water changes

[lutikriss]

hi everyone, just wanted to clear a few things up


through the years , during water changes ive never added anything to the tap water. ive never had problems with water quality so was just wandering do you guys treat your water with anything during a water change? and is there a need to?




ian

 

[Tolak]

I use prime to take out chlorine & chloramines. If you have your own well without being on a municipal system, you don't have to worry about chlorine or chloramines, but heavy metals may be a problem.

If you are on a municipal system the chlorine & chloramines will supress the biological filtration of your filter, as well as burn the gills on your fish. It's a cumulative effect, they will do ok for a while, but over time it will do damage. Sodium thiosulfate is usually used to neutralize chlorine & chloramine.

Heavy metals in well water are poisons, although really diluted. EDTA in water treatments binds these into a non-toxic form.

I've heard of plenty of people using well water with no treatment without any problems. City water depends on how much they dose it. It comes out of the tap here smelling like a swimming pool. Some people around here will do a small change without dechloring, the idea being that it keeps down bacteria a bit. I don't do it, or reccomend it.

Tolak

 

[nc_nutcase]

Minor problems with water conditions (including chlorine/chloramines) have a very slow negative effect on fish. It could be compared to second hand smoke. It's not going to kill anyone overnight, but over time it will shorten the fish's lifespan and lower their quality of life. Not something you will 'see', but something the fish will feel.

 

[gale]

We have our own well, but I still dose with dechlor (right now I'm finishing up a bottle of stress coat, then I'll use the aquasafe I bought a while back). I figure it doesn't hurt to put it in just in case. I do rinse filters in tap water though, since there's no chlorine worries.

 

[BuntbarschXXL]

Hi.

Depends on the quality of your tap water.
Here the water has high quality- no need to prepare it.
You should have a look on the water analysis of your supplier.

PS: You can remove chlorine bei venting the water before you put it into the fishtank.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi lutikriss

Aside from using a dechlorinator, the goal is to keep a balanced, natural environment for your fish. This means that beside feeding them and cleaning their tank periodically (things that nature would ordinarily take care of) you should do as little else as possible.

There are all kinds of chemicals on the market which primarily serve the purpose of making their manufacturers money but which are at best, harmless but at worst, actually dangerous if misused. If your fish don't have a specific problem that requires the use of a particular product or medication, IMHO it's best to leave well enough alone.

There is absolutely no need for a fish to have to breath water that contains aloe, or to live in a tank with salted water if they come from a freshwater habitat. If your biological filter is working as it should, nothing needs to be added to help it along.

The exception of course, is for pH amendments if you have fish that require this adjustment.