Water Source for Aquariums
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- Опубліковано 5 вер 2024
- Understanding and determining your water source option for your aquariums may be the deciding factor in the type of fish that you keep and how successful you will be. In this video I explain at the basic level the different types of water sources, what they mean, and how to deal with each. I cover tap water, rain water, well water, RO/DI water, and purchased water (bottled or jug).
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Can I use figi water?
Greenhorn here.
Went straight for store bought mineral water for my betta. Good to know I chose well. Stay pff chlorine treated ones - gotcha gotcha. Thanks for the info.
A grain of epsom salt and a teeny tiny whisper of baking soda when using 1L purified/distilled water.
This is great I’ve been using your videos for my first fish GOJO and he has been loving his new home
Finally someone who doesn't degrade using rainwater! Subbed!
Nature provides amazing fresh water! 🙂
@@TazawaTanks I collected rainwater last night as it was raining while I was watching your video (nice timing Mother Nature 😂). Anyway...I got up and decided to check simply the pH and it was perfectly neutral! I have a complete test kit from API that I will be testing everything...from high ph to nitrite, amonia, and nitrate levels too. I'm super curious to see just why many other youtubers completely look down on rainwater. I personally believe it's due to many attaining their info from others who are usually sponsored by RO water suppliers. Seems like I have yet to find a video showing tests and a unbiased comparison which I'm going to do myself. I may even make a video about it although it has nothing to do with my channel content lol ...still people need to see the nonbiased hard core results. 😇
It's funny, not many videos on water options.
Can I use Figi water?
I am using 3/4 RO and 1/4 tap. I tried 50/50 and I had trouble. Once I switched everything went well and to this day it is good. I only use the tap to re-mineralize the RO. I just let the water sit for about 6 days in a bucket uncovered mostly to let the chlorine/chloramine evaporate(once a week 20% water change). I do use Seachem Prime, but mostly in a pinch. Just my 2 cents...2 years late.
A very good summary. You mentioned rain water being possibly contaminated by acid rain or whatever might be in the local environment but another main contamination route is the specific roofing materials. A steel roof avoids the chemicals from *asphalt* shingles that are a huge concern. Just in case some beginner decides to just buy a rain barrell to top up their aquarium without thinking about the asphalt shingles.
Great point!
When you only come here to see what water is best for fish but he taking forever.
Ong 🤣🤣
Hahahha
Zenzo im telling your on top of the game with these informational videos keep it up brother !!!
I yolo'd it with Well water for my oscars and goldfish, it's always worked. Pretty primitive setup, basic filtering, partial water changes monthly, and my fish have been fine for over a year now.
Atta boy nice video braddah great
Topic, people tend to forget about the most important element in the hobby, great content Braddah Zenzo!! 🤙🏽🐠🤙🏽
Mahalo my friend!
Thank you for taking the time to educate others.
I’m currently doing fresh water...
I use bottled H20 because of where I live and it’s only a 3.5 Gallon tank for my Betta fish (Male). I have had him for about a year or so.
I use partial tap and partial Nestle Pure Life. About two bottles per H20 change. I got them at Walmart. 500ml per bottle. It is purified using reverse osmosis and it has been through a Distillation process.
He seems to like it. I’m changing his water today and he’s starting to show me that he’s happy and well fed.
He gets fed daily with Aqueon Betta food pellets and a Krill & Stabilized Vitamin C pellet.
Thank you again and I will subscribe.
Very good topic
I myself have a well
And I keep African cichlids
I do use ro water in my fry tanks I feel it helps with the growth and development of them
Thanks for the video
Bryn Paulson from Walker Minnesota I have a 10 gallon tank and I clean it once a month and I use bottled water from the store
Good info well presented! I use tap water with ClorAm- X, which is the same as Safe. I also add some calcium to the Guppy tanks after water changes as my water doesn’t have a lot of calcium.
Your cichlid tank looks great
Great video! I use tap water treated with Prime.
One thing you could have mentioned for well water is extremely high levels of heavy metals. This has been great for fish only tanks and even for some plants, but it also means shrimp, crayfish, and even snails die within an hour or a week. In my situation the only solution is to use RODI but the well water has so many minerals, there is an extreme amount of waste water produced. I had to quit keeping shrimp because of this. I have considered running dehumidifiers to take advantage of the high humidity in my fish room, topping up my shrimp tanks but that is quite expensive.
