Creating an even more balanced aquarium

The more I read aquarist guide and forum websites, the more I understand how to create an even more balanced aquarium. So, based on the scientific theories that I read, I put them into practice, using my own aquarium.

This is the latest addition to my aquarium, Bio-Rings.

Basically, what I need to do is just to slot in the following bio-rings bag into the aquarium external filter.

These rings are not chemical product of any kind, but it is just just a media to be used in filters. They provide increased surface area for beneficial bacteria to grow. So this bacteria will act as a biological filter. Remember my previous entry where food waste and fish waste will break into ammonia, and these beneficial bacteria will oxidize ammonia to nitrite, and nitrite to nitrate.

Nitrate is not as harmful as ammonia and nitrite, but eventually it will also build up. Found out from the forum nitrate is actually fertilizer that plants used and it will be converted to protein in leaves.

For that, I also introduce live water plants in my aquarium. So the plant will use the stocked nitrate in the water, taking carbon dioxide in the water, released by the fishes, and producing oxygen for fish use. Isn’t that a perfect cycle?

And I am now an amateur aquarist.