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Mikeingeorgia

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Hi all, I'm new to the forum but not to tropical fish. I only currently have 1 tank set up, 29g that houses my older Grandson's male betta. The tank has a bio-wheel filter and a small surface skimmer. For ease of maintenance I don't intend to put too many fish in it. It has a good layer of algae in it, so I'm thinking of adding a few ottos and a small group of probably albino corydoras. I don't think the betta would be too interested in either of those kinds to cause any commotion. In the past I've had as many as 8 tanks up and running at once but life kept occurring and taking up more and more of my time. I do have one question though. When I had 8 tanks running, my only source of water was well water, and it worked "well" lol. But since that time, I've connected to municipal water although I can still go get well water except I'd have to carry it in buckets into the house. Not bad in the summer but not much fun in the winter. What method of preparing the municipal water do you all tend to use?
 
Hi and welcome to the forum :)

All that good exercise you're missing out on by not carrying buckets of cold wet well water into the house during winter. You're obviously not as devoted to fish keeping (or crazy enough) like some of us. I go down to the beach and collect sea water, it's nice in summer but gets a bit chilly in winter :)

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The best way to treat tap water is to put the water in a fish only bucket and add the required amount of water conditioner/ dechlorinating agent. then aerate the water and conditioner solution for 30 minutes or so and then add that water to the tank.

If you contact your local water supply company, they should be able to tell you if they add chlorine or chloramine to the drinking water. In Australia chlorine is the norm, in the US chloramine is more widely used. Some water conditioners need a double dose if you have chloramine.

You should also check the tap water for pH, GH (general hardness), KH (carbonate hardness), ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and if possible, phosphate. These might be listed on the water company's website or you might have to test for them yourself.
 
They sent out a paper a few weeks ago that mentioned the specifics, but I'm not sure if I still have it. The catch though, is that they sometimes buy water from at least 2 of the nearest neighboring municipalities too, so the parameters change randomly. I might just run outside and back from the well lol.
 
Well water is usually safer but it depends on where you live. If you have industrial or agricultural areas nearby the ground water can become contaminated. However, if you live in a clean area then it should be fine. Having said that it is always a good idea to check any water supply for pH, GH, ammonia & nitrate on a regular basis just to make sure it is safe to use.

Unfortunately water can become contaminated at any time and water might be safe one week and polluted the next. Checking the water source regularly helps you keep track of what is going on and should limit or prevent unexpected fish losses due to contaminated water.
 

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