter outlets to create a warmer bottom of the pond and a cooler top. Once the water temperature drops below 4°c, warm water becomes denser and moves to the bottom of the pond. Fish will naturally swim in the warmer part of the pond during winter and adjusting your pumps and filters can ensure they are happy and “warm” until the following spring. Raise pumps from the base of the pond to ledges and move filter outlets under the pond surface and direct their flow horizontally so cold water is not pushed to the bottom of the pond. This will create a temperature divide within the pond, whilst still retaining circulation and filtration for healthy fish.

Why should I use Aqualibrium salt in my Freshwater Aquarium

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Fish stress is one of the major causes of disease outbreaks in your aquarium. It is important to understand how fish are stressed, and how to prevent it to keep a happy and healthy tank.

Aqualibrium First Aid Salt Additive can be used to alleviate the impact of stress on your fish and can be used regularly as a preventative or at times when you know your fish are likely to be stressed such as: in a new aquarium, when new fish are added or when treating for diseases.

Freshwater fish have to invest a lot of energy keeping their internal fluid salt concentration from being diluted by the influx of water across the gills. Increasing salt levels in the aquarium reduces the water influx and releases energy which can be used dealing with stress and fighting disease.

We would recommend using Aqualibrium alongside any Interpet First Aid Treatment as it will help to support the fish’s immune system for successful recovery.

Watch the video below to understand how to use Aqualibrium salt effectively in your aquarium

What is New Tank Syndrome?

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“New tank syndrome” is commonly experienced in the first weeks of a new aquarium and is caused by an immature filter.

New Tank Syndrome is a term used to describe problems that occur due to the build-up of invisible, toxic compounds in an aquarium. It gets its name as the issue is most likely to occur when your filter is maturing when starting a new aquarium. The full population of friendly bacteria can take up to 2 months to establish in your filter to a level where they are able to process all the waste being produced by your fish.

New tank syndrome is extremely common and can be a very frustrating and upsetting start to fish keeping as it often results in the death of your lovely fish. However, understanding its causes can help you to minimise or avoid problems completely.
Understanding the role of your filter and particularly the chemistry of the biological filtration bacteria driven “Nitrogen cycle” before you start your aquarium is the best way of stopping new tank syndrome starting in the first place.

The Nitrogen Cycle is a natural biological process that which occurs in your filter and helps to maintain a healthy environment for your fish. The image below explains how the Nitrogen Cycle works, bacteria living on the biological media in your filter change very toxic Ammonia excreted by fish and the breakdown of waste into less toxic Nitrite and then to relatively safe Nitrate.

Nitrogen Cycle

However, this Nitrogen cycle process takes a while to establish in a new filter you can help avoid toxic waste build up causing New Tank syndrome by:

  • Adding a product like Fast Filter Start with your first couple of fish which will help your filter bacteria mature faster.
  • Introduce fish gradually starting with a few “hardy” varieties which can cope with the waste levels in a new aquarium. Once the filter is mature (the whole Nitrogen cycle is established so that there is no Ammonia or Nitrite) slowly add a few fish at a time until you reach the advised maximum stocking level for your aquarium, this allows the friendly bacteria to grow to match the waste being produced by the fish.
  • Feed sparingly to begin with, fish need a lot less food than many people think and are used to going long periods in the wild without food. It is crucial in the first few weeks to feed sparingly once or twice a day removing any uneaten food after 5 minutes. More fish die of over feeding than underfeeding and the excess food will make the filter’s job a lot harder.
  • Monitor your water quality! Many water problems are invisible to us so don’t just sit back assuming everything is ok in there. Test the levels and make a note of the results, it’ll make it much easier to fix a problem later.
  • Carry out regular water changes – 25% once a week in new aquariums- this removes and dilutes toxic waste compounds (ammonia and nitrite) to help whilst the filter matures. Later you will be able reduce water change frequency to once a month.

Just remember that patience and vigilance are key. Don’t rush, enjoy your aquarium.

Testing your Aquarium Water

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Testing the water in your aquarium should be a regular part of your maintenance routine. Bad water quality will hugely affect the health of aquarium and is the cause of many aquarium and fish problems. Water quality problems are the most common causes of fish stress and disease so should be avoided at all cost.

The main tests you’ll need to do regularly are Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate and pH which are all naturally occurring in your tank as part of the Nitrogen Cycle. To really understand how and why these chemicals occur, and also why they fluctuate, it is important to get to know the role of your filter.

Testing regularly will highlight any abnormalities in our aquarium which can lead to an unhealthy environment and outbreaks of disease. Results can be used to prevent problems and find solutions to worrying changes in your aquarium. Once you have tested your aquarium you can find advice on your next steps by using the Diagnose What’s Wrong page.

