I'm pretty new to the game, so any help would be appreciated! I have a 55 gallon freshwater and I'm really good with water changes. I've been lugging 3 5 gallon jugs to the local grocery store almost every week to refill them with the filtered water they have(you know, that big h2o dispenser that filters and reverse osmosises the water, but NOT distilled) and it's getting to be a huge pain. My question is: does anyone use the home water filters that attach to your kitchen sink's faucet(the one's that you turn upright and the water comes through the filter instead of the faucet, I think the one I saw is named PUR)?? I ask this because the house we moved into has one! Does anyone know if this is just as good as the filtered h2o I'm getting from the store? Does anyone use these faucet filters? OR should I just use my tap water and treat it as necessary? I know, a lot of questions, but I'm going crazy trying to figure this out. Thanks so much for your help! :bowing:
water filters
- Thread starter ltrain
- Start date
Well, I'll tell you this... I too started out with the bottled stuff and it sure gets expensive, but I told myself it was worth the effort because the PH was neutral. Wrong. For me, the best answer turned out to be just use the tap water and treat it. I have high PH tap water and it is heavily chlorinated too, especially after the water company refreshes the system. As a result, I use a water filter for my drinking water.
While the water filter is ok for me, the treated stuff is just fine for my fish. I don't know what kind of fish you have, but for my livebearers, it's fine. It is a lot less hassle and much less expensive too. A little test kit goes a long way and so does a bottle of conditioner and maybe some PH Up or Down, depending on where your water is to start with.
A little squirt of the conditioner will take care of the metals and chlorine. As for PH, 3 drops in a vial will tell you what you have to start. Practice a little with a bucket of water until you can tell how much to add in order to get the PH where you want it. If you also purchase PH Up and PH down, it will help fix mistakes till you get the hang of it. Then you'll only need whatever is necessary to get the PH up or down from where you are starting from.
Easier still, you can set the PH right where you want it by buying the bottled stuff for that purpose. PH 7.2 , 7.0 or whatever. Again, that is an expensive route to go. A little practice and you'll be fine with the PH test kit, PH up or down and conditioner. After awhile, you'll just automatically pop in the right amout to set the PH. It just takes a little practice.
Something else you'll find folks talking about around here is what is the PH of the water you purchased the fish from. If it's somewhere you frequent and it is local, chances are you may be on the same water system. In my case, my LFS is only a stone's throw, but we are on different water systems. Still, their water is just as hard as mine, but I like a lower PH for my plants. Seems the fish are more comfortable too, as they are in the LFS for only a short time. I have fewer problems with ailments when the PH is just above or just below neutral.
While the water filter is ok for me, the treated stuff is just fine for my fish. I don't know what kind of fish you have, but for my livebearers, it's fine. It is a lot less hassle and much less expensive too. A little test kit goes a long way and so does a bottle of conditioner and maybe some PH Up or Down, depending on where your water is to start with.
A little squirt of the conditioner will take care of the metals and chlorine. As for PH, 3 drops in a vial will tell you what you have to start. Practice a little with a bucket of water until you can tell how much to add in order to get the PH where you want it. If you also purchase PH Up and PH down, it will help fix mistakes till you get the hang of it. Then you'll only need whatever is necessary to get the PH up or down from where you are starting from.
Easier still, you can set the PH right where you want it by buying the bottled stuff for that purpose. PH 7.2 , 7.0 or whatever. Again, that is an expensive route to go. A little practice and you'll be fine with the PH test kit, PH up or down and conditioner. After awhile, you'll just automatically pop in the right amout to set the PH. It just takes a little practice.
Something else you'll find folks talking about around here is what is the PH of the water you purchased the fish from. If it's somewhere you frequent and it is local, chances are you may be on the same water system. In my case, my LFS is only a stone's throw, but we are on different water systems. Still, their water is just as hard as mine, but I like a lower PH for my plants. Seems the fish are more comfortable too, as they are in the LFS for only a short time. I have fewer problems with ailments when the PH is just above or just below neutral.
thanks pleco(I have one of you in my tank!) I'm leaning toward the treated tap water. I'm like you, my water is real hard. If it helps me, here's my water values:
my unfiltered tap water is:
ph=8.4 (high)
hardness=50ppm(low)
alkalinity=240(high
with water from store:
ph=7.2-7.6(good)
hardness=100ppm(moderate)
alkalinity=80(little low)
I have a pretty common community tank, and yes, it's starting to get a little expensive. So just go with tap water and treat it? I guess I'm a little scared of putting chemicals into the water and screwing it up and killing everyone!
