Some types of fish require specialised environments, so it’s important you seek advice from your aquarist first.
Here are a few useful tips to help keep your fish happy and healthy
- Always use tap water from a mains fed cold tap.
- Never use water from a storage tank, hot tap or artificially softened water.
- Allow the tap to run for a while to remove standing water from the pipe work before using. Some fish are very sensitive to the metals used for domestic pipe work such as copper and zinc.
Temperature
Tap water is often much colder than the water in indoor aquariums and fish tanks, and can be even colder than pond water, especially during summer. Fish are vulnerable to rapid temperature changes and if exposed to them can go into shock, which may be fatal. To avoid this, you should always ensure that tap water reaches the same temperature as the aquarium before use.
Chlorine
We add chlorine to the water supply at the treatment works to disinfect it. Whilst this isn’t harmful to humans, it can be harmful to fish and other aquatic organisms, so it’s important you remove the chlorine before adding any water to your fish tank or pond.
Chlorine dissolves naturally if water is left to stand, although it can be hastened by aerating new water. For small water changes (<10% of volume) or topping up an aquarium make sure once the water is added that the chlorine level hasn’t risen above 0.02 mg/l, this can be checked using a simple tester kit available from your local aquarist.
If you’re filling a pond use a fine spray and direct the nozzle upwards, for larger ponds you may find it beneficial to use a Granular Activated Carbon filter that will quickly absorb chlorine.