If I use bottled spring water in my 10gal tank, do I still need to add water conditioner and if so, what kind?

Question

I have goldfish and I need to use bottled water to fill the tank because I have unacceptable well water. My dad tried to chemically treat it, but we don't use it to brush our teeth or cook! We just use bottled water at my house for everything.

Answer 1

Yes you do have to treat bottled water. Use some Stress Coat with Aloe Vera any pet store has it . GOOD LUCK

Answer 2

You won't need to add a chlorine neutraliser, however you will find that the water will deteriorate quickly ie the pH will drop dramatically in no time at all due to the fish waste. I use spring water for my waterfall tank which contains a range of carnivorous plants. I use this water because th pH is less than 6.0. If I housed fish in this they probably wouldn't last due to acid burn. So grab a test kit and monitor this. Sodium bicarbonate will raise the pH for you. Its always best to dissolve say 1/4 teaspoon to a glass of water and add probably 1/4 of this solution at a time after testing. Bi carb is natural and available in any supermarket.

Answer 3

Well most aquarium shops have different water treatments you can purchase but if it is bottled water I'm sure it will be fine. Goldfish are usually quite hardy and can adapt to a wide range of conditions. But if you wish to treat it I use Aqua Plus Water Conditioner for ten gallons you probably just need a cap full when you clean out your aquarium.

Answer 4

You shouldn't need to treat bottled water for chlorine, and generally treating for PH, and hardness requires you know what you doing. (I could recommend such treatment ubnless you'd tsted your water.) That said I'd avoid spring water as it tends to be to hard for fish. Also bottled spring water can vary greatly depending on the source the water. (In fact some spring water is pretty soft.) Distilled water should be avoided as it's too soft, and lacking in minerals.

What exactly is wrong with your well water? If it's anything like our well in my childhood home in Wyoming. It's likely pretty hard. Goldfish are pretty tolerant of a wide range of water harness. They aren't as tough as bettas, or live bearers (guppies, mollies...), but they won't keel over and at the sight of hard water like angelfish. They need a range between 4-20 KH. It wouldn't surprise me if your well water was in the 30-40 KH range which would kill even the hardiest of fish. Often you can use such water diluted with distilled water.

Honestly with a fish like goldfish consistency is the key to a healthy fish. Whatever you do avoid rapid switches to a different water source. If you want or need to switch do it gradually over a week.

Answer 5

distilled or reverse-osmosis water is the best. You will not need to treat it, but if it has been sitting still in the bottle for a long time aerating it for 5 or 6 hours in advance is a good idea.

Answer 6

Goldfish are very hearty and I don't think you need to condition the water before putting them in, but water conditioner is always a good thing for fish.

Answer 7

Our water is a mixture of desalinated and taken care of floor water.....i think of it tastes high quality and drink a minimum of three litres of water, from the faucet, in keeping with day. whilst Im out i visit purchase a bottle of water, I even have an fairly intense decide for for fluids......I continually deliver the plastic bottle homestead the place this is reused via the two my husband or myself many times for journeys to the coastline or motor vehicle journeys until its too previous to apply any further or our dogs gets a carry of it.......if the dogs gets it, the bottle is often shredded interior of a couple of minutes.......

Answer 8

You wouldn't need to add anything to spring water, however the pH might be high due to dissolved minerals.

Answer 9

You should treat spring water, though DISTILLED is better and doesn't require treatment. I you use the spirng water, use a test strip to check it.

Answer 10

You should be ok if you are using bottled water. It will get pretty expensive, though.