Using Reverse Osmosis Systems For Fish tank Water Quality

RO (Reverse Osmosis) and Deionization necessary for the production of pure water for use in freshwater or saltwater aquariums.

Reverse Osmosis is a separation process that uses your household water pressure to force water (a solvent) through a membrane filter that retains the waste or solute on one side of the filtration process and allows pure water to pass through to the other side. Among other things, Reverse Osmosis is used for drinking water in homes and restaurants, but it is also one of the most important advances in our aquariums’ success, especially in Reef Ocean Systems!


- Manifold Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment System
- 5 Stage Reverse Osmosis Undersink Water Filter System 50 GPD With Storage Tank

Ever wonder why your friend's fish tank is cleaner than yours? Or how come you have to clean twice as much as him when you both use the same products and have the same kind of fish? It's probably because he is using some type of water filter but not just any kind - it's most likely a reverse osmosis (ro) system. A reverse osmosis system will remove a very good majority of impurities out of the water. Impurities like phosphates, nitrates, and heavy metals exist in most water sources even in bottled water.

Many tap water sources contains phosphates and nitrates which is the main food source for algae. When there is an abundance of these elements, algae will tend to grow very rapidly and stick to your glass making you spend your valuable time on cleaning the glass. Copper is another notorious element found in tap water which comes from the copper plumbing. Copper is can be very toxic to invertebrates and should be removed quickly to prevent any illnesses or unfortunate deaths within your aquarium. The best way to combat these impurities is by using a reverse osmosis system coupled with a mixed bed deionization (DI) filter. A reverse osmosis filter alone will remove about 95-98% of the impurities and the mixed bed DI filter will catch anything that is left behind. Together both will remove about 99.9% of impurities.
Another related problem to untreated water is the effects of pH conditioners. With untreated water, pH conditioners tend to be less effective due to the amount of impurities in the water. Reverse osmosis (ro) water coupled with mixed bed DI filtration will typically have nero zero TDS (total dissolved solids) in the water making it much easier for you to pH balance. With RO/DI water, you will be able to use less pH conditioners and minerals for pH balancing than with untreated water.
It requires very little maintenance and will help with saving time and costs. When the filters for the filtration system is serviced regularly, the costs in the long run outweigh any short term immediate bandage. Almost any standard reverse osmosis system on the market can be turned into an aquarium ready system simply by adding a mixed bed di filter. So join your friend and try using a reverse osmosis system with a DI filter. You will be surprised at the quality of water that you get.

So You Just Got Your First Betta Fish - Need Help?

On the Other Side, originally uploaded by chasing the rain.

Hello Nippyfish Readers (new and returning) and welcome to the busiest time of the year to be a Betta Fish blogger. Mid December kicks off an upswing of visitors to the blog and the Nippyfish main site as people receive well-meaning (if not poorly-planned) bettas as holiday gifts. The first flood of people are those who have turned to the web to learn how to care for their new pet and have landed here. I say to you, Welcome and congratulations on receiving your new betta fish.

First I should tell you that Nippyfish.net was born in 2004 as a place for me to assemble reliable betta care tips and advice based on science and personal experience. There is so much misinformation out there on the web that I was finding myself overwhelmed. I vowed to put together my own site where facts are listed as facts and opinions are noted as just that. You can take from it what you want and hopefully it will help ease the stress of learning to care for this complex and sensitive animal. Here are a few links to get you started. Also, this blog is a good resource as there are hundreds of Q&A and helpful articles listed. Use the search bar above to find what you are looking for or browse the drop-down menu to the right.

Betta splendens 101 – The basics about Betta Fish
Choosing a Tank – Don’t be fooled, a small open bowl or vase is not a safe environment for any fish
All About Water – Learn the basics of water testing and need-to-know water chemistry info for betta fish owners
Feeding – Overfeeding or underfeeding are common beginner mistakes. Learn what bettas eat and how much to feed.

The second flood of visitors to this site will come in January. This group I affectionately call the “ALL CAPS, HELP! PLEASE READ THIS EMAIL” group of Nippyfish readers who have rightfully worked themselves up into a panic because the betta they received for Christmas/Chanukah is sick or dying. The reason they are in this situation is not their fault and is usually the result of a well-meaning friend or relative who gave them the fish and relayed inaccurate advice from the fish store clerk about its “proper care.” Don’t get me wrong, I love fish store clerks – many read this blog and passionate ones often know more about fish keeping than I do. For every one of those clerks, however, there are 10 who have learned everything they know about bettas from 8.5x11 pamphlet provided by their store (if they’re lucky).