I was using tap water with my first Betta and used the water treatment in the tank that comes with the kit. Followed all the acclimation instructions. Had live plants. I put one of those leaves in there that adds Tannins. The Betta died 3 days after we bought it. In the sample at Petco when they tested it they said the ph was low,the chlorine was low and there was a little bit of Ammonia. Told me to add some spring water next time. Do they know what their talking about? I'm starting a new freshwater 20 gallon tank with live plants. Going to get it ready and grown for about 4 to 6 weeks and figure out what fish I want in the meantime.
How did it all turn out?
Here in the UK I use tap water and dechlorinated with Na thiosulfate. Water is medium hard and I buffer it with Tropica Soil and CO2 to between Ph6 - Ph6.5. Ideal for my community fish.
Interesting, in pool chemistry we are taught that chloramines are what gas off at the surface and give you that strong "chlorine" smell.
Ya. In the cannabis industry we know this too. It only stays in there while its in the pipes. Thats why faucets make the water bubbly😂
Tap water and whatever declor is on sale ;) gotta put these fish to work soon.
Nice summary my man!
Prime Time Aquatics Thanks buddy!
Does a water softener system in your home do anything to the water to make it unsafe for fish?
Well water still use prime though
The one water type I can't find anyone to talk about is when you have a well, but you have a water softener installed. So my question is, is water from a water softener system okay for fish.
Usually it’s okay, but you’ll need to see if there is excess salt in the water. You can always run the water through an RODI system. I would see if there is a way to bypass the softener and just use water straight from the well for your aquariums.
@@TazawaTanks That's what I assumed. I'm going to have my well water tested. We do have an irrigation outlet that doesn't pass through the water softener system. Thank you for your speedy reply.
That is my same question ! I had my water tested today and was told everything was great except it was high in nitrates , so was told I need to do my water changes to distilled water or RO water because those nitrites would always stay high !
My well water is good so I'm turning the bypass on as you suggested
Is it okay if i use 50% well water and 50% of RO water. I have a rose tale beta fish
Probably, but I can’t say for certain without testing your well water.
I use a large carbon bottle
Rene Decquir Nice. Are you using it as like a reactor, where water passes through the carbon before hitting the tank?
What about Nursery water.( distilled water with minerals added)
I am not familiar with that terminology, but essentially what you have described sounds like re-mineralized RO/DI water, which would work out very well.
www.walmart.com/ip/Parent-s-Choice-Distilled-Water-1-gal/124788703
What is the best water for fish
Can I use deionised water that are used for ironing in laundries or uses for car batteries ?
I use tap water that's very hard,ph7.4-7.6, however there's no chlorine. I'm kind of concerned how they sterilize the water so its safe to drink. Anyway thanks for the great info
I’m talking about bottled water from a store
Bryn Paulson if you are still wondering then yes you can you use bottled water
What are your thoughts on using gallon jugs of distilled water for a fresh water tank?
Distilled water doesn’t have nutrients or minerals. You’d have to add them.
@@TazawaTanks what products would you recommend
Can I that drinkable water that you refill on a 5 gallon container for my fish, please answer
Before I lived in the house I am in now, I had well water which was perfect for Rift Lake Cichlids. However, since moving to the city, my water is less than perfect with low pH, KH, and GH, so I use Seachem products to buffer it. Your video was very thorough and well thought out. Thanks for sharing 👍!
Thanks Denny!
I do not feel lucky to be on well water. It starts out with a tiny bit of ammonia which is fine 7.6 pH KH is the problem starts at 3 or less my GH is like 22 I have problems keeping the KH up which will cause the pH to crash I use seachem alkaline buffer and sometimes baking soda I always seem to have high nitrates no matter how many water changes never thought of fertilizers being a problem as I am not that far from agriculture I may need to test for that I have two aquariums and they are fully planted
Check out this guys vids. im still trying to figure this stuff out myself but maybe something like this would be a solution to your problem. ua-cam.com/video/vbSv54F3xnE/v-deo.html
So just to be clear you can use spring water? Do you have to do anything to it?
I have rainwater tanks here at home in Aus but use dechlorinated tap water for my tanks. I live on a freshwater lake, on the east coast of Australia 5 mins from beach. Am I using the tap water unnecessarily? Great vide btw, thank you🇦🇺❤️
I've got well water with 0kh and reading at 240gh. I go get water from my LFS because I ain't even trying to mess with it when it comes out with a PH higher than 9 and all that.
I have well water high in Fe. Should I use a Britta filter or something to remove TDS?
I use well water, which is perfect for the Multies I have. I do rent however and if in the fullness of time I have to move, I may end up with city water and have to use a dechlorinator. So for now, I just enjoy my luck in quick chemical free water changes.
Hey bro nice video! Is it safe to use filtered water from my fridge?