The below videos will run you through how to use an Interpet Easy Test Master Test Kit to monitor the levels of Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate and pH in your aquarium.

 

Ammonia

Nitrate

Nitrite

pH

Measuring Interpet Treatments

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The new and improved Interpet treatments are easy to use and even more effective. Interpet Treatments have been improved with new formula’s and striking new packaging, with even more tools to make sure you get the right treatment for your aquarium problem.

Use our Diagnose What’s Wrong page to identify your fish and aquarium problems quickly, simply and confidently or browse through the range using the product drop down menu.

Remember that you can also use our dosage calculator to make sure you’ve got the right dose for your tank.
Use the videos below to confidently measure your treatments

 

Interpet Water Treatments

 

Interpet First Aid Treatments

How to do an aquarium water change

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Water changes should be a regular part of your maintenance routine. You should perform a 25% water change alongside cleaning your filter and a general tank clean up every 28 days. However, there may be other times where you need to perform a water change including: after testing water quality, treating for disease or when starting a new aquarium.

The video below runs you through the process of a water change to make sure you get the job done efficiently:

Understanding Fish Sickness and Stress

Understanding Fish Sickness and Stress

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Fish stress is one of the major causes of disease outbreaks in your aquarium. It is important to understand how fish are stressed, and how to prevent it to keep a happy and healthy tank.
The most common cause of fish stress is poor water quality often caused by the build-up of fish and plant waste. The breakdown of this waste releases toxic chemicals like ammonia, nitrate and nitrite as well as causing fluctuating pH levels, these negatively impact your fish and create stress. A fully mature and well maintained filter will process the fish waste safely and effectively but problems often occur in new aquariums where the filter is immature or if the filter is not well maintained.
Water quality problems are not visible to the naked eye so the only way you can monitor them is with regular use of water test kits.
If you maintain a stable, stress free, environment then your fish’s natural immune system will fight off the disease causing organisms like fungus, bacteria and parasites which are present in even the cleanest of aquariums.
Below is a breakdown of the factors which create stress for the fish in your aquarium:

  • Fish waste levels – The presence of ammonia or nitrite will increase stress; actions should be taken to eliminate them. The presence of these toxic chemicals indicate a problem with your biological filter which should safely and effectively remove them. The filter breaks these down into less toxic nitrate – very high levels of nitrate can also stress sensitive fish and should be diluted by carrying out water changes.
  • Temperature – Tropical fish will become stressed if the temperature is consistently too high (above 29oC) or too low (below 21oC). A good heater will maintain aquarium temperatures at 24/25oC which is a safe level for the majority of tropical species. Sudden changes in water temperature will also severely stress fish – avoid this by taking care to match water temperatures when changing water and gradually acclimatising fish when introducing them into new aquariums.
  • Environmental stress –  Sudden changes to the aquarium environment such as: knocking, bangs or sudden vibrations to the aquarium, or turning lights on and off
  • Physical stress – Rough handling of fish when netting them or carrying out aquarium maintenance will severely stress fish. Avoid handling them and if you have to, be gentle.
  • Environmental Pollution – Cleaning the exterior or interior of the aquarium with detergents, polishes, aerosols (e.g. deodorants, air fresheners) or other toxic cleaners could pollute the water. The introduction of non-food grade plastics, metal objects or rocks containing metals introduce toxins that could damage your fish. Only use cleaning products and décor designed specifically for aquarium use.
  • pH – High pH of above 8.2 or low pH of below 6 for a non-specialist community aquarium will cause unnecessary stress, regular testing and water quality maintenance is important. Sudden changes in pH of more than 1.0 will also severely stress your fish – avoid this by taking care to match water pH when carrying out water changes and gradually acclimatising fish when introducing them into new aquariums.
  • Oxygen – A common sign of low oxygen levels is your fish gasping at the water’s surface. Oxygen levels can be reduced by: Poor water circulation; high water temperatures; high levels of organic waste; oily food coating the surface and some Fish medications. Good aquarium maintenance will minimise organic waste levels and ensuring high levels of aeration and circulation when water temperatures are high or during treatment will maximise oxygen levels. You can increase surface movement by positioning the out flow of water pumps to disturb the surface and by adding an air pump, with air stone.

Avoid fish stress if at all possible but if you know you cannot avoid a stressful situation, for example when adding fish to a new aquarium, then you can help your fish to cope better by adding a tonic salt like Aquilibrium First Aid Salt Additive. This physiological salt helps fish to manage their internal salt levels more effectively freeing up energy for their immune systems to fight disease more successfully. We always advise using Aquilibrium First Aid Salt Additive when using Interpet treatments to support the fish and increase treatment success.

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