New Tank Syndrome, also known as the 'reason for fish dying in aquarium,' is a common challenge faced by aquarium enthusiasts. It refers to the delicate period when establishing a new aquarium, where fish are particularly vulnerable to adverse conditions resulting in their untimely demise. Understanding the reasons for fish dying in an aquarium is crucial to create a healthy and thriving aquatic environment. In this article, we will delve into the causes of fish mortality during the new tank setup phase and provide valuable insights on how to prevent and mitigate the effects of this syndrome, ensuring the successful acclimation of fish to their new habitat.
Basics- The Nitrogen cycle.
It all starts from here; The nitrogen cycle.
The nitrogen cycle is a natural process of modification of nitrogen compounds into different forms and their flow through the ecosystem.
And this cycle of course should be complete in our aquariums (which are themselves tiny ecosystems) too.
Fish waste created in the tank chemically is in the form of ammonia(from gills) and ammonium(from excreta). These in natural systems are fed upon by nitrifying bacteria which convert it to less toxic nitrites. This completes the nitrogen cycle and helps the fish to live peacefully and healthily.
How the nitrogen cycle plays its role.
When the new tank has been set up and filled with clean water. It has almost none of those useful nitrifying bacteria. When fish are put in this tank, they would be releasing waste which in this case will be just piling up. This is called Ammonia buildup, which causes ammonia burns and ammonia poisoning to t your fish.
This process speeds up due to the mild stress of the fish that have been put in the new setup. Feeding in this time period also accelerates the buildup. All this happens while things in the tank may appear normal to the hobbyist and thus hard to identify until the fish start dying mysteriously. This is also the reason why it's named "new tank syndrome" as it was associated with bad luck coming with the new setup.
Tackling the new tank syndrome.
The process here again starts with the "nitrogen cycle". The first thing to be done is to ensure the water is not just "clean, but it is also "healthy" for the fish to thrive and promote a healthy ecosystem. And this will need the introduction of the beneficial bacteria which can be done in one of the following ways
Slow cycling is simply giving time to the bacteria to grow, reproduce and form colonies. To do this simply fill dechlorinated water into the tank, turn on your light and filter, and add some pellets of fish food. Leave the tank for about 2-3 weeks. The tank will be cycled.
30-40% water change can be done while bringing in your new fish after this slow cycling. You can also add some hardy fish and inexpensive species like guppies to enhance the process. The required species, or the other delicate ones should be introduced slowly.
The only problem with slow cycling is time. Slow cycling is a slow and gradual process and the complete time to cycle fully depends on the volume of the tank.
A faster way is to seed the new tank with colonies. For this, you can take help from someone who has a setup or a store that has it. The filter sponge from the old setup can be directly installed into the new tank to readily put the bacteria colony. As filter sponges/media are the sites of colonization.
Alternatively, soil, or some water from the old setup can be also added.
Keep in mind that the sponge/media/soil should be directly put into the new setup without washing, as washing it will of course also get rid of the beneficial bacteria you wanted.
Although a fast and efficient method, seeding is relatively risky. The old setup need not to always healthy. There's a risk of transmission of bacterial or fungal diseases to be transferred from that tank to your new setup. Many a time the soil may contain spores of diseases like white itch. Thus not always you will find a good, healthy aquarium already setup, making it harder.
The fasted and safest way is to buy readymade cycling bacteria. These are bacterial colonies commercially sold as liquids to be put in your tank. It is faster as bacterial colonies are directly introduced and also safer.
The biggest claim made is the instant addition of fish after the liquid is added to the tank. This is not at all recommended. The bacteria still need time to multiply and form an actual healthy colony in the tank and thus at least a day should be given for it.
Maintaining the health of bacteria.
The simple learning we get from all of this is that in an aquarium it's not just the fish and plants you are taking care of,, but also the bacteria that are the pillars of the ecosystem. Thus maintaining a healthy colony is also important.
And thus the irony is that "new" tank syndrome can also be seen in established/old setups.
As mentioned earlier, bacterial colonies ar formed in the filter media/sponge and the soil. These two components are thus sensitive and must be taken care of while cleaning your aquarium.
Filter media should not be thoroughly cleaned every time you get a water change in your aquarium. It must be done after 2-3 water changes. it should be rinsed in old tank water and any derbies or algae formation should be removed with a brush. Cleaning the media in fresh water will wash of the bacteria colony so make sure you do it only in the old tank water.
The soil mostly should be just siphoned and only rinsed when tank is servely affected by any disease.
In case of deep cleaning, the readymade cycling bacteria should be used.
Sometimes fish medicines added to the tank can sometimes kill the bacteria(mostly antibiotics ) Thus the best way to prevent this is to treat the sick fish in a separate quarantine tank.
Cloudy water? Don't panic
When doing the discussed things about establishing the beneficial bacteria in the tank, you may notice your water getting extremely cloudy. This is called the Bacterial bloom, which is completely normal and a healthy sign that the process is successful.
Bacterial blooms are bacteria that have grown and reproduced in large numbers and are now suspended in the water. Their large numbers simply make them somewhat visible to the naked eye. These flocs will now settle in your soil or get sucked by the filter, where they will colonize the filter sponge/media.
Conclusion
The new tank syndrome in general is not so dreadful as it sounds, instead its just some lack of basics. New tank syndrome thus can be easily tackled with the above-mentioned steps.
Happy fish keeping!
