Tap water w/ fresh whater fish- yes or no?

Question

Tomaorow I am getting 4 or 5 fresh water fish. I have set up the 10.0 gallon tank , rocks and all. I already have water cleaning drops, for my betta fish. I think I am getting neons, and some other types. Can I just put strate tap water in the tank, or do I use my water cleaner? Also, What are some nice not too big not to small clorful frest water fish?

sorry, I spelled WATER wrong!

Answer 1

It depends on the tap water type and the hardiness of the fish. Some tap water is relatively pure and safe for fish and some is high in chlorine and dissolved metals. Also, some fish are tough and bad water won't hurt them.To be safe you should treat the tap water with water conditioning drops (you can buy those at most fish stores) before you put your fish in or instead of using tap water, go to the grocery store and buy 10 gallons of distilled drinking water, it is completely pure and will not hurt your fish.

Answer 2

Welcome to the hobby!

Yes, use the drops to get rid of the chlorine in the water before adding any fish and always use the drops whenever you add water to the tank.

Some nice fish for a 10 gallon would include Neons, lemon tetras, penguin tetras, guppies, mollys, platys, black neons, glow light, zebra danios, cory catfish... tons of choices really. Just stick with only a few species and get several of each type.

I would like to recommend a website to you that will help you understand what is going to be happening in your tank for the first few weeks. It's really important that you expect this thing called cycling and know how to deal with it so that your fish don't die on you within a week or two.

Below is a link to the first page of several, but they are fairly short and it won't take you too long to read through it and it will really be worth your time! Be really sure you read the page titled cycling your tank, you will be so glad you did.

http://www.firsttankguide.net/

Hope that helps

MM

Answer 3

Purchase Prime or any other water dechlorinator and add to the tank. Chlorine will dissipate out of tap water if left on its own for 24 - 48 hours as well. Be prepared for cycling your tank. Only put a couple of fish in to start (not neons..they are one of the least hardy fish).
Once you add fish, ammonia levels start to rise in the water. This is from fish urine, feces, uneaten food and even exhalations through their gills. It is toxic to fish and burns their eyes, skin, fins and worse...gills. After ammonia spikes (do lot of water changes when this happens but don't clean your filter!), nitrite bacteria forms. This slowly increases and eats up the ammonia as quickly as it's created. Nitrite is also toxic to fish: it interfere's with the fish's ability to use oxygen and they can become very stressed and ill. After a few weeks of nitrites, another bacteria, nitrate is formed. This is the good bacteria that will colonize. It should remain at 20 ppm (parts per million) on a water test kit for a perfect cycled tank.
Danios are probably the most hardy of all the fish to cycle with. They come in long fin, zebra, glofish and golden varieties. They do like to school (groups of 5 are perfect) but even just a few for cycling will work. Good luck and welcome!

Answer 4

No Tap water. Tap water has salt, flouride, Chlorine, sometimes rust, and a whole binch of other crap. Water bottles are expensive, but work, or you could just go to your pet store and but the ten gallons of water for something like 5 dollars each for a jug or two and 59 cents for water

Answer 5

straight water is hard so I recommend using 1/4 tank reverse osmosis water to soften the water and add some water conditioner. With RO water in your aquarium, you can leasily adjust the PH level. RO water can be obtained from your local water store. Add some zebra danio's a pleco to clean any algae build up in the tank and maybe some ghost shrimp....something different.

Answer 6

use the water cleaner, or boil water and let it age for a few days... other goldfish for your other question... you could also use a stress drop for your fish... it helps them get less stressed but dont put too much! i wish humans had those... hehehe... also get a filter (obviously)!

Answer 7

when i clean my fish tank i just siphon out the gravel, and then i just fill it back up with my well water, i sometimes put in dechlorinated drops, but rarely.

Answer 8

You need to use a water conditioner to take out the chlorine.

Chlorine will kill fish.


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Answer 9

i always used tap water and added stress coat on my fish and they still living so i guess its ok

Answer 10

You NEED water conditioner!!!!!! Goldfish are koolio, and Mollies are CUTE! ,
~Guppies(males are colorful)
~Plecostomus(but they are really colorful)
~Tetras
~glo fish
~angel fish
~GAYYYY!!! (MATTHEW)!!!!!(ha ha inside joke)
yep so thats all i can think of now!!!! hope that helps!!!!!

~Mikki~