Tap Water And Conditioners

[emerging]

Hi! I'm a new Betta mommy. I've had Bubbles for about 6 weeks now and have been using bottled water because I really didn't know any better! (I "rescued" Bubbles from a vase at my cousin's wedding, and he's now living in a 2-gallon Eclipse Explorer tank.) I've also added a 7.5 watt heater as well as a thermometer.

After doing a bit of research on the benefits of tap water for the mineral content, I tested mine using API's Master Kit. Readings were as follows:

pH - 8.4
ammonia - 1.0 mg/L
nitrites - 2.0 mg/L
nitrates - 10 mg/L

I went to a local aquatic specialty store, and they recommended a product called Water Rite. They felt it was superior even to AmQuel, and said they use it in all their aquariums. Has anyone heard anything about this product? They said it would also bring the pH down.

Thanks for any info!

 

[joycould]

Your water stats aren't very good at all that is probably why Bubbles fins are damaged. I haven't used the product The ph is high but so is your ammonia and nitrates. If your water from the tap actually has ammonia in it you will need to get a binder which will actually give you false reading usually when you test again. Another thing is live plants really help with the quality of water there are some very easy ones to grow. If he was my fish I would still add the salt to his water make sure you dissolve it in a little aquarium water before adding it to the aquarium.

 

[emerging]

Your water stats aren't very good at all that is probably why Bubbles fins are damaged. I haven't used the product The ph is high but so is your ammonia and nitrates. If your water from the tap actually has ammonia in it you will need to get a binder which will actually give you false reading usually when you test again. Another thing is live plants really help with the quality of water there are some very easy ones to grow. If he was my fish I would still add the salt to his water make sure you dissolve it in a little aquarium water before adding it to the aquarium.

Hi Joycould!

I haven't actually tried the treated tap water yet... he's been getting bottled spring water from the grocery store. Is there a way to test for a true ammonia reading after conditioning the water? I've heard there are two different reagents used for testing - Nessler and salicylate. Salicylate is more accurate when using a binder, right? I don't know which reagent is used in the API test kit I have.