Bottled Drinking Water

[Allie]

hello,

I guess I feel weird asking this question as I'm on my 3rd betta and doing the same thing.....using a bowl with bottled drinking water from the store.....

what I'm finally wondering is.......is bottled drinking water the best thing to use? How about bottled mineral water?
Also, have read on the boards here something about "conditioning" the water?

Just hope I am doing the right thing for my betta guy

thanks!

 

[gordi]

why dont you just use regular tap water and add some dechlorinator to it! all i use for my betta n have him in a small tank with a ex.filter and some plants! change him everyweek or so n seems to always lok clear n he's happy

 

[Allie]

I guess I am scared that the declorinator won't work right and there will be some clorine left. With just one betta I can get a gallon of water at Walmart for less than 70 cents, so not bad.

Just wondering though if bottled water needs something added to it?

 

[-germ-]

Bottled water can sometimes have mineral imbalances and strange additions.
If your tap water has no serious issues i'd honestly say that it is better than bottled...

 

[catxx]

i agree with germ, you never quite know what the bottled water has gone through to get to you, might have something un-fishy-friendly added to it.

i've always used dechlorinator and tap water and never had a problem. if you live in a regular block or house and don't have a special water set up, get your tank water from the kitchen tap NOT the bathroom tap. the water in the kitchen comes straight off the mains, whereas bathroom water is usually stored in a tank, which may leach metals into the water.

 

[The_Dude]

Seriously, I read a bottle of so called natural spring water and on the bottom it said, "Chlorine added for taste preservation."

 

[joycould]

I use tap water but have to do partial water changes 4 times a week on anything smaller than 10 gallons twice a week on anything larger. The city put buffers in the water to change the ph if it sets to long the ph goes way way down. Some city water has ammonia in it to. It is best to check your water as it comes out of the tap and after it sits a couple of days for ph, ammonia, and nitrites. Bottle water should be tested too. I always let my water set out over night to bring it up to room temp and use a water conditioner that takes out both chlorine and chloramine. Always draw up cold water because the water sitting in the water heater may have a bacteria.

 

[lisie]

Like others have said, your best bet is to use tap water and conditioner. You really don't need to worry about it taking care of all the chlorine. My water smells like pool water sometimes, but I've never had the least problem with it harming my fish after conditioning (and I don't even let it sit for 24 hours... only the time it takes for me to walk from the bathroom to the fishroom/bedroom with the bucket). You can even just double the conditioner dose if you're that worried about it.

If you still want to use bottled water, though, only use spring water (not drinking water) with no flouride or anything added. I used that for a while when I only had two bettas and lived somewhere where the well water was extreeeemely hard and didn't have a problem. But, after what The_Dude said, you should probably use conditioner on that anyway. Might as well use tap water.

 

[-germ-]

Joycould....
How olds your tank, not getting at you, just a thought, the PH drop could be old tank syndrome?
Anyhow, sorry for the hijack!

 

[knt5005]

I've heard of bettas becoming ill because there isn't anything in bottled water. Use tap and a dechlorinater!

 

[joycould]

Joycould....
How olds your tank, not getting at you, just a thought, the PH drop could be old tank syndrome?
Anyhow, sorry for the hijack!

They are anywhere from 3 years old to a few weeks. It is the buffers that the city puts in the water to make the ph to their liking. I test all my bowls and aquariums every couple of days for ammonia, nitrates, and ph. I am not the only person in the area that has problems with the water. Some people use buffer up and ph 7 but I find water changes are better, and it makes me pay closer attention to the water parameters.

 

[mommyof2bettas]

I use tap and dechlorinator and my bettas thrive in the water
I use 2 kinds of dechlorinators (for my betta tanks and 10gal tank) the 10 gal gets Aquasafe and my betta tanks get something else... forgot what it's called (I think tapsafe) but it's to condition betta water.
If you're worried, just do a slight overdose (slight, just a little more).

 

[-germ-]

Oh....
No worries, just a thought

 

[Allie]

I appreciate all your advice, thank you!

 

[Iron Man]

What we would usually call "bottled drinking water" is usually water filtered using RO. Some of them have had minerals added back and will advertise this on the bottle, but most of them have a very low ph like distilled water does. I wouldn't even drink the stuff!

If you insist on bottled water (which is not a bad idea for a small tank) and its a betta then go with natural "spring water". It will have a nice ph (around 7) and will be clean.

If you're REALLY serious about truely pristine water suitable for fish like bettas then I'd look into using distilled water and add the needed trace elements and minerals back to it. Where you find these I don't know but I know discus keepers used to buy it and add it to their RO water.