What type of water should I use for doing a water change in my tank?

Question

I have been using tap water that i have let sit for about a week to do water changes with and my fish still die. Am I using the right water or should i not let the tap water sit for a while? Also I use a dechlorifier. What do I do a water change with?

Here are some details, its a 20 gallon tank, i have 2 swordtail (1 male 1 female) and a loach. The pH looked somewhat high about 2 days ago but after using some chemicals it went to about neutral or slightly above. I have an undergravel filter and i try to do weekly water changes. I just wanted to know if it was acceptable to let the water sit for a while and naturally dechlorinate or if it was better to just take tap and use a dechlorifyer. How do you get the temperature to be the same though without using hot water? Thanks.

Answer 1

Tap water is fine, you can dechlorinate it in seconds with a number of products, or let it "outgas" for about 48 hours naturally.
Your fish deaths are due to something else...

http://www.hagen.com/pdf/aquatic/bag.pdf
http://www2.tetra.de/tet_internet_import/import_data/The%20fascination%20of%20aquariums_GB_2006_T062048.pdf
Here two good free books.

Answer 2

Kylie is right, we could use a lot more information to get you a good answer. A few general pointers though, assuming you have a tank with a filter. With a dechlorinator, you don;t need to let the tap water sit. You should be doing a 25% or so water change each week and using a gravel siphon to clean the gravel as you go. These are available at any pet shop. Be sure your dechlorinator will handle both chlorine and chloramines. Most do, but look to be sure. Make sure the new water is quite close in temperature to the old water. If it has been a while since you cleaned your filter and your gravel, make a few small (10%) water changes over the course of several days before doing a large change. It's possible your pH has changed in the tank and pH shock is responsible for the deaths. Once you have done this, the pH should be close enough to not be a problem during water changes. If none of that helps, post a new question with the extra info and no doubt you can get a much more targeted answer.

MM

Answer 3

Do about a 20% water change weekly or biweekly depending on how many fish you have in your tank. Before adding the water, add the dechlorifier and after making sure that its the same temperature as the water in your tank, add it slowly so as to not stress the fish too much.

If thats what you were doing, you should never do a 100% water change because this causes your tank water to need to be cycled again. Cycling means to set your ammonia and nitrates level to 0. How this is done is by the 'good' bacteria, in your gravel and in the biowheel of your filter, (if you have one) neutralizing the chemicals in the water. You can do up to a 70% water change without effecting the fish much. But never a full 100.

If none of this works then I dont know what to tell you. =/

Answer 4

What you should do is not let the tap water sit for while, just get it right out of a facet and into your tank. While at the same time doing a 50% water change. Yes, do use dichlorifier in you tank IF it is a freshwater tank. IF it is not freshwater I can't help you because I only know about freshwater Tanks. Sorry
but if it is Freshwater you should take some of my advise and some of other people's advise!
Good luck!

Answer 5

Do a 50% water change weekly and add stress coat at regular dosage per gallon do not sit the water. let it stand for 1/2 hour after streess coat to ajust the temperatur

Answer 6

your general tap water is the perfect to apply with a sturdy dechlor or water conditioner. Your water is cloudy with the aid of a bacterial bloom brought about by technique of latest tank, over feeding over cleansing. substitute the water in elementary words once a week to 2 weeks. upload the water from a bucket or field already containing room temperature water with dechlor and/or conditioner contained in the water. in basic terms pour in.

Answer 7

what type of fish?
what size tank?
filter or no?
are you doing full water changes?
if full water changes do you make sure the old and new water are the same temp?

we really need to know these things to help, it may not be the water at all.

Answer 8

Try using chlorine-free bottled spring water

Answer 9

i use hose water but i have to put the dechlorifer before i start to put the water in the tank. i didn't put it in one time i cleaned my tank and every fish i had died within 30 min. os you can try that and see if it works. it works for me!

Answer 10

why don't you just buy spring water from walmarts and use that ...that's what i use and also give it to my dog for drinking water...