1. Aquarium Chemicals Notes

2. pH  pH is a chemical component of a solution that determines how Acidic or Basic it is.  Neutral pH is 7.0  pH above 7.0 is Basic and below 7.0 is Acidic  Ideal pH of a saltwater aquarium is 8.2-8.4

3. Ammonia (NH 3 )  Ammonia is a chemical that is created as a waste product by living organisms.  Animals urinate which is converted into ammonia  Ammonia is the most toxic chemical tested for in Aquarium water tests  Ideal ammonia concentrations should be less than.25 ppm. Amounts over this can stress fish and even cause death.

4. Nitrite (NO 2 -)  Ammonia is converted into nitrite by Nitrifying bacteria.  Toxic to fish but less toxic than ammonia.  Ideal concentrations should be less than 1 ppm (Parts per million) once the aquarium is established.  New aquariums may spike to concentrations of 10 ppm until the bacteria concentration reaches equilibrium and convert nitrite to nitrate.  Too much Nitrite can indicate over-feeding, too many fish or inadequate biological filtration.

5. Nitrate (NO 3 -)  Converted from Nitrite by nitrifying bacteria.  Not considered toxic to animals in lower amounts but can cause algae blooms in excess.  Ideal concentrations should be less than 40 ppm.  Partial water changes will lower concentrations of Nitrate in aquariums.

6. Filtration  The aquarium has several filters:  Undergravel filter adds oxygen to water and pulls the water through the crushed coral (buffer) which gives the bacteria the ability to eat the ammonia and nitrite.  Canister filter pulls large particles out of the water and cleans the water chemically with charcoal and ammonia sponge (chemically removes ammonia).  Protein Skimmer uses tiny bubbles to remove protein waste.

7. Summary  pH measures how acidic and basic a solution is  Ammonia to Nitrite to Nitrate. (most to least deadly to fish)  Multiple filtration techniques are successful at keeping aquarium “clean” combo of biological and mechanical is best.  General Rule of Thumb: 3 gallons of saltwater to 1 inch of fish.