If you have found yourself here with a sick fish I first want to tell you that I was you once and totally and completely feel for your situation. Chances are you received this fish because your friend/family member recognized that you are an animal lover and saw you as a responsible pet owner. Because you are loving and caring of animals you are freaking out and either blaming yourself, the fish store, or cruelty of the universe for the sickly-state of your betta. Hang in there, many betta fish diseases are curable and even if the worst happens and he doesn’t make it, you should be proud of yourself for doing the right thing and researching the needs of your pet.

You should start by reading the links in the section above and then check out our disease info here:

Illness and Disease – A guide to the most common betta fish diseases and treatments.

Ok my friends. The holidays are almost here and I am anticipating your emails. I will be traveling a lot enjoying my time off but will do my best to get to as many emails as possible. Please don’t overstress and do enjoy your new pet. Bettas are extraordinarily interesting animals and have a lot to teach us. But a word of warning- they are addictive.

Happy Holidays!

Punishment for Fighting Betta Fish

thai fighting fish ring, originally uploaded by revs&audy.

caption: The photo above is of a betta fish fighting ring in Thailand

I was having a really interesting conversation on Twitter today about betta fish fighting for gambling/recreation purposes. It’s no secret that Nippyfish does not tolerate animal fighting for sport and I am happy to say most of world doesn’t tolerate it either. When we talk about fighting bettas it is usually in reference to deep-seeded traditions ingrained in far-away countries or to naive high school/college age boys here in the US.

I was interested to hear today that betta fighting in Indonesia, one of the countries where wild bettas originated, is a high-stakes underground business where wagers can get pretty intense. I was pleased to hear; however, that the law in Indonesia does not take animal fighting or gambling lightly. Both offenses are punishable with jail time. When I heard that I couldn’t help but feel satisfied. Perhaps because I have never once heard of anyone being punished for fish fighting here in the US. Even dog fighting, which is as heinous as it is violent, rarely ever ends with any meaningful punishment. Maybe a few months in prison at best and a fine. We have so far to go in protecting our animals in this country. We could stand to take a page from the book of our eastern neighbors.

This leads me to ask, has anyone ever heard of someone getting busted for fish fighting? Have any of our readers ever been busted? I suspect nobody has ever done hard time but what about school suspension, expulsion or loss of some privilege? If the law doesn’t take it seriously, does our school systems? Our teachers? Our parents?



Thanks to Fajar Jasmin who shared his knowledge of betta fighting in Indonesia with me over Twitter. Please take a moment to check out his incredibly poignant blog about his life –Unquote – it is sure to pull at your heartstrings and is my new favorite blog.

Since we have readers from all over the world, we would love to hear about betta fighting in your country and what is or isn’t done to prevent it. Be sure to let us know what country you are from.

Helping New Betta Fish Owners Start Off Right

Betta1, originally uploaded by ~VLC~.

Q: JP wrote,

Hi Christie!

I recently discovered you site and have a few questions....

A couple of days ago, I received a betta fish for a Christmas present. I am very excited, but want to make sure that I take good care of him. I got a small bowl with him... but its only 1 gallon... I know you said 2.5 was the smallest you would go. What do you think? Also I’m worried about temperature. Do they sell water heaters for small fish bowls?

If you could answer my questions that would be great. Thank you!

A:

Good for you for taking the time to research your new betta fish. This is the busiest time of year for me as I get tons of emails from new fish owners who have received a betta for the holidays.

To get to your question; it is difficult to keep a betta healthy in a small unfiltered and unheated bowl. Success is based more on luck and good genetics than anything else. Initially, keeping your betta in a small bowl may seem like the easiest thing to do but in actuality you are setting yourself up for difficulties from the beginning. Small volumes of water are unstable. They quickly fill with toxic ammonia from fish waste and the temperature in small bowls is especially erratic. Fish, more than anything, need a stable environment to thrive. A 1 gallon bowl needs constant attention, water changes and testing and even if you have the time to do the work it can still be impossible to keep stable.

I recommend doing it right from the beginning, which is really easier than you may think. There are lots of great starter aquariums available for not a lot of money. I recommend the small 5 gallon Aqueon Mini Bow or the 6 gallon Marineland Eclipse.

They are both sturdy desktop aquariums with an internal filter system, a light and a lid to keep in bettas which are notorious jumpers. Hope this is helpful and that you enjoy your new Betta. Happy holidays!