AboutChris Robbins Expertise I have 25 years of personal experience as a pet store employee and manager in the family pet store business. The main part of our business was Freshwater Fish. I can answer questions on; Fish care, diseases, parasites and fish identification, feeding your fish, breeding and sexing your fish, setting up your aquarium, cleaning your aquarium, and "what`s this weird stuff in my tank/on my fish" questions. I am not an African Cichlid expert, not a Plant expert and not a Brackish setup expert. No Pond or Saltwater Questions Please.
Experience I worked in and managed my family's fish and pet and fish store for 26 years and maintained the 35 aquariums. My experience also has included in-home consultation and aquarium maintenance for my clients.
Question my 2 boys won 5 goldfish at a carnival .the water level is low,, tank is maybe half a gallon . can i add tap water?
Answer Hi Massimo;
You can use tap water but you must also use water conditioner to neutralize harmful chemicals. Tap water usually contains additives to make it safe for human use but those additives are very toxic to fish. The new water must also be the same temperature as the old water. Change part of it very often, not just adding for evaporation. Part of their water must be replaced at least once a week. In such a small tank you may have to change 25% of the water daily.
You also need to get your fish a much larger tank. It is a common myth that goldfish can live in small spaces. They might survive for a while but they certainly won't be healthy because their own wastes will burn their gills and poison them. Even with a filter their wastes are just too much for such a small space. Goldfish are very messy fish that require good strong filtration and they grow very large. Here is a good web page about goldfish care;
