Water conditions

The solute content of water is perhaps the most important aspect

of water conditions, as total dissolved solids and other
constituents can dramatically impact basic water chemistry, and
therefore how organisms are able to interact with their
environment. Salt content, or salinity, is the most basic
classification of water conditions. An aquarium may have
freshwater (salinity below 0.5 PPT), simulating a lake or river
environment; brackish water (a salt level of 0.5 to 30 PPT),
simulating environments lying between fresh and salt, such as
estuaries; and salt water or seawater (a salt level of 30 to
40 PPT), simulating an ocean or sea environment. Rarely, even
higher salt concentrations are maintained in specialized tanks for
raising brine organisms.
• Several other water characteristics result from dissolved contents of the
water, and are important to the proper simulation of natural
environments. The pH of the water is a measure of the degree to which
it is alkaline or acidic. Saltwater is typically alkaline, while the pH of fresh
water varies more. Hardness measures overall dissolved mineral
content; hard or soft water may be preferred. Hard water is usually
alkaline, while soft water is usually neutral to acidic.[5]
Dissolved organic content and dissolved gases content are also
important factors.
• Home aquarists typically use modified tap water supplied through their
local water supply network to fill their tanks. Because of the chlorine
used to disinfect drinking water supplies for human consumption,
straight tap water cannot be used. In the past, it was possible to
"condition" the water by simply letting the water stand for a day or two,
which allows the chlorine time to dissipate.[5] However, chloramine is
now used more often as it is much stabler and will not leave the water
as readily. Additives formulated to remove chlorine or chloramine are
often all that is needed to make the water ready for aquarium use.
Brackish or saltwater aquaria require the addition of a mixture of salts
and other minerals, which are commercially available for this purpose.
• More sophisticated aquarists may make other modifications to their base
water source to modify the water's alkalinity, hardness, or dissolved
content of organics and gases, before adding it to their aquaria. This can
be accomplished by a range of different additives, such as sodium
bicarbonate to raise pH.[5] Some aquarists will even filter or purify their
water prior to adding it to their aquarium. There are two processes used
for that: deionization or reverse osmosis. In contrast, public aquaria with
large water needs often locate themselves near a natural water source
(such as a river, lake, or ocean) in order to have easy access to a large
volume of water that does not require much further treatment.
• The temperature of the water forms the basis of one of the two most basic
aquarium classifications: tropical vs. cold water. Most fish and plant
species tolerate only a limited range of water temperatures: Tropical or
warm water aquaria, with an average temperature of about 25 °C (77 °F),
are much more common, and tropical fish are among the most popular
aquarium denizens. Cold water aquaria are those with temperatures
below what would be considered tropical; a variety of fish are better suited
to this cooler environment. More importantly than the temperature range
itself is the consistency in temperature; most organisms are not
accustomed to sudden changes in temperatures, which could cause
shock and lead to disease.[5] Water temperature can be regulated with a
combined thermometer and heater unit (or, more rarely, with a cooling
unit).
• Water movement can also be important in
accurately simulating a natural ecosystem.
Aquarists may prefer anything from still water
up to swift simulated currents in an aquarium,
depending on the conditions best suited for
the aquarium's inhabitants. Water movement
can be controlled through the use of aeration
from air pumps, powerheads, and careful
design of internal water flow (such as location
of filtration system points of inflow and
outflow).