I had always used bottled spring water for my 29 gal tank. Then I had my well-water tested & they said it was fine to use. After I gradually switched over to wellwater I noticed that the equipment inside the tank was getting a layer of white stuff (I guess from the alkinity in wellwater). I want to switch back to springwater (bottled) again. Is there anything wrong with only having springwater in the tank?? I read at some sites that it lacks certain nutrients, is that true? I just afraid that my well water may have other toxins that don't show on the water tests I do. And that may have been a cause for one of my GF getting really sick and I had to euthanize him !

Hi Marita.


There is no reason why you couldn't use bottled water for your aquariums waterchanges. There's just a couple things to keep in mind:

- Find a source that will be readily available to you at all times. I mean water from the same spring, even if its bottled from the same spring under a different name. Consistency is key here.
- Once you've procurred a regular source, see if you can locate an average test result for KH and GH. I can help you in this department if you have troubles.
- Now that you have a consistent source and you know the basic chemistry of the water, you will know if you need to add any trace elements to it so that they are there for your fish.


Then again, you could always procure a good filtration unit for your wellwater and buffer it for use in the aquarium.


Either way, I will be happy to help you through the process in any way I can........

Paul

Alright, the KH is around 40-60
The GH reading was really hard to recognize - didn't match with any color on chart: a deep greyish/brownish color; I'm almost tempted to say on the super super soft side??!? I am getting my bottled Springwater from nnnnnn (we don't have a lot of choices here in little old Winslow, AZ)

What do think of bottled Distilled Water?
The KG reading on distilled water is at 0
The GH reading is also 0

Oops - I meant to type that I am getting my bottled spring & distilled water from nnnnnn!

Thats surely a funny name for a bottled water company. nnnnnn??? There must be some kind of crazy filter set-up to remove the name from circulation??? Either way, it would definitely need a little sprucing up before it would be considered a good water chemistry for fish.


Anyway, distilled water is no good for aquatic life. It simply has nothing in it except H20. Literally, nothing else. If I'm not mistaken, I believe that you can treat distilled water in the same way that you treat R/O water, just add a complete water buffering product such as Buff-it-up. This creates, almost precisely, the conditions needed for healthy water for goldfish. You might have to add some kind of a micro-nutrient additive to make it a complete package.

I'll do a bit of research and come back later on today........

PAul

I can't believe it - both times I typed in nnnnnn - this computer is going crazy
Hope it comes out right this time .... nnnnnn

It is the computer ..... let me try it again ..... wwwwwwww

I swear I am not typing the name of the store correctly, but it won't print it out. I have no clue why the computer is doing it . It is only the biggest retail chain in the US. I won't send another messag trying to type the name - last try "nnnnnn".

are you trying to say Wal*Mart?

Would water filtered thru a Brita filter be good? I'm moving out soon, and I was thinking of using one to condition the water. If I remember right, the area has a lot of sulphur.

THANK YOU for spelling the name out right - I am sooo embarrassed about all my posts trying to type in the name of the store. You guys must think I'm stupid or crazy .... but I did spell it right every time and it came out weird in my post. Very strange!
Brita - filter, I hadn't thought of that! Good idea - I'd still love to use bottled water since it would be quicker and faster. I have 2 tanks - the 29 gal with goldfish and a 10 gal with loaches. Still hoping for a reply regarding bottled water.

There is a filter on this site that prevents you from saying certain store names - they don't want us bashing the stores we have trouble with. It's ok, we all know that nnnnnn = wal*mart There are others you can't say, as well as cuss words... they all come out funny, but we get the picture

Bottled water should be fine to use, once treated to add a little buffering for a solid pH. BUT, you have to be sure that it will be coming from the same source every time. Although nnnnnn might have a brand of spring water, it would be wise to be sure that their supplier is getting it from the same exact springs. Being that different springs tend to have different water chemistries, it might cause too much stress in coping with the changes.

Zephyr Hills might be something to look into. It comes in handy 5 gallon jugs and you might even be able to get it delivered to your house on a regular basis.......


Paul

Thanks for your suggestions. Also, it is really good to know about the "filter" for store names - thought I was going crazy there
I doubt that Zehpyrhills will deliver to us - we a literally in the middle of nowhere , but we love it that way! With our horses, goats, cows, dogs, parrots, and our goldfish (and loaches) we need all the space we can get!! But I think I've seen it in store shelves.