THE NEW TANK SYNDROME

What Is It and How To Tackle?

- Shahu Sardar

Planning the perfect aquascape, filling it with fresh water, adding your favorite fish but only to have it fail in about a couple of weeks...Fishes die, and the plant setup gets spoiled. Your tank most probably was affected by the new tank syndrome' which is a quite prevalent phenomenon with newly setup tanks. This is frustrating and the biggest reason for beginners to give up on the aquarium hobby.

But, if we understand the basics right "New tank syndrome" is easy to tackle and isn't a big issue. So let's dig deeper, understand the new tank syndrome and the best way to tackle it, to then calmly enjoy your own aquarium.

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 completed 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 water bodies 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. It is kind of waste management in a water body.

NITROGEN CYCLE IN NEW TANK SYNDROME

When a new tank has been set up and filled with clean water, it has very few or almost none of those useful nitrifying bacteria which we talked about. When you put fishes in this tank they will be releasing waste which will just pile up in the water. This is called Ammonia buildup, which causes ammonia burns and ammonia poisoning to your fish leading to death.