Freshwater

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Part III: Water, Chemicals, and Plants
If you decide to gather rainwater to help condition your fish for breeding,
make sure that you use non-metallic containers for collection. In fact, never
use metallic containers to collect water for any aquarium. Also keep in mind
that rainwater tends to be very soft (low in dissolved minerals) and may not
be suitable for hard-water fish. Hard-water fish (such as red-tailed sharks,
blindcave fish, and oscars, whose water has a high mineral content in the
wild) that are forced to live in soft water conditions cannot spawn properly
or maintain good health.
You should always check the water parameters (specific water requirements)
for your particular aquatic species before using rainwater.
Never collect rainwater from metal gutters. Over time, gutters rust and
become filled with debris such as leaves, dirt, paper, and pieces of roofing
shingle. No matter how often you clean your gutters, you are risking metallic
and natural contamination by using metal gutters to funnel water for an
aquarium supply.
If you’re bent on collecting rainwater, one solution is to use an open container
with a large plastic funnel inserted into the top of the collection jug.
Just make sure you don’t use the funnel for adding oil to your car or other
household duties between rainwater collections.
The advantages of bottled water
(not Perrier)
Okay, when we mention bottled water, we’re talking about the kind you get in
a machine outside of your local grocery store or the gallon jugs that you can
purchase inside. Put it this way: If the water is really expensive, it’s the wrong
kind; if it’s inexpensive, it’s the right kind. Don’t spend a fortune on expensive
bottled water when the least expensive will do just fine.
You can very likely use bottled water in your aquarium without adding any
chemicals to it. But to be safe, we always add dechlorinator to our water no
matter where it came from. Spending a few pennies on dechlorinator is a
much better route to take than losing a bunch of expensive fish.
Well water (don’t count on it)
As we mentioned earlier, Maddy once lived on a farm. A deep well, located
somewhere out on the back 40, furnished the farm’s entire water supply. The
water from this well was truly one of life’s great mysteries — all the filters and
chemicals in the world couldn’t change the composition of this amazing liquid.