Fish are among the easiest pets to take care of. You simply purchase a tank, add some water, add a few fish, and feed them. Sounds pretty simple huh? It does sound simple but there are a few factors that can complicate things. You want to be sure you choose fish that can live together in the same tank, feed them the right food, and it’s very important that the water provides the right climate. This water can come from a variety of sources, including ordinary tap water.

Now, there are those people out in the world that feel tap water is horrendous and they certainly won’t drink it, let alone put fish inside it. I mean, it’s full of all kinds of chemicals and things that are harmful to me, right? They’d be harmful to the fish, too – right? Umm.. that would be “no” and “no”.

Let’s take a look at the basics of how that water should be in a Freshwater Tropical Fish Community tank. The temperature of the water should range from 72-82ºF with a pH ranging from 6.5-7.5. The nitrates should be <50 ppm and the ammonia and nitrates are best at zero. The water's hardness should be 4-12GH. Each of these parameters should be balanced with one another. If you use tap water you might have to add some conditioner to it in order to reach this goal. If your tap water comes from a well it might already be balanced so you should always check these levels before adding any fish to the tank.

Many pet supply and fish supply stores stock these conditioners regularly. The fastest acting ones are the brands you can put into the water as you load it into the tank. This is perfectly safe for the fish. It will not cause them any illness, mental or physical. It will not damage their bodies in any fashion. Make sure whatever you choose contains a dechlorinator or a chlorine remover as it’s the chlorine from the tap that can cause the hugest amount of problems. Copper, phosphates and pesticides are sometimes found in tap water as well. You need to counter this is some type of balancing agent, usually found in tablet form, at the store. Any of these items, when reading too high in the water, can cause stress and other related ailments to the fish. Almost always, you needn’t worry about any of these issues as most tap water is pretty well balanced and perfect for the fishies.

There are other sources for aquarium water other than the tap, including distilled water, rainwater, and reverse osmosis water. The main problem with collecting rainwater is the risk of also collecting pollutants and debris. It is an especially bad idea in areas that frequently experience acid rain. While using RO water might sound like a good idea, it’s really not. You see, drinking purified water is great for humans, but rather bad for fish. You would have to remineralize and oxygenate the water in order to maintain the right chemical and organic balance.

Feed the floaties, keep their home comfy cozy and fill it with well balanced water and there shouldn’t be any issues whatsoever when it comes to their health. Remember for fish: tap water good, distilled bad.

About the author:
April Levine is an aquarist with years of experience in keeping tropical fish. She maintains many fish tanks full of the rarest tropical fish in the world.

Fish are probably the easiest pets to take care of. You have to purchase a tank or bowl, add some water, some fish, and some fish food. Sounds pretty easy doesn’t it? While it can be simple to take care of fish, there are some things that can make it a bit more complicated. You have to be sure that all the fish that you place in the tank are able to get along with each other. You also have to feed your little friends that right food and perhaps most importantly, the climate of the water has to be perfect. Water for your fish tanks can come from several sources, including ordinary tap water.

There are many people that feel that tap water is terrible. They wouldn’t dream of drinking it and definitely wouldn’t put their fish in it. There are a variety of chemicals and other things that might harm fish, right? Well, that’s not exactly true.

Let’s take a look at the basics of how that water should be in a Freshwater Tropical Fish Community tank. The temperature of the water should range from 72-82ºF with a pH ranging from 6.5-7.5. The nitrates should be <50 ppm and the ammonia and nitrates are best at zero. The water's hardness should be 4-12GH. Each of these parameters should be balanced with one another. If you use tap water you might have to add some conditioner to it in order to reach this goal. If your tap water comes from a well it might already be balanced so you should always check these levels before adding any fish to the tank.

Many pet supply and fish supply stores stock these conditioners regularly. The fastest acting ones are the brands you can put into the water as you load it into the tank. This is perfectly safe for the fish. It will not cause them any illness, mental or physical. It will not damage their bodies in any fashion. Make sure whatever you choose contains a dechlorinator or a chlorine remover as it’s the chlorine from the tap that can cause the hugest amount of problems. Copper, phosphates and pesticides are sometimes found in tap water as well. You need to counter this is some type of balancing agent, usually found in tablet form, at the store. Any of these items, when reading too high in the water, can cause stress and other related ailments to the fish. Almost always, you needn’t worry about any of these issues as most tap water is pretty well balanced and perfect for the fishies.

