need some advice on water changing

hey everyone. i was quite curious because i read that you can buy purified water for your water changes if so is there any specific kind? and is it recommended.

because i currently only have tap water sources. and i just have the water treatment that comes from wal-mart. not exactly sure of the brand. the question about that is how long do u have to let the water sit before you add it to the fish tanks. i just wanna make sure i know what to do when i'm faced with doing a water change. (just meaning water change for a 10%-50% water change)

thanx.

 

well you can try by asking any of your local fish stores. I buy water sometimes from one of them (free of impurities, etc.). And its usually MUCH cheaper than buying it from the store.

The other water you're talking about, I guess would be any water that is treated with osmosis? In the past I always read the label and if it said carbon filtered and treated with osmosis, i thought that was a hell of a lot better than with tap. I always add treatment just in case. The largest single quantity you can buy from the store (grocery that is) is 2.5 gallons. With a large tank it could get costly. If you have a large tank I would consider on of the R/O units. Anyone else have any thoughts on my ramble?

 

I've been buying from the grocery store for almost a year, I now regret not getting an RO/DI unit sooner because the grocery store water has provided a nice environment for my horrible algae. See my signature for a great deal on RO/DI units.

I would not use bottled water because it could have a number of things in it that may affect your system. Check these links out on one of my posts, especially the "summary of nrdc test results... http://www.3reef.com/forums/new-hobby/ro-di-water-what-do-i-need-31514-3.html#post521229

 

I buy mine from a local grocery store, out of one 'a the machines in the front. Thirty-five cents a gallon.

 

The RO/DI water is the best. You can often get this from a water dispensing unit at nicer grocery stores (but that doesn't guarantee their filters are up to par).

Long term, getting your own RO/DI unit is the best solution. Especially if you plan to move to SW.

With that in mind, I'm guessing you are asking for your FW tank since this is in the FW section of 3reef. For FW it is not nearly as important. I have used treated tap water for all of my FW tanks. I use grocery store filtered water for my SW water changes.

So while I recommend RO/DI, you will most likely be fine with tap for your FW tank.

You did place this in the FW section, but still specify that you are asking for FW bc some folks might not notice the section this is in if they're clicking it from the home page.

Good luck.

 

Yea I didn't notice it was the FW section. In the past when I had FW tanks I always used tap water and it was fine, if I were to do it now I'd buy it from the RO machine at the store just because of the purity.

Sorry I wasn't paying attention...

 

ah well thanx. so as far as changing water with tap water. u think i should keep it in a bucket or something with an air pump for 24 hours or so? i would assume that would work let the conditioner work its charm

thanx guys for the post

 

I don't normally use an air pump, but if I had a high fish load, I would. I don't heat it either (I don't even keep a thermometer in my FW tanks).

But I do let it sit for 24 hours. Just a habit i guess.

 

yea thats understandable. great information. ended up having to do a change on the 10 gallon today.

thanx for the help

 

what kind of fish are you planning on buying the water for?

and what are your tap water parameters?