A mini Ecosystem

It is important to remember that an aquarium will never replicate the diversity of nature and there are many limitations associated with aquarium and fish keeping.

The ecosystem in nature is very complicated and can never be fully replicated in the home aquarium, and the biological system found in nature has been created over millions of years and is perfectly designed to maintain perfect water quality.

Inside the aquarium there is no natural ecosystem instead we try and recreate a simplified version of nature. Because the aquarium is a closed system we need to periodically clean it and remove excess nutrients and waste to keep it healthy. And unlike in nature we have to provide the food for the fish as well as lighting. Probably the biggest challenge facing the aquarium keeper is maintaining water quality, and it is this reason that many aquarium set ups fail.

Unlike in nature our mini ecosystem needs our intervention to keep the water clean. This is not a difficult task once you understand how to do it. And if you really want to make the task as simple as possible then buy an RO unit and use RO water every time you change the water. If regular water changes re done ie once per week then your aquarium should remain healthy for many years to come.

Most of fish fatalities in the home aquarium can be related to poor water quality. Poor water quality will weaken the immune system of the fish which opens them up to all sorts of disease and parasites. An unhealthy fish can then pass on an illness to other fish and slowly wipe out an entire aquarium out. It is for this reason that water quality is so important and the number one priority when keeping fish.