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About Ron Coleman
Expertise
I am an expert on cichlid fishes, particularly New World cichlids. My broader expertise includes the behavior, ecology and reproduction of fishes in general. (I am NOT an expert on Goldfish). Please do not use abbreviations, such as "my GT has a swollen eye" because I don't know what a "GT" is. The more clearly you can explain your question, the better chance I have of understanding what it is that you seek. I keep fishes both as a scientist and as a hobbyist and I currently maintain about 140 aquariums.

Experience
I am an Assistant Professor at the California State University, Sacramento in the Department of Biological Sciences, and I run a website, called the Cichlid Research Home Page . I also write for many popular aquarist magazines, and I am editor of Cichlid News magazine. I am a scientist and I spend my time teaching fish biology, ecology, behavior and evolution and doing research on the reproductive biology of fishes, particularly cichlids. I do research in the laboratory and in Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Mexico. My main interest is understanding the evolution of parental care in fishes. I am interested in encouraging greater public awareness, understanding and participation in science.

Publications
Cichlid News, Tropical Fish Hobbyist, Freshwater and Marine Aquarium, Science, Behavioural Ecology and Sociobiology, Copeia, Canadian Journal of Zoology, Trends in Ecology and Evolution, AUK, Environmental Biology of Fishes

Education/Credentials
PhD (Toronto, 1993) MSc (Simon Fraser, 1986) BSc (British Columbia, 1983)

You are here: Experts > Animals/Pets > Pet Fish > Fish > water and minerals

Fish - water and minerals

Expert: Ron Coleman - 11/6/2009

Question
Hi there. I normally would use reverse osmosis water for my pet betta. Recently I have read from a few experts out there that I should use only treated tap because R/O water is missing the minerals my fishie girl needs. Ok, well there is definitely something wrong with the tap water here in my apt. building if not in all of San Diego, I don't know, but I tested it for ammonia, and my test strips all turned GREEN...bad...obviously, I don't want her in THAT! Can I use a mineral supplement to supply the lost minerals? I went to Petco today and they have this product called
KENT Marine Essential Elements, essential trace mineral supplement for reef and fish...
I am nervous because it is for marine aquariums, and I have a betta...freshwater...I am desperate for good advice...it has calcium, iodine, iron, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum and potassium...ThankYou!

Answer
Hi Liane,
Bettas are not that fussy about water. I use tap water and they spawn for me, in fact, I had a pair spawn just last week. Of course if your tap water is gross (which is sometimes the case in cities), then you need to do something else. Distilled water would be fine. Reverse osmosis water would also be fine but is overkill and I wouldn't worry about adding anything to it, particularly if you have any plants, gravel or other stuff in the tank. They should likely provide any trace elements that your fish needs. Keep in mind how small a betta is -- it does not need very much of anything.

You should NOT add the KENT Marine stuff. It is for marine tanks and will add a whole lot of things that will stress your fish (if not worse).

If your tap water is that bad, you should seriously consider moving for your own sake, let alone
for your betta. Yikes!

-- Ron C.
  rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
  Cichlid Research Home Page <http://cichlidresearch.com>

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