Why? Mesure intact natural habitats of most fishes and you won4t find any
PO3, NHX, NOX or mesureable concentrations of any bacteria. This doesn4t
mean fish can4t stand certain pollution up to a certain degree, but better
is not having any of it.
Nitrate, Nitrite do influence the metabolism of not only fishes. They are
cell-toxics at very low levels. It is a oxidation (or in worst the other way
around a reduction) chain of substance from biological "vaste" (i.e. organic
products of metabolism) starting from complex nitrogenous molecules over NHX
to NOX to elementary Nitrogen N2 which is a gas and not dilluteable and will
be evaporated from the water. The chain is leading from higher toxical to
non-toxic (N2) and is influenced by several factors esp. the pH-rate and the
REDOX-potential.
My resume after 30 years in aquaristics is: keep that mist out of tanks or
ponds and your fish will do fine. And change water as often as possible!!!
Every theory as of "stable water blabla" is utter nonsense! Take either
rainwater or the same water from the tab the fish are used to and it will be
ok (as long as the water quality is suitable for the fish species of
course). Fish from streams are less sensitive to water changes than from
ponds etc. The latter are less sensitive to pollution. All in general. All
personal view. All works for the fish I had and have. Killis, NANF,
Anabantoids, Cichlids, Characins, Snakeheads.
Forget about any concentration limit or paying lots of money for testing
supplies. Check your water source once (or require it from your water
supplier - they have detailled analysis). But if your tab water is already
polluted with more than 20 milligram of Nitrate (the European legal limit is
50 mg and already way too high!), or any Nitrite (messureable), or Phosphate
more than 50 mg - take another water source! Because then it is over the top
for having healthy fish on the long run (except you like to keep Gambusia
affinis etc. only.) SOME fish can stand nearly everything ;-)
Steffen Hellner
> Von: "Nick Zarlinga" <njz_at_clevelandmetroparks.com>
> Antworten an: nanfa_at_aquaria.net
> Datum: Wed, 25 Jun 2003 08:06:13 -0400
> An: "NANFA List Server (E-mail)" <nanfa_at_aquaria.net>
> Betreff: NANFA-- water quality lessons
>
> Does anyone have any idea of what phosphate levels in a "healthy"
freshwater
> ecosystem should be? Any references?
>
> Here are some other questions that I posed to another list server.
>
> OK, time for aquarist lessons 101. I am looking for a good, laymens way to
> explain the following:
>
> 1. the relationship of ortho-phosphate to phosphate and how it relates to
> aquariums
> 2. the relationship of nitrate, nitrite, and ammonia nitrogen compared to
> "nitrate", "nitrite", and "ammonia" and how it relates to aquariums
> 3. the relationship of total coliform, fecal coliform, and e-coli levels as
> it related to mammal (and human) systems.
> 4. the relationship of total suspended solids, total disolved solids, and
> turbidity as it relates to water systems (not necessarily aquariums)
>
> That's alot to chew on but feel free to explain a chunk of what you know.
> Open to any interpretations. Thanks.
>
>
> Nick Zarlinga
> Aquarium Biologist
> Cleveland Metroparks Zoo
> 216.661.6500 ext 4485
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