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Aquarium Water Chemicals

Aquarium water chemicals are commonly used in treating various problems in your tank. They are mostly available in granular form, but some come in pad form. These chemicals are capable of removing materials that mechanical filters fail to do so. In effectively maintaining your tank, you will need aquarium water chemicals that remove common toxins such as nitrate, copper, ammonia, phosphate, and other heavy metals. It is imperative that these aquarium water chemicals are only administered as instructed.

Among the many aquarium water chemicals in the market, activated carbon is the most common. It absorbs dissolved materials in your tank's water, such as organics and other medications; and removes unsightly colors and bad odors. Specifically, experts say that activated carbon can also remove the following: copper, ozone, chlorine, antibiotics, some dissolved proteins and carbohydrates, iodine, mercury, cobalt, iron, methylene blue (a common medication), malachite green (another medication), sulfa drugs, organic dyes, and many other elements and compounds.

Many new fish keepers make the mistake of using household chemicals on their tanks. DON'T! Remember the cardinal rule in fish keeping: never use anything on your aquarium unless you bought it from a pet store and is for exclusive fish keeping purposes. Using dish cleaners or soaps to clean your tank will leave awful residues that may be harmful to your fish, and may even spawn diseases. So if you love your finned friends, and I'm sure you do, stay away from these household chemicals.

If you are an experienced fish keeper and your aquarium has some really serious disease problems, then using a number of aquarium water chemicals may prove useful. Copper sulphate, for one, is good for treating external parasites. It is very toxic, though, so use with extreme caution, only as instructed, and only after testing your water's alkalinity. Never ever use this chemical if your tank water's alkalinity is below 50 mg/L.

Formalin is one of the aquarium water chemicals that you can also use to control external parasites. It is considered very effective against protozoans, trematodes; and other parasites on the skin, fins, and gills. Again, use formalin with extreme caution, closely following usage instructions. It can be administered at a 250 mg/L concentration for not exceeding one hour. However, at significantly lower concentrations, at 15-25 mg/L, you can use this chemical for an indefinite bath.

Malachite green can also be used effectively against external parasites of freshwater fish. It is considered very effective when used in combo with formalin.

While there is an entire range of other aquarium water chemicals in the market, remember that all of them should be used only as instructed, especially during emergency and general maintenance purposes.