Other alternatives for fishbowl or aquarium water include RO or reverse osmosis water, distilled water, or rainwater. The main problem with collecting rainwater is the various debris and pollutants that may be found in the water. While collecting rainwater might sound like a good idea, it’s really not. The problem with RO or distilled water is that the water is nearly pure with absolutely no additives. While this is good for humans, its not so good for fish. With either of the latter options you would need to remineralize and oxygenate the water so the proper organic and chemical balance is maintained.

Feed the floaties, keep their home comfy cozy and fill it with well balanced water and there shouldn’t be any issues whatsoever when it comes to their health. Remember for fish: tap water good, distilled bad.

About the author:
April Levine is an aquarist with years of experience in keeping tropical fish. She maintains many fish tanks full of the rarest tropical fish in the world.

Fish are among the easiest pets to take care of. You simply purchase a tank, add some water, add a few fish, and feed them. Sounds pretty simple huh? It does sound simple but there are a few factors that can complicate things. You want to be sure you choose fish that can live together in the same tank, feed them the right food, and it’s very important that the water provides the right climate. This water can come from a variety of sources, including ordinary tap water.

Now, there are those people out in the world that feel tap water is horrendous and they certainly won’t drink it, let alone put fish inside it. I mean, it’s full of all kinds of chemicals and things that are harmful to me, right? They’d be harmful to the fish, too – right? Umm.. that would be “no” and “no”.

There are some basics that you should know when are setting up a freshwater tropical fish tank. First, the water temperature should be between 72 and 82ºF. The pH of the water should be between 6.5 and 7.5. The nitrates and ammonia should be at zero with nitrate <50 ppm. It's best that the water's hardness is between 4 and 12GH. Each one of these parameters has to be balanced with each other. When tap water is used in an aquarium some sort of conditioner has to be added in order to help you make this goal. If your tap water comes from a well it might already be balanced, but the water should always be checked before adding fish to the tank.

You shouldn’t have any trouble finding these conditioners at well stocked pet or fish supply store. The fast acting ones can be added to the water as you are adding your fish to the tank. These conditioners are perfectly safe for the fish. It won’t make them ill or cause them harm, either physically or mentally. Make sure that any product you choose contains a chlorine remover or dechlorinator because it’s the chlorine in the tap water that causes most of the problems. Phosphates, pesticides, and copper are also commonly found in tap water. These substances will have to be countered with some kind of balancing agent that are typically found at any store and are sold in a tablet form. If any of these substances are present in the water in levels that are too high, stress or other ailments can develop. In most cases, tap water is reasonably balanced and is fine for your fish.

There are other sources for aquarium water other than the tap, including distilled water, rainwater, and reverse osmosis water. The main problem with collecting rainwater is the risk of also collecting pollutants and debris. It is an especially bad idea in areas that frequently experience acid rain. While using RO water might sound like a good idea, it’s really not. You see, drinking purified water is great for humans, but rather bad for fish. You would have to remineralize and oxygenate the water in order to maintain the right chemical and organic balance.

Feed the floaties, keep their home comfy cozy and fill it with well balanced water and there shouldn’t be any issues whatsoever when it comes to their health. Remember for fish: tap water good, distilled bad.

About the author:
April Levine is an aquarist with years of experience in keeping tropical fish. She maintains many fish tanks full of the rarest tropical fish in the world.

Fish are among the easiest pets to take care of. You simply purchase a tank, add some water, add a few fish, and feed them. Sounds pretty simple huh? It does sound simple but there are a few factors that can complicate things. You want to be sure you choose fish that can live together in the same tank, feed them the right food, and it’s very important that the water provides the right climate. This water can come from a variety of sources, including ordinary tap water.

There are many people that believe tap water is horrible and they would never think of drinking it let alone putting their fish in it. After all, tap water is full of a variety of chemicals and things that are harmful to humans and they are certainly harmful to fish, right? Actually, that is not true at all.

Let’s take a look at the basics of how that water should be in a Freshwater Tropical Fish Community tank. The temperature of the water should range from 72-82ºF with a pH ranging from 6.5-7.5. The nitrates should be <50 ppm and the ammonia and nitrates are best at zero. The water's hardness should be 4-12GH. Each of these parameters should be balanced with one another. If you use tap water you might have to add some conditioner to it in order to reach this goal. If your tap water comes from a well it might already be balanced so you should always check these levels before adding any fish to the tank.

Many pet supply and fish supply stores stock these conditioners regularly. The fastest acting ones are the brands you can put into the water as you load it into the tank. This is perfectly safe for the fish. It will not cause them any illness, mental or physical. It will not damage their bodies in any fashion. Make sure whatever you choose contains a dechlorinator or a chlorine remover as it’s the chlorine from the tap that can cause the hugest amount of problems. Copper, phosphates and pesticides are sometimes found in tap water as well. You need to counter this is some type of balancing agent, usually found in tablet form, at the store. Any of these items, when reading too high in the water, can cause stress and other related ailments to the fish. Almost always, you needn’t worry about any of these issues as most tap water is pretty well balanced and perfect for the fishies.

There are other sources for aquarium water other than the tap, including distilled water, rainwater, and reverse osmosis water. The main problem with collecting rainwater is the risk of also collecting pollutants and debris. It is an especially bad idea in areas that frequently experience acid rain. While using RO water might sound like a good idea, it’s really not. You see, drinking purified water is great for humans, but rather bad for fish. You would have to remineralize and oxygenate the water in order to maintain the right chemical and organic balance.

Feed the floaties, keep their home comfy cozy and fill it with well balanced water and there shouldn’t be any issues whatsoever when it comes to their health. Remember for fish: tap water good, distilled bad.

About the author:
April Levine is an aquarist with years of experience in keeping tropical fish. She maintains many fish tanks full of the rarest tropical fish in the world.

Fish are probably the easiest pets to take care of. You have to purchase a tank or bowl, add some water, some fish, and some fish food. Sounds pretty easy doesn’t it? While it can be simple to take care of fish, there are some things that can make it a bit more complicated. You have to be sure that all the fish that you place in the tank are able to get along with each other. You also have to feed your little friends that right food and perhaps most importantly, the climate of the water has to be perfect. Water for your fish tanks can come from several sources, including ordinary tap water.

There are many people that believe tap water is horrible and they would never think of drinking it let alone putting their fish in it. After all, tap water is full of a variety of chemicals and things that are harmful to humans and they are certainly harmful to fish, right? Actually, that is not true at all.

We’re going to look first at some of the basics of what the water should be like in a Freshwater Tropical Community tank. The temperature range should be from 72-82ºF and the pH from 6.5-7.5. Nitrates and ammonia you want at zero and nitrate should be <50 ppm. Generally the hardness of the water should be 4-12GH. All of these parameters need to be balanced with each other. When using tap water, you will need to add a conditioner to aid you in making this goal. If your tap is from a well it may be balanced to begin with, so it is wise to always check these readings in the water before putting in the tank with fish.

You shouldn’t have any trouble finding these conditioners at well stocked pet or fish supply store. The fast acting ones can be added to the water as you are adding your fish to the tank. These conditioners are perfectly safe for the fish. It won’t make them ill or cause them harm, either physically or mentally. Make sure that any product you choose contains a chlorine remover or dechlorinator because it’s the chlorine in the tap water that causes most of the problems. Phosphates, pesticides, and copper are also commonly found in tap water. These substances will have to be countered with some kind of balancing agent that are typically found at any store and are sold in a tablet form. If any of these substances are present in the water in levels that are too high, stress or other ailments can develop. In most cases, tap water is reasonably balanced and is fine for your fish.

There are other sources for aquarium water other than the tap, including distilled water, rainwater, and reverse osmosis water. The main problem with collecting rainwater is the risk of also collecting pollutants and debris. It is an especially bad idea in areas that frequently experience acid rain. While using RO water might sound like a good idea, it’s really not. You see, drinking purified water is great for humans, but rather bad for fish. You would have to remineralize and oxygenate the water in order to maintain the right chemical and organic balance.

Make sure you feed your fish, give them a comfy home, and use well balanced water. When you do this, you shouldn’t run into any issues with your fish in regards to your health.

About the author:
April Levine is an aquarist with years of experience in keeping tropical fish. She maintains many fish tanks full of the rarest tropical fish in the world.