Drinking water instead of tap

[Bobocat]

There is this drinking water i bought from the market just to test. It costs approx $1.60 for 2.5 gallons worth. The PH is 7. Would it be a good idea if I just spend the $20 to fill up my 30 gallon tank with drinking water instead of tap water?
The tap water here is not so great.

Thanks!

 

[cheirodon]

I would check the label. Sometimes drinking water is altered or "enriched" with minerals and others that might not be best for your fish

 

[Inchworm]

Hi Bobocat and welcome to the forum!

I can't answer your question without knowing a little bit more about your water. So, let me ask you a few questions that might help shed some light on your situation. It would be a shame to spend money on bottled water if you didn't have to.

First, where do you live? If you live in the US and get your water from some municipal water supply, it is probably safe for your fish provided it is treated for chlorine/chloramines. Use a product that removes both to be on the safe side. If you live in another part of the world or get your water from a well, that could be a different situation, but if you let us know perhaps someone else could answer it.

Second, what do you mean when you say the water is not so great? Sometimes people say that because it just doesn't taste the way they would like it to. Or perhaps they say it because it is hard. This is a different matter and can also be taken care of.

And what kind of fish do you have Bobocat?

 

[Bobocat]

Well.. My tap water's PH is close to 9, tastes like crap, and god knows what else... I just thought it would be safer to just spend 20 bucks and get drinking water that has 0% everything and a balanced PH around 6 or 7.

What do you think? does it sound nuts? I dont think its a bad idea

 

[guppymonkey]

You should test the water for nitrites also. It wouldn't do any good if you tried to help your fish by getting water with a more moderate pH and give them a nitrite spike that kills them. Also, if you already have fish they are probably used to the pH of your tap water so it would be best to gradually change their pH instead of doing it all at once.

 

[alex818]

I did check for nitrites, it was fine. I was stressing about the PH however. I dont have fish right now, Im currently cycling my tank. But yeah, my tap water is like 8.6 or somewhere close to 9 and I dont want to have to put in any chems that mess with PH. I went ahead and got the drinking water, It was $1.69 for 2.5 gal at Smart & Final (standard Iris brand) and no tax is charged for water.
I bought 15 of them and ended up spending a little over 25 bucks but thats ok.