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Water log

The single most important habit for keeping fish, and the first task on the plan: test the water and write it down. Fish live in their water the way we live in air — you can't keep the fish without keeping the water, and the water only tells the truth to a test kit, never to the eye.

Get the kit first

A liquid test kit (more accurate than strips) covering pH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate — plus a thermometer. This is non-negotiable equipment, not optional.

The numbers that matter

• Ammonia — should be 0. Anything above is toxic and urgent (usually overfeeding or overstocking).
• Nitrite — should be 0. Also toxic; a spike means the filter's biology isn't keeping up.
• Nitrate — low; rises slowly, lowered by water changes.
• pH — stable matters more than a specific number; sudden swings stress fish.
• Temperature — drives everything: feeding, metabolism, oxygen.

Baseline & log

Reading the log: any ammonia or nitrite reading above 0 → act today (partial water change, stop feeding, find the cause). Nitrate creeping up → schedule a water change.