| Care Sheets |
| Click on each link to view information |
| Aquariums must recreate the living environment that tropical and freshwater fish, coral and invertebrates need to survive. For instance, under natural conditions in the ocean, wave action infuses sea water with oxygen for all ocean life. The breaking waves, particularly those associated with large storms, drive air bubbles downward into the water, where water pressure dissolves some of the bubbles before they can ascend back to the surface. In raising aquarium fish, invertebrates, coral and plant life we need to accomplished this mechanically. The passage of air bubbles through water—is used to aerate water in your fish aquarium. Oxygen diffuses out of air bubbles into the aquarium water where fish can then use it to "breathe." The primary regulator of gas concentrations in subsurface water is the activity of organisms. When light and nutrient conditions are adequate, plants photosynthesize. This complex biochemical process of photosynthesis converts water (H2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2) into organic matter, and liberates oxygen (O2) as a product of the reactions. Thus, plants simultaneously reduce the dissolved content of CO2 and augment the levels of O2 and CO2—two vital gases for the ocean's biota. The Care Sheets we have provided in the links above are an easy way for you to meet the needs of your aquarium life without needing to know these kinds of scientific explanations. |