Yes, but it may still contain chloramine or chlorine. You’d have to test it, or use a dechlorinator.
I have a well but there is a softener and uv light on it?
Great informative video
Its just not working for me 😫 i was patient and bought all the products dechlor/detox etc but no luck whatsoever.......
As always super clear informative and helpful , we use tap water on our hard water tanks , sometime we add marine salt ,epsom and baking soda depending on species. For our softwater tanks we use a combination of RO/DI , snow ❄️ and rain 🌧️ depending on the season sometimes we recut with tap water we brew with tea or left over coffee grounds
Let me know if you can do a video explains chillers and cold water setups, freshwater natives and coldwater marine are the final frontiers but alas no info and no one is willing to step up ! Help
Great info
Hi and thanx for the great vid. Can I use a single active carbon filter cartridge on my tap water? My tap water has chlorine and zero nitrates, TDS is 400/450. My tap water is very hard too. Thanx :) I want to keep cherry shrimp
Yes, that would probably work. Test for chlorine after the filter.
Top man,,, thanx
Well water here in New Hampshire... very hard water with some nickle in it so I still hit it with some prime to treat possible heavy metals ... just in case. Prolly should get it tested more often.
Thank you for this information.
very new, and uninformed about which water is best; so much conflicting information and ideals.
When we adopted our foster fish (Rainbow Rasbora), we were instructed NEVER to use tap water. Even if it is filtered (Zero water pitcher filter, Kangen electrolyzed reduced water machine).
We have been that buying water from the afore family...
Are you familiar with these systems?
Suggestions welcome, please and thank you.😊
I have a well for my water at my home, we have to add water softener frequently cuz we have a high sulfur & iron content in our tap.
I keep having an issue raising my PH & KH, even with crushed coral.
I’ve had all my fish or shrimp die.
I gave up on live animals & decided to do a planted tank instead & the plants are doing great, but I still can’t get the PH or KH to rise.
Is the well water or water softener in the tap the reason why?
Can I use fridge water? Like you can get those fridges that filter out the water and make it cold for u to drink can I use that for my goldfish?
👋 Hey there, QUESTION 🙋♀️ we have Well water, so I absolutely do not need to use Prime water conditioner? On the screen you mentioned maybe needing to treat for heavy metals. How would I know if I need to do this? Is there testing? would it hurt to automatically treat for heavy metals and what do you recommend to use for treatment? Thanks!!
Hi there. Most likely you won’t need to treat your well water (unless you know that you are near agricultural or mining runoff). If you are unsure or want to test, there are tests that you can use that can test for metals. You can even find them on Amazon (Heavy metal tests for drinking water). They test for metals like lead, copper, iron, etc.
@@TazawaTanks Hey 👋 ok thanks so much! I appreciate you’re quick reply! Just subscribed, lots to learn, you’re channel is very helpful! we are enjoying our little nano hobby tanks! I think me more than the kiddos 😂 I actually went on aquarium co op and typed in heavy metal, I discovered the Prime does in deed detoxify heavy metals 🤦🏼♀️ duh , if I would just read 😂 so my next question would be, does it hurt to use Prime anyway?
@@JesiDavisBuildingaSimplerLife No, it doesn’t hurt to use it. Maybe test the water in the future to see if it’s even necessary though. Thanks for the sub! By the way, I work for Aquarium Co-Op. 🙂
@@TazawaTanks I did notice you there! Very cool! Love Cory’s info and videos. Wish I could visit, but I’m in SC! Thank you so much for your help! I hope you have a blessed day!
what would we use to take out the heavy metals in our well water?
I would invest in an RO/DI system.
@@TazawaTanks Ok. My ph is 8.4 and my gh and kh isn't reading when i let it sit for a day from my tap? someone told me to use prime to help with the heavy metals??
Can you speak to using softened water? We have a well water which is very hard. It is run through a softening system. Is this safe for fish given good water parameters?
I like your vedios very much.... Love from India
Is spring water good for my goldfishes? please tell me.
It can be, yes.
How to add mineral to RO water ?
What happens if I add 50% of well water and 50% of RO water to my aquarium ?
Does the mixture gets mineralised properly ?
Is this safe for my fish ?
Expecting your advise in a short time.
What about bottled distilled water or spring water for a fresh water tank
My tap water is pretty nasty
Three years later.... i use Marin city water, but considering buying bottled water (from municipal sources) for a while because of this water shortage. I would only be exchanging 20% of the water in two tanks every week so that would add up to about $9 a week. Yes expensive in the long-term! But i am trying to conserve local water any way i can. If the parameters in the bottled water are different, i'm thinking that it will be a small change in the tanks each week and i would work out ok. I am going to guess some of those bottled waters still contain some chlorine. I'll continue using Prime.
This water shortage could be devastating for our State. I'm a bit concerned about it.
What if you have well water that is softened by a water softener, wIll that cause problems?
Water softener water, with the inability to divert.
Hey brah,
I understand that untreated tap water is not safe for fish, but could you please tell me if fish water is safe for humans to drink?
about always had aquariums growing up. had maybe 1 as an adult--a 50 gallon, lost a TON of fish at 1st--needed to probably establish the tank w/plants for a month or 2 at 1st. wife's having her 1st, my 5th kid, and I'm thinking of getting a 'small' 1 again(10 or 20 gallon?). 1 of my fondest young childhood memories was of neon tetras in the tank. was wondering how distilled water would do? probably have to 'mineralize' that water. the fish I'm thinking of are kuhlis for the bottom, maybe some cory cats and ghost shrimp, possibly a snail or 2. never even heard of the cherry shrimp til yesterday. would love some neon/cardinal tetras and maybe some type of danios. would like mollies/guppies/swordtails, but worry about them overpopulating the tank. any ideas of fish(1 or 2) that would help 'control' the population of such small livebearers? and maybe a male betta thrown in for a bright splash of color. would welcome anyone's thoughts. thx
Can I used filter water that I have installed in my house or is it any risk if I used it for CLOWNFISH or salt water aquarium?
How about filtered water? Since we can drink it directly so I guess should be OK?
So I live in middle of Missouri and have been looking for a better water supply. I was using tap water but i have a water softener in my house and have been using stuff called makes tape water safe. But I have been losing fish. I have heard about the ro water or using bottle water. My question is if I use bottle water on a 20 gallon tank do I use any chemicals for my fish?
thanks 💯
I tried tap water and dechlorinated it but it looks a tad milky even after letting it air out before adding it to aquarium. I added bottled water but it was distilled water, is that a bad thing? using distilled water is not good right?
Can I use water from my fridge that has a filter?
No, unless you know that the filter is strong enough to remove all chlorine/chloramine. You can use it...but most likely you'd still need to use a dechlorinator. Most fridge filters use carbon for taste and some chlorine removal, but most likely not enough for a fish tank.
I wanted to go to the lake near me. What's your take
Tap water with decholrinator.
Tap water 💦 along with Safe ..have a great day bro
Thanks, you too!
should I be concerned about bacteria in my well water??
buffering choices gh/kh in african cichlid quariums
I have used the Seachem products, but I also have made my own mixture.
I have a whole house water system that uses salt. I’ve been told it is not good to use and my ph is higher, but I don’t know if that is the reason. I’ve heard bottled water may be best but everyone I test the ph is too high or inconclusive… colors don’t match any of the ph on the chart. I was using 1/2 distilled and 1/2 tap/salt purified water but my ph has climbed in the last 4 months from 7.6-8.4. Only change is more live plants, almond leaves and driftwood.
If I can use distilled water, what would you suggest to add to it to make it safe? Or what would you suggest for water?
I have a 10,5,3 and soon to get 20gallon tanks. Not huge but too big for betta water from pet store. TY
My tank of Chlorella vulgaris algae crashed. I have a microscope so I had a look and found it was full of what I'm guessing are amoebas since they're moving around by extending pseudopodia. I don't know where the contamination happened but it was around the time I added more water to increase the volume of the tank.
I was using dechlorinated tap-water but I hadn't let it sit. Any thoughts on where the amoebas came from?
I have city water just started a tank have cichlids and a loach. tank still cycling. was cloudy I did a water change because I thought it would help. I should of known better! I had city water tested she said no Chlorine. the ph in the tank went down that it killed 3 fish. I used straight from tap when I changed because she said no chlorine so I figured it was fine. My question is why would ph drop and kill fish that quick?
What about water straight from an underground spring? I live in the mountains😶.
We drink it straight from the pipes too😅 best water I’ve ever had.
Farm well water no chemicals and goes through a filter when drank,I would still add some calcium to be sure Would that be fine for a turtle ?
What about boiling and cooling the tap water?
You lose the minerals that way, so you’d still have to remineralize the water.
I use purified water for may saltwater tank aquarium,do i need to apply chlorine eliminator ?
I use distilled water that I buy from the store.
Lucas Marcum do you use water conditioner for distilled water before putting it into the aquarium?
I am taking care of my neighbors betta fish and it needs water. I dont have a declorinator they didnt give me that. Can I pour a little Fuji water? I feel bad it doent have room to swim.
Yes, you can use spring water.
This came in handy wasn't sure to use tab water or brought water ..but i guess imma go with brought water, its funny cus i brought 2 gallons yesterday now knowing i don't really have to put nothing in the water i can just go head in buy the rest of the water thanks...
In my house we get bore well water which is hard and not that good for bathing as well so can I use that for aquarium or should I buy a Ro bottle for aquarium.
Please help
If I have a higher than desired GH level in my water source could I add some water from a dehumidifier to reduce the GH level in my main water source. I have access to well water but before I add fish to my planted aquarium I’d like to get my ph down from the higher 7s- 8 to neutral and my GH is 180 ppm KH is 180, I’m looking to get my GH number down my understanding is that KH is the ability my water has to resist PH fluctuations at the same time I understand all of these results coincide each other. I know there’s a lot of information you could give me but short and sweet I can figure out the rest from there. This is an idea I recently came up with but I’m new to all of this and just want to make sure I can replicate the same desired results with all water changes. I believe from the dehumidifier it’s considered distilled water which sounds similar to the RO process.
Yes, your dehumidifier creates essentially pure H20, much like RO water. You will need to make sure that your dehumidifier is clean and free of any contaminants. Additionally, many dehumidifier units have copper tubes internally. You may want to test the water to make sure the copper is really low, as it may have a negative impact on some of the aquarium inhabitants.
Tazawa Tanks thanks so much for the info! This really is going to help me get fish in the tank!
Is galcier vending machine water ok?
Can i use freshwater in my lake for my fish
8.32
I just started an 8 gallon Betta tank in my office, so I am using bottle water From home depot
What if you have well water. But the waters hard. Will that harm the fish ?
No, it should be okay
2 waters I see are Deionized water and distilled water in big jugs at the grocery store. Is this good for a 5 gallon tank for a Betta?
No. If you did use them, you would have to re-mineralize the water.
Tazawa Tanks thank you ! I ended up buying bottled spring water with no choirine etc
I have a a salt water aquarium just fish for now. I’m looking for something I could make my own water maybe something I can hookup out side. Water is to heavy for me to carry from store any suggestions ? Please thank you
You can setup an RO/DI system at home. It’s a water filtration system that pulls everything out of the water (additives, minerals, etc.). Then, you can mix your own saltwater at home.
We had a water main break in our neighborhood and we are under a boil water advisory and I have been topping off my 5.5 with purified drinking is that ok?
Yes, but you will want to add some minerals once in awhile (depending on how long this issue lasts). If it’s for a few short days, that’s fine. If it lasts longer, you will need to add some mineral content into the tank when you do a water change (a 1/2 teaspoon of marine/reef salt is an option).
@@TazawaTanks I could just boil the water and let cool to room temp? The tap water.
Yes, you can boil and cool the tap water. Just know that boiled water has no real mineral content, so if you do this frequently, you’ll want to add some minerals. If it’s just for a short time, that won’t be needed.
I use tap water along with prime btw great vid👍🏿
Thank you!
I have very hard water where I live, 300+ppm. I only have a 20 gallon tank currently so I'm wanting to buy gallons of spring water from the local grocery store. Is that ok and do I need to re-mineralize it like RO/DI water?
That is okay. Spring water doesn’t need to be mineralized.
@@TazawaTanks Thank you very much for the reply and advice! I made 20g of RO/DI water a little while ago. And just that run pretty much killed the DI bed and completley changed colors. Thinking this will be a cheaper solution haha.
We have well water, but my fish place told me to use RO water, so we get the water from them. So I need to add anything to it? What if I get aqua plants?
Hi Jess. If you are using RO water, you will need to remineralize the water. There are additives that you can buy to add minerals. You can also use a small amount of reef salt, as it’s loaded with minerals.
@@TazawaTanks Im wondering if i should just go back to my well water and use a conditioner like Prime, now we have a community tank with one betta, do i need to put betta conditioner in too or just use betta conditioner? Thanks for the help! learning!
I would think that well water is fine unless there is something harmful in the groundwater. If it is safe for you to drink, it should be just fine. If there isn’t any chlorine or heavy metals in the water, you won’t need a dechlorinator. The betta conditioner is good to add as well.
it was a simple question and half way threw I was done .....
I have a 20 gallon fresh aquarium tank.
Would you suggest distilled water or purified
I´m actually thinking about using rain water, I live in denmark not in a busy area, I tasted the water and this are the parameters : GH >3, KH 3, PH >6,4. I´m keeping betta, so I suppose PH can be fine but I´m not sure about GH and KH and hoe I can treat them. hope someone could help me with that.
You can always add some minerals into the tank.