AboutBenty Expertise GOT A QUESTION ABOUT:
Basic needs for specific fish, illnesses, best tankmates, breeding, water chemistry, tricks to safely cut corners, and/or “stupid” questions? Maybe I can help! :)
I like to explain why you do things in aquariums (like why to use spring instead of distilled, or what pH numbers mean, ect.) so you understand why and not just taking someone’s word for it. I also like giving answers where you have two choices so you can choose which is best for the time and money you can commit to your fish. I understand how tight money can be and how expensive fish related things get.
I will NEVER leave you with an “I don’t know.” Ever. I hate that. That would waste your time and that's just mean. :)
Puedo contestar tus preguntas en español también.
Experience I have had tropical fish since 1999. I currently have: a 55gal, ten 10gal, 3 five gallons, three 2gal, and a bunch of jars and bowls. At the time I'm typing this, I have: 14 angels, 13 goldfish, 73 bettas, 12 barbs, 5 catfish, too many guppies, 4 gouramis, 2 plecos, 10 loaches, bunch of swordtails, and probably a few others, lol.
I love to rescue fish. I've had everything from mutant danios, to one eyed goldfish, to my newest adoptee, a 2 year old betta with a MASSIVE tumor problem. He was brought to a pet shop and left there because the lady didn't know what to do with him. He's pretty scary looking. One of the guys at the store there I know let me have him. :D YAY! Elephant Man lives in a gallon bowl with pretty stones in my bathroom.
Plus!!!
I sell: veil, delta, halfmoon, plakat, and crowntail bettas as well as halfblack and blonde tuxedo fancy guppies. Ask me about it sometime.
Expert: Benty Date: 7/13/2008 Subject: Goldfish and tap water
Question I have a single goldfish about 4" long (excluding tail) in a freshwater tank approximately ten gallons. Since the fish was bought last year, the water has been changed by putting the fish in a container of the old water, filling the tank with tap water, letting it age a few days, and putting in the fish. All was fine. About six weeks ago this same routine was done, but when the fish hit the new water, it seemed shocked. It was barely breathing and hardly moving. I went to a local pond and got some pond water. As soon as the fish was put in the pond water, it was fine. I read in the local paper that there had been some additional chemicals added to the local water supply to stop algae. Several years ago when I lived overseas in Paris, an identical thing happened about the same time of year in terms of fish shock from aged tap water. In that instance, I let the tap water age several extra days and then put the goldfish in. They seemed ok, but died the next day. I am wondering what the story is on this. When I was young, I always replaced aquarium water with tap water and aged it a few days, and it never harmed goldfish or tropical fish. Now it looks like there must be something toxic in the water. Perhaps there are toxins given off by algae this time of year, or maybe it is the anti-algae chemicals that are doing it. I would really like to find out if I can. I performed the same test a few days ago with aged tap water, and it still shocks the goldfish, even though during the winter it didn't. So now I am using pond water only, and the goldfish is happy, but getting the pond water is not as convenient as tap water, and is also not as clean. I would appreciate any insight you can provide as to the cause of this apparent toxicity from the tap water.
Answer Tap water is horrible for any living thing-- fish, birds, dogs, people, etc. While aging your water helps, it only gets rid of chlorine. In tap water, there's also toxic chloramines The only way to remove them is with chemicals. Not many people talk about them. My guess is many people don't look too deeply into their tap water's chemistry. They only hear about chlorine and deal with that. Water companies alternate with chlorine, to chloramines after a set time so no resistant bacteria grow. Here's some more on chloramines:
What sounds like what's going on is metallic poisoning. It's quick, deadly, and undetectable. I've dealt with this too. It's from old metal pipes mixed with changes in what the water company does (such as switching to chloramines). Think a minute about how many miles of piping water goes through to get to your tank. It gathers tiny bits of metal it leeches out of the pipes. Now while most fish can deal with it and it becomes no problem, changes kill fish.
Do NOT put your fish in the water without treating it from now on. Get a water treatment that also takes about chrloimines, such as Prime. They naturalize toxins including metal too. They take longer to deal with them though. My advise to you... when you change your tank start as you normally would: Catch little fishy and fill your tank up with tap. HOWEVER, add your chemicals so it ages with the water. Wait at LEAST 2 days then, plop your little guy back in and all should be well. :) It's what I do and no deaths like that since. You can also try to run very hot water through your pipes about a minute.
Also, don't change your tank after a hot shower. The heat draws out more metal into your water. Same thing with dish washer, and washer too.