I am new to this awesome hobby, but I'm not stupid. The water conditioner kits aren't rocket science, right? Thanks so much for all your help and information, it helps a rooky like me.
my unfiltered tap water is:
ph=8.4 (high)
hardness=50ppm(low)
alkalinity=240(high
with water from store:
ph=7.2-7.6(good)
hardness=100ppm(moderate)
alkalinity=80(little low)
I have a pretty common community tank, and yes, it's starting to get a little expensive. So just go with tap water and treat it? I guess I'm a little scared of putting chemicals into the water and screwing it up and killing everyone!
I am new to this awesome hobby, but I'm not stupid. The water conditioner kits aren't rocket science, right? Thanks so much for all your help and information, it helps a rooky like me.
Wow, that's really weird that the R/O water from the store is harder than your tap water. 
I thought the machine would take some of that out, but maybe the store has harder water to start with. You didn't say what kind of fish you have, but if you want to wean them off the store's water, just start gradually adding more and more tap water with each water change. If you do it slowly, say over a month's time, your fish should be able to adjust to it.
I thought the machine would take some of that out, but maybe the store has harder water to start with. You didn't say what kind of fish you have, but if you want to wean them off the store's water, just start gradually adding more and more tap water with each water change. If you do it slowly, say over a month's time, your fish should be able to adjust to it.ltrain, till I got used to how much conditioner and ph adjuster to put in, I took a bucket and marked it with tape at the 1 and 2 gallon mark, just to have a place to start. It ended up below the top rim a little ways, so I estimated the bucket must be around 3 gallons. Whenever I filled it up to top off the tank, it usually took a bucket full or probably 2.5 gallons. (the tank is a 25 gallon and an 1 inch or so from the bottom edge of the trim at the top took a bucketfull to top off).
There are directions on the bottles to tell you how much per 10 gallons. For example, 1 tsp. of conditioner for every 10 gallons. Now I'm using a lot of numbers here, but what it boiled down to was, how much of a squirt of PH down and conditioner it took per bucket. I figured 1/5 of a tsp or a short squirt of conditioner per bucket (I did not want to mess around with teaspoons, etc.). I did the same for the PH adjustment and tested afterward to see how I was doing. As I practiced, I found how much of a squirt of both that I needed.
Now it's a contest to see if I can hit the PH target with one squirt of PH down. Just be sure to test after adjusting the PH. Some folks even make some up ahead of time so it's set to go. As for the conditioner, it doesn't take much. The stuff goes a long way. I know this doesn't exactly answer your question about hurting the fish with chemicals, but I'm trying to say, check the bottle and follow the directions. Too much of anything is not good no matter what you're working with. Practice and do small, frequent water changes as you go. You'll be fine. If you do that, as sky.eyes was saying, the fish will adjust.
After a while, you might decide to add the water and then treat it in the tank. I just started doing that myself, because I rarely use a bucket now. I have been using a syphon hooked up to my sink faucet to remove and replace water when it's time. I have to admit, I am a bit shakey about it because I am accustomed to treating the water before adding it to the tank. You're right though, it's not rocket science, nor is it exact (not exact for me anyway. Other folks are very particular about their water readings). Just get in the ballpark.
There are directions on the bottles to tell you how much per 10 gallons. For example, 1 tsp. of conditioner for every 10 gallons. Now I'm using a lot of numbers here, but what it boiled down to was, how much of a squirt of PH down and conditioner it took per bucket. I figured 1/5 of a tsp or a short squirt of conditioner per bucket (I did not want to mess around with teaspoons, etc.). I did the same for the PH adjustment and tested afterward to see how I was doing. As I practiced, I found how much of a squirt of both that I needed.
Now it's a contest to see if I can hit the PH target with one squirt of PH down. Just be sure to test after adjusting the PH. Some folks even make some up ahead of time so it's set to go. As for the conditioner, it doesn't take much. The stuff goes a long way. I know this doesn't exactly answer your question about hurting the fish with chemicals, but I'm trying to say, check the bottle and follow the directions. Too much of anything is not good no matter what you're working with. Practice and do small, frequent water changes as you go. You'll be fine. If you do that, as sky.eyes was saying, the fish will adjust.
After a while, you might decide to add the water and then treat it in the tank. I just started doing that myself, because I rarely use a bucket now. I have been using a syphon hooked up to my sink faucet to remove and replace water when it's time. I have to admit, I am a bit shakey about it because I am accustomed to treating the water before adding it to the tank. You're right though, it's not rocket science, nor is it exact (not exact for me anyway. Other folks are very particular about their water readings). Just get in the ballpark.
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