Walk down the treatments aisle of any aquatics shop and you’ll see dozens of bottles – conditioners, fertilisers, bacteria starters, remineralisers. It’s not always obvious what each one is actually for. Here’s a plain-English breakdown of the main categories.
Water conditioners
These neutralise chlorine and chloramine in tap water, which are harmful to fish, and are used every time you do a water change with tap water. This is one of the few treatments that’s genuinely essential for almost every tank using tap water.
Bacteria starters
These introduce a concentrated dose of the beneficial bacteria responsible for the nitrogen cycle, intended to speed up the cycling process in a new tank or help a tank recover after a filter clean or medication that’s disrupted the bacteria colony.
Fertilisers
Liquid or root-tab fertilisers supply nutrients planted tanks need for healthy growth – nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, iron and trace elements. Different plants have different needs, and over-fertilising without adequate plant uptake can contribute to algae problems, so it’s worth researching dosing for your specific setup rather than guessing.
Remineralisers
Used to raise GH/KH in soft water, particularly relevant for shrimp keepers (see our GH/KH guide) and for tanks using RO or RO-DI water that starts with essentially no mineral content at all.
Reading labels carefully
Always check whether a treatment is safe for the specific livestock in your tank – some treatments aren’t safe for shrimp or certain sensitive species, even at doses safe for fish.
Browse treatments
See the full range – including Aquaview’s extensive treatments line-up – in our Aquarium & Pond Treatments section on The Aviary Hub.
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