Evaporating Water - Is it fine to add more?

[Oscar Betta]

Hi all,

I'm currently about a week in to cycling a new 5 gallon tank for a betta. The water has evaporated a decent amount to where it's not too far from my filter spout:

Would it be OK to top off the tank with new water? This is my first tank in a long time and don't want to mess up the cycling process at all so thought I would check.

 

[biofish]

Yeah it should be fine!

I top off my tanks every week. add enough dechlorinator to dose the entire tank and you’re good to fill!

 

[GaryE]

Once the fish are in, I never top off. I do a water change since I'll have stuff out anyway.

Evaporation takes the liquid, but leaves the minerals behind, so your water hardness gradually climbs with top offs. But during a cycle? I'll leave that to others.

 

[Oscar Betta]

Got it, thanks!

Yeah, shouldn't be a problem once I have my fish in there since I plan to do weekly water changes where I'll be adding some anyways. Just don't want it to get too low during the cycling process where I don't plan to be taking any out (unless needed).

 

[BrianK]

When I do top offs (which I usually don't do except occasionally in the summer), I use distilled water.

 

[Essjay]

If this is a fishless cycle with ammonia, topping off is fine. You'll do a huge water change when the cycle is finished and that will reset everything back to tap water levels.

 

[The Aquarium Home]

I do top offs on all my tanks when the water gets low, but I do water changes once every two weeks. Just make sure you're using tap water conditioner and that your tap water's chemistry isn't drastically different from that of your aquarium.