Reptiles & Amphibians

Correcting Water Quality Problems

The Nitrogen Cycle:

Ammonia, Nitrites and Nitrates measure the biological filter in a system.  Elevations in any of these parameters with normal pH and alkalinity indicates a problems with biological filtration (see related article: The Importance of Water Quality Testing on this website).  Mild elevations in all parameters are generally easy to fix, but there are some special cases described below that are far more concerning.

Toxic Plants

If you can't identify a plant, don't feed it to your pet! 

Pokeweed, a common poisonous weedNurseries, agricultural extension agents, botanical gardens and arboretums, and various books and websites are available to help you identify plants.  Plants often have different common names throughout the country so make sure you know the scientific name of the plant in question otherwise you might end up with the wrong information.

Syringes - How Much Medication Is Needed?
