Tap Water OR Stored Water?

[ClassicRocker]

I'm just wondering...........where do you get your water from for water changes? Does it come right out of the tap, into a container and into the tank OR do you fill up a container/containers, store them and use when doing a water change?

I saved and cleaned out some 1 gallon plastic milk containers. I let hot water sit in each one over night and really rinsed each out. Then, I filled with tap water and sit near the aquarium. Since our tank is only a 5 gallon one, I only keep 3 gallons b/c I never do more than a 50% water change which would be 2 1/2 gallons. I keep them at room temperature, so they are only a few degrees cooler than the water in the tank.

But, I'm starting to wonder if that "bottled" water is fresh enough for doing a water change. "Right out of the tap" would definitely be fresh water and, using an aquarium thermometer, I could make sure the tap water is very close to the temperature of the tank water.

So, which do you do??

 

[Rivercats]

I match tap water close to tank water temp and just dechlor it before adding.

 

[cmw9787]

I got a hose adapter for my sink. I match temp and put water straight into the tank. I add dechlorinator first. mine is also a 75 gallon tank and using any kind of container to fill and empty would just be too laborious.

 

[jglover]

Straight from the tap, temperature is roughly matched, treat the water and add to the tank. I keep a couple of old plastic pitchers under the tank stand to use for water changes and just add the prime directly to those containers prior to filling the tanks.

 

[lighty]

+1 straight from the tap, plus dechlorinator straight in the aquarium, add enough for full volume of tank not the % replaced. Check your tap PH and Nitrate first to see if it will roughly match the requirements of the fish you want to keep.

 

[J.Mcpeak]

If you have chlorine not Chloramines you don't need dechlorinater product.
Ammonia test confirmation of Chloramines.

Product may contain heavy metal binders and other things like iodine and some promotion of a skin coat enzyme, so may be beneficial.

24 hours standing is more than sufficient to gas off all chlorine.

In the uk it's about £10 a bottle. That's 2 week supply for me unless I get the pond stuff, a similar priced bottle lasts about two months. So I cheated out of that bill in every way possible. I used it for almost 10 years, and for most of that time in conjunction with RO water as my tap water is no good. I swapped dechlorinator for a new system which should be cheaper for me.

Good diet=healthy fish (providing they are in suitable and clean water)

Just add an air stone, that will keep the water "fresh"