dgor0526

I am about to do my first water change and I would like to use about 20 gallons of store bought water instead of lugging buckets of water through my house. Would either spring or distilled water be harmful to my fish.

lew2000

With fresh water tanks you can use tap water and a conditioner to remove chlorine or chloramines. With any water you use, i would first test the pH to have an idea of its' pH. This way you will have an idea of how close it is to the pH of your tank. Secondarily, if you use distilled water, it doesn't have any KH (or natural buffer) or minerals necessary - thus you will have to have an additive. If you use store spring water - it usually has minerals - and the pH is around 7.7pH - at least for most studies, and some are higher to mineral content. From your tank stock listing you have a low bio-load - but even 10% water changes can become expensive with store/distibutor bought water over time. Some people use a water system connected to their faucet such as the Python, (you can even DIY with a connector and 1/2-1" tubing from a hardware store) and add additives in at the same time to treat the water - this avoids buckets and is fairly easy.


I use water conditioner, Prime or Amquel+, not just to rid the water of chloramines, but any heavy metals, and these type products have some type of chemical compound to promote a healthy slime coat of the fish.

This link discusses water conditioners,and what they do.

http://www.aquarium-pond-answers.com...ditioners.html

dgor0526

Thanks I will have to look in to that or maybe I will just buy cheap water dump it out then fill them up with my tap water. Thanks