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We do not clean ponds or lakes but an aquarium needs to be cleaned regularly. Explain

Good question.
 In  ponds, lakes, streams and rivers fish live very well without any need for filters. It is a natural ecosystem. But an aquarium is an artificial ecosystem. The balance of other flora and fauna needs to be taken into account.But, the key point here is the volume of water the fish are living in. the volume of water is huge when compared to an aquarium.
There is one chemical in particular that all fish produce and have to dispose of, ammonia. Fish excrete ammonia via their gills.
Fish are slightly different and usually expel ammonia from their gills along with the carbon dioxide produced by , it's not something fish want to swim around in and if the concentration gets to great it'll quickly kill them. In nature this isn't a problem as the fish are in such a big volume of water the ammonia is highly diluted and the bacteria break it down to less toxic chemicals (nitrites and then nitrates) before it ever gets concentrated enough to be a problem. But, in a fish tank it is a big problem, especially as it can build up fast, and the more overcrowded and stressed the fish the faster it builds up!


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