Toxic Pollutants & Their Effect On Fish Health

Once water temperatures increase in the summer months, fishbecome more active and produce increasing amounts of waste,leading to potential water pollution. Fish produce waste in theform of ammonia, which is broken down into nitrites then nitratesby beneficial bacteria. Both ammonia and nitrite are very harmfulto fish, even in very small quantities. Ammonia, in particular,is more toxic at high temperatures and can cause severe problems.In fact, water can hold five times as much dangerous ammonia at77°F as opposed to 41°F. The effect on water quality isexaggerated by a high pH, resulting in the formation of moretoxic ammonia.

High nitrite levels are also more dangerous in low oxygen waterlevels. Nitrite causes the hemoglobin in the fish's blood to formmetheamoglobin, which cannot carry as much oxygen around the bodyof the fish, therefore making fish lethargic.

Nitrates are relatively harmless to freshwater fish and act asgreat fertilizers for plants. However, they also encourage thegrowth of unwelcome algae, such as green water or blanket weed.So, be sure to test the water quality every few weeks with a kit.

If there is a noticeable reduction in water flow, you can backflush your pressure filters and gently rinse any biological mediain a bucket of pond water. (Depending on your type of filter, itsbiological media can be anything from plastic cylinders/spheresto spaghetti-like strands to foam pads.) Biological media shouldnever be washed under the hose; chlorine contained in the waterkills the beneficial bacteria. Remember to never scrub the mediaclean; simply rinse off any excess sludge or debris so beneficialbacteria will remain intact and active, restarting the biologicalprocess.

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Brett Fogle is the owner of MacArthur Water Gardens and several
other pond-related websites includingMacArthurWatergardens.com
and Pond-Filters-Online.com. He also publishes a free monthly
newsletter called PondStuff! with a reader circulation of over
9,000. To sign up for the free newsletter and receive our FREE
'New Pond Owners Guide' visit MacArthur Water Gardens today!
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