Losing fish to water changes can be heartbreaking for aquarium owners. Yet many deaths can be avoided by understanding what can go wrong during water changes and taking precautions against it. Temperature shock is a leading cause of fish deaths after changes, and thermometers can easily help you ensure that both tank waters have identical temperatures when switching tanks over. Other potential causes for death after changes include pH shock, ammonia shock and osmotic shock - so taking steps like these to ensure fish survive is also key in order to minimize mortality rates after changing tank waters!
Aquarium fish have the ability to adapt to changes gradually, yet sudden shifts from their previous environment may shock and stress them out, potentially leading to death. Therefore, it's crucial that you understand how osmotic and pH stresses arise so you can ensure your aquarium fish are adapting successfully in their new tanks.
Be sure to match the temperature before adding new fish from a pet store that have been stored at different temperatures their entire lives, to your aquarium. Furthermore, always use quality water conditioners such as API Water conditioner, AmQuel or Ammolock during this process as these will help remove chlorine and ammonia from the tank water, helping ensure healthy fish without shock shock!
