Been changing water .

Got to be an easier way then I'm doing ,I've been buying distilled water by the gallons ,Id like to run a hose from my sink city water .but not sure if this is okay or not .I have fish in the tank at this time ,any ideas on what to do by using water from the sink .tired of by the gallon stuff .my ammonia spiked due to feeding and all .no dead fish .all the numbers are good except my ammonia level .

 

I use water from my sink to top off and when I do pwc all I do is add some water conditioner and let it get to the same temp as the tank and make sure the ph is the same and you should have no problems

Or you could buy a ro/dI system and that would be better than adding conditioner the only downfall to the system is they can get pretty pricy but they are worth it in my book when I start getting the stuff for my reef tank I'm going to buy one so I know the water is safe for the reef

Hope this helps you

 

You actually want to be using tap water with water conditioner. No need to spend that money. I recommend testing the water from the ta so you know if there are any nitrates or ammonia from the start.

 

As said, water conditioner/de-chlorinator is used to keep fish safe using sink water. Most city water has chlorine in it. A good product is a brand called Prime (usually in red bottle).

 

Agree, most city water supplies are more than adequate for keeping most fresh water fish.

As said, water conditioner/de-chlorinator is used to keep fish safe using sink water. Most city water has chlorine in it. A good product is a brand called Prime (usually in red bottle).

Small correction, the brand is Seachem, the product name is Prime

Another good one commonly used is Kordon Nova+ with Amquel+ (you need to use both)

 

I have a question to add....when using tap water with prime, if there's no ammonia and all other parameters are ok is there risk of other things in the tap water like phosphates (spell?) or other things that could benefit an algae outbreak? I usually get RO water from fish store.

 

I have a question to add....when using tap water with prime, if there's no ammonia and all other parameters are ok is there risk of other things in the tap water like phosphates (spell?) or other things that could benefit an algae outbreak? I usually get RO water from fish store.

Not sure what you're asking. If your tank has plants then they need phosphate to grow. The Prime, by Seachem, dechlorinates the water, and helps neutralize ammonia and nitrates. For people like me, with well water, it helps keep the metals in water fish safe.

It's best to avoid RO water in freshwater planted tanks because it takes the minerals out of the water. Plants need the minerals in water to grow.

 

Distilled water is actually bad to use. If you are going to use bottled water, use Spring water. Distilled water has a pretty low PH and minerals in it.

 

Does tap water have minerals?

 

Indeed it does

 

I'm going to test my tap then maybe I'll see better plant growth that way.