spring water as a water source?

[modster]

Hi, first of all, i am a complete newbie. please don't flame me if this question is.. well, stupid. i am wondering if i can use spring water as the water source. i am not using tap water because it looks brownish and i dont have any water filter. my tank is really small (10g only) and i can get 3g of spring water for less than 2 dollars. i know the contents of those spring water vary from brand to brand, but how are they in general?

[hungryhound]

Welcome to the AC.

I am new to this way of life as well, but I believe that it would be fine to use spring water. The only problem that could be a problem is if it is chlorinated in any way.

You still may want to add a dechlorinator to it to make sure, but other than that I don't think it will be a problem.

Of course i am sure someone a little bit more knowledgable will come along and tell you to add it without a dechlorinator, but that is the way of things.
:ezpi_wink1:

You may want to look into getting a filter as they are one of the most improtnat pieces of hardware for successful fish keeping. Without one you are going to have to buy a lot of water to keep your tank clean and clear.

In the long run it might be cheaper to buy a filter and use your tap water than to use no filter and buy bottled water.

[Chrona]

Spring water is different from distilled water in that they contain minerals and other dissolved solids (hardness, alkalinity). How much I can't say, but it's something to keep in mind when you consider what kind of fish you are gonna keep. I would recommend getting the spring water tested.

[modster]

i havent really decided on what to put into the tank yet. As for hardness, is there a chart that i can look up for different fish? it seems like people always want "pure" water. so i guess the softer the better? btw, thanks for the help.

[Chrona]

i havent really decided on what to put into the tank yet. As for hardness, is there a chart that i can look up for different fish? it seems like people always want "pure" water. so i guess the softer the better? btw, thanks for the help.

Not always, some fish like tetras and gouramis prefer soft, acidic water, but others like livebearers generally like more alkaline, high pH water. You definitely don't want pure water though, as without a buffering agent, your pH will go all over the place. At the very least you should have 1-2 dH of kH and 2-3 dH of General Hardness

[modster]

ok... i guess i will get a filter instead. i went to the pet store today and they dont carry those water filters. I will go to home depot tomorrow and see what they have. Is there a specific kind that i should look for? also, how do i control the hardness of water?

[off topic]while i was at the pet store today, i realized they dont carry any driftwood either. where do people get those? i saw some on ebay, but i am not sure if i want to put those into my tank. how do i know the wood is clean?[/off topic]

[Chrona]

ok... i guess i will get a filter instead. i went to the pet store today and they dont carry those water filters. I will go to home depot tomorrow and see what they have. Is there a specific kind that i should look for? also, how do i control the hardness of water?

[off topic]while i was at the pet store today, i realized they dont carry any driftwood either. where do people get those? i saw some on ebay, but i am not sure if i want to put those into my tank. how do i know the wood is clean?[/off topic]

You can lower water hardness through the use of peat, driftwood, of water softening bags (made for aquariums), but generally it isn't worth it. Fish can (and probably have) adapted to your local water while living at the LFS.

As for driftwood, look on Ebay for some reputable sellers that sterilize each piece. Failing that, try Doctor Foster and Smith's online shop. They carry driftwood for pretty cheap, but you don't know what you are getting.

[modster]

hmm.. that makes sense. So what should the filter remove? maybe heavy metal and chlorine? i just checked online. their prices range from $40ish to $100+. which one should i get? again, thanks for the help

[Chrona]

Any tap water filter with activated carbon should work. You just need to remove those tannins and muck or whatever in the water. Then just use a water conditioner like Prime or Aquasafe.

[hungryhound]

t is only a ten gallon tank so you do not need the rolls royce of aquarium filters.
You should be able to get a simple Hang on the back for 10 to 20 bucks. I am confused about the LFS ot carrying any filters that would fit your tank. You will want to make sure that the filter you buy is rated for a tank atleast one size larger.

I do not have a small tank and do not have any info on what is th best brand to go with on a filter, but I am sure that someone will be along shortly that does.

as to what it should filter? You will want it to have chemical, physical and biological filtration.

Physical filtration is accomplished by sponges or filter floss that allow. that trap large particles in your water.

Biological filtration is accomplished by having a place for benneficial bacteria to grow. A bio wheel works well for this. It provides the fbacteria the acces to the water and oxygen that they crave. These bacteria will change your ammonia into nitrates and then another bacteria will convert nitrites into nitrates. This will keep the water safe for the fish to live in.

Chemical filtration is usually dine by carbon which soaks up any chemicals in the water. Some people do not use it, but that is another discussion.

Personally I would think that a HOB Filter with a biowheel would be perfect for your ten gallon tank.

Something like this should work well. [Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

You can always get the canister filter but they tend to be expensive. That is just my two cents. Take it with a grain of salt.

[Chrona]

I think he is talking about a tap water filter, but I'm not sure.

[hungryhound]

okay that makes sense. I could not figure out why he would need to spend 40 to 100 dollars on a filter.

am not using tap water because it looks brownish and i dont have any water filter.

I read this as not having a filter on the tank. It is now clear as mud.

Shouldn't his tank filter remove any brown color from his water then? Does he even need to worry about filtering his water form the tap before putting it in the tank.

I am assuming that his water is safe to drink and is therefore safe for fish other than the brownish color, but that might be a bad assumption on my part. Or is this faulty logic caused by not understanding filters at a phd level.

[Chrona]

okay that makes sense. I could not figure out why he would need to spend 40 to 100 dollars on a filter.



I read this as not having a filter on the tank. It is now clear as mud.

Shouldn't his tank filter remove any brown color from his water then? Does he even need to worry about filtering his water form the tap before putting it in the tank.

I am assuming that his water is safe to drink and is therefore safe for fish other than the brownish color, but that might be a bad assumption my part. Any thoughts on this.

Not neccesarily. Tannins (the brown color) is removed by activated carbon, but HOB filters suck at trapping suspended particles that could be the cause of the cloudiness, so he could have cloudy water even with a filter. Canisters on the other hand, can be used with diatom powder or micron pads. My suggestion would be to do some research on local water and try to figure out what the cause is. If it's really cloudy (like mud) then I'm not certain of how well regular drinking water filters would work (as the cartridges would clog instantly) Maybe he is just better off with the spring water.

Luckily for this forum, I am majoring in aquarium filtration huh? :P

[hungryhound]

that makes sense chrona. So it all comes down to how bad his water really is. I am officially bowing out of this discussion as it appears that i have given nothing but bad advise.

[Chrona]

that makes sense chrona. So it all comes down to how bad his water really is. I am officially bowing out of this discussion as it appears that i have given nothing but bad advise.

I don't want to make it so people feel uncomfortable posting. I mean, everyone is entitled to their own opinion and can express it freely. I was just merely stating my opinion, and I could (and have been, on many, many occasions) wrong. Many people will also think of things that others haven't, so it's always a better idea to just post what's on your mind and let things sort out from there. It's not like we are interrogating you on aquarium knowledge, lolz.

[hungryhound]

believe me I know that, and have no intention of not posting. I just know that their is a time to speak and a time to listen and on tis debate it is time for me to be quite and learn from much more knowledgeable posters.

It dDoesn't mean that I am not double checking to see if you are right or wrong though either.:ezpi_wink1:

[modster]

Yeah, I was talking about tap water filter. Sorry for not being clear. About the water condition, i live in new york city and the tap water is far from being bad. Actually its clean even to drink without any treatment. If i remember correctly, that light yellowish color is caused by the old piping system we have here. Its safe for human (at least thats what they claim) but i am not sure for fish. Maybe i am just being a paranoid here.

:edit: I just checked ebay for driftwood and found one that i like. the seller claims he bought it from a pet store. it seems pretty safe but is it possible to do some further cleaning on my own? the last thing i ever want is having parasite crawling out from the wood.

[Lady Hobbs]

I would not bother with driftwood for a 10 gallon either. Your tank is already small so unless you used a very small piece it would just crowd the tank.

About your water.......why spend money for filtering unless you know it's unsafe? You may have tannins which are not unsafe but give your tank a slightly brackish look which is not bad to look at. Filtering may even remove the brownish look in a day or two. Take a water test to your local LFS and ask them to test it for you. If it is not unsafe, you can use it just fine.

They also carry portable filtering systems that are fine for a small tank. They sit on your countertop but quite frankly all this is over-kill for a 10 gallon.

Why not get a few gallons of regular drinking water (not distilled or spring) and save the jugs and just get them refilled at water filling stations now and then. Refills are 25 cents per gallon and after all here, we are talking about a 10 gallon tank.

[jeffs99dime]

did you test the parameters of your tap water?

[modster]

no, i didnt test the tap water. the filter will also be used for my drinking water. i dont think it's a bad investment. thanks for answering all those newbie questions.

[slingham64]

I would not bother with driftwood for a 10 gallon either. Your tank is already small so unless you used a very small piece it would just crowd the tank.

Driftwood looks awesome in the small tank!! I love it. Haha.. I'm just giving you a hard time. But not being able to be at the store and specifically picking out your piece would make it kinda hard to get one. The internet has good prices but who know's what they'll send. I have a 10 gallon an got an L shaped piece that sits really nicely in the corner and kinda frames the tank.

I think it's about time I put up some pic's of my tank. I just put a 5" Air Stone in last night. AWESOME! Definately recommend it for your 10 gallon.