How much should I defend the water for the aquarium?

In an urgent and always relevant issue for aquarists, how much to defend the water for the aquarium, opinions vary considerably. Some insist that the water should be defended to several weeks, others - that a maximum of a day. Let's try to understand the problem in more detail.

Let's start by considering why we need to defend water for the aquarium.

About impurities

Water, whether it is tap-water or well, contains impurities that can be conditionally divided into:

• solid,
• liquid,
• gaseous.

Solid - a variety of precipitation, which fall after several hours of settling. It can be clay from a well, rust from old pipes, limestone from hard water. Liquid - dissolved in water chloramines, ammonia, nitrites. Gaseous - used in the purification of tap water ozone, chlorine.

Sedimentation of water, in theory, should lead to the fact that the solid impurities will precipitate, and liquid and gaseous - will volatilize. In the case of gaseous impurities, it is important to know how to stand water for the aquarium correctly. As the gases evaporate from the surface of the liquid, it is necessary to ensure the maximum possible surface area of ​​this surface, that is, pour water into the basins and frying out, and in no case cover them so that the gases will evaporate. Gases will leave the water for a day.

Let's move on to how to maintain water for the aquarium if it has solid precipitation. The shape of the vessel into which the liquid will be poured does not matter. The main thing is to gently transfer the already settled water from it. The duration of precipitation will be several hours.

In the presence of liquid impurities it does not matter how much water is set aside for the aquarium - it is impossible to purify water from them without resorting to the help of special chemicals.

So those who advise for water reinsurance for weeks to defend the water are mistaken. In addition, the surface of such water accumulates dust, and the liquid itself can simply stagnate and become cloudy .

About the preparation of water

Beginner aquarists are interested in how to prepare water for the aquarium. Clear the water settling at least from solid impurities will have to, but before its use, you still need to add special cleansers. It is also necessary to measure pH and temperature. To measure the pH level, store paper indicators. Increase the pH level will help ordinary baking soda, lower - peat.

In order not to waste time on settling and measuring the acid-base balance, you can take distilled water for the aquarium, but this is recommended only as a last resort and with a small volume of the aquarium. Do not abuse distilled water: it lacks not only harmful, but also useful for the inhabitants of the aquarium impurities.