Can I use bottled water in my aquarium?
I have a freshwater aquarium and I asked the Fish Store if I could add bottled water every time I change the water in my aquarium. They said it was ok as long as it wasn’t more than 25% at a time. Has anybody tried this yet? Has it helped clear out the cloudiness in the water?
Thank you
Thank you so much for your answers!
I’ve had the fish for about three weeks now. I know that they’re probably still going through the Nitrogen Cycle ( I was told that it takes about a month for them to get used to the new tank and the change in bacteria ) but the water is still very cloudy. I heard that by adding bottled water ( only about 20 – 25% ) when you do your water change and using a product called Algone the water should clear up. Any comments on that?
well, i use distilled water, but dont use regular water like aquafina because they just use tap water. i buy gallons of distilled water because my tap water is too messed up to use unless i wanna shoot up my pH =] best of luck!
you can but it will be more expensive, i use tap water for years with no problems, just make sure you have dechlorinator.
Bottled water is ok for your aquarium. By 25 % at a time I’m sure he meant not to change more than 25% of your tank water at once.
If your water is cloudy, let it settle for a while ( a day or so) and make sure your filter is big enough for the tank.
My tank water is always a little murky after a water change.
Why not just use dechlorinator with your tap water as it will be much more efficient and cheaper in the long run.
Yes i think
It’s not a good idea to use 100 percent bottled water because this can cause an unstable pH.
I suggest to use do a 50% conditioned and dechlorinated tap water to 50% bottled water to the 25 percent of water you take out of the tank for water changes. This is will probably even out your pH. You can tweak it later on.
About the cloudiness in the water. This probably is a bacterial bloom and is the beginning of the Nitrogen cycle. What is happening is bacteria are colonizing in the water of the tank to try and accommodate the wastes being produced by your fish. This bacteria is good, but the ammonia (decomposed fish waste) is not.
I suggest getting some liquid test kits for Ammonia, Nitrites, Nitrates and pH so you know when it’s best to do water changes.
EDIT: It really doesn’t need to be 100 percent bottled water. Half tap and half bottled is fine especially if your tap water is high pH. I wouldn’t use the algone either. The cloudiness isn’t going to hurt the fish, but the ammonia and nitrites that are in the tank and why the bacteria are blooming will hurt them.
By the way, white cloudy water suggest a bacterial bloom from the cycle, green water would suggest algae and thats a whole different story.
my parents are on well water, which is high in heavy metals, so they buy bottled water to add. if you have one of those big containers that go on to water dispensers for people to drink out of (you can buy them) you can take it to a water place and get it filled for a couple bucks (5 gallons for 3 bucks where i am). so yes, it is a good idea to use bottled water
i do it sometimes to top off my tank when i have a bottle at hand and i cant finish it. i just pop the rest in my tank. been doing it for years. no real harm.
Some salt water people use RO water but on the fresh water side there is no need.
Few people know but municipal water has far more stringent guide lines for purity than bottled water.
In fact 95% of bottled water fails municipal standards. (Ony because bottled water has tons of salt in it for good taste).
Plus if it’s RO water alot of the trace elements have been removed that the fish really need.
So in a nutshell using bottled water is worse for you (money and time)and your fish from every angle.
Tap water with a conditioner is perfect.
25% at a time…..he means never change more than that. It can cause your tank to mini-cycle (hence the cloudy water).
Algone is for green water, not cloudy water..
Try seachem stability to treat cloudy water.
Green water is from too much ammonia in the tank.
good luck