Freshwater

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Part III: Water, Chemicals, and Plants
Comparing Different Water Types
You can get water from a variety of sources. Here we talk about the pros and
cons of tap water, rainwater, bottled water, natural lake/pond/river water, and
well water.
Tap water
In order to protect the human population from being killed off by drinking
water, water companies add chemicals such as chlorine or chloramine
(ammonia bonded to chlorine) to wipe out small organisms that could make
us all sick. This treated tap water may be safe for humans, but it can be
deadly to your aquatic pets.
You have to get rid of the chlorine from any water source that you use to fill
your aquariums. Chlorine kills all types of fish and invertebrates.
Dechlorinating with dechlorinator
You have a few options for removing chlorine and chloramines from tap
water to make it perfectly safe to use in your aquarium. One option (and if
you’re like us, you’ll opt for this method because it’s the easiest) is to go
down to your local fish store and purchase a bottle of dechlorinator, a product
which instantly removes chlorine and the chlorine in chloramines from
your water. After adding dechlorinator, you can safely put your new starter
fish in the aquarium water.
The best time to add dechlorinator is after your tank is filled and all equipment
is up and running. You need to dechlorinate all the water you add to your
aquarium — even the water you put in to replenish water lost to evaporation.
Dechlorinating the old-fashioned way
Your tanks are low, and you’re out of dechlorinator because your local fish
store has run out. If you want to be a practical hobbyist, you can simply
dechlorinate water the old-fashioned way. (Don’t panic; this method doesn’t
involve a lot of work.) Take a few plastic jugs (gallon milk containers work
great) and rinse them thoroughly with clear water. Glass jars work fine, but
they can break, so plastic is really your best bet for safety. Make sure you
allow the water to run from the tap for a few seconds before rinsing to eliminate
any water that has sat stagnant in the piping. Water can pick up trace
amounts of metal if it sits unmoving in household pipes.