If you have a beautiful fish tank with either different species of fish or maybe similar ones and as a fish tank owner, you must have at least the basic knowledge about the kind of fish you are getting and awareness of its requirements which may differ according to fish type. You must know what kind of water it survives on, what specific environment or food it needs to live in, etc.

As a fish owner, you must have gathered all of the information to make sure your fish survives in a safe environment and what better to start with than figuring out what kind of water is the best for your fish tank. The water will determine how the kind of fish can thrive instead of just surviving.

Therefore it is important to know what kind of water is the best for your fish or for use in a fish tank. Is it filtered, distilled or tap water? Make sure you go through the article to find out solutions for your particular problem.

Here is all you need to know about what water sources are good for an aquarium or fish tank:

Can You Use Filtered Water For Fish Tank – Dos & Don’ts

Following are some steps you need to keep in mind if you have to figure out if filtered water is used in a fish tank;

Chemically Treated Water

The major difference that you need to clarify