Water testing is one of the most important practices for keeping your aquarium safe for your fish. If you are just setting up an aquarium, wait for several days before adding the fish. You should then monitor the water quality carefully as the nitrogen cycle begins by testing the water daily. You can help the cycle along with a product like EcoBio-Block. The first stage of the cycle will include an ammonia spike. The second stage will show a nitrite spike as the ammonia is converted to nitrite. All of these can be determined with water quality tests.

When your fish are in the water, it is still necessary to test your water daily to see how it changes with the addition of the fish. After a few weeks, you can reduce the daily testing to just weekly. There are two ways to do the testing. Either you have the aquarium supply store do the testing for you, or you can buy testing kits and do them yourself at the convenience of your own home.

You will be presented at the aquarium supply store with a wide variety of testing kits to choose from. There are basic kits with strips that test important water quality indicators like pH, nitrate, water hardness, ammonia, nitrites and others. The strips change color to indicate the quality of the water.

Although the testing kits appear convenient, they are unfortunately often not reliable. You can however purchase the more conclusive test kits that include a test tube. You will also need to have a thermometer to keep track of the water temperature.

The health of your fish depends a lot on the quality of water so regular monitoring is a must. You need to make the necessary adjustments and additions to your aquarium to keep the water healthy.

The pH of the tank should be around 6 or 7, depending on the requirements of your fish species. However, because pH can be difficult to adjust and most fish are fine in a wide range of pH, it is sometimes better to leave the pH alone. Many things can change the pH, including any decorations, rocks, or medications you add to the aquarium. If you do need to alter the pH, there are chemicals you can add to the tank specifically to raise or lower the pH to your fish's required range. If you prefer a slower, more natural approach to adjusting pH, add driftwood or peat to make the tank more acidic, or lime rock or seashells for a more alkaline aquarium.

High ammonia levels are toxic to fish. Nitrite levels too, must be kept as close to zero as possible. What will reduce both will be partial changes of water. An easier way is to add beneficial bacteria. Nitrites will be converted to the less harmful nitrates by the beneficial bacteria.

A simpler way will be to let a good bacteria colony be established by EcoBio-Block. This block is infused with beneficial bacteria that can keep your water healthy for long periods of time

Regular aquarium water testing is the only way to ensure that you maintain a healthy water environment for your fish.

Leonard Boyler has been keeping fish for more than 20 years. His favorite products make aquarium care and maintenance very easy from start up to clearing up cloudy aquariums. To find out more about having an aquarium with clear water and healthy fish please visit ONEdersave.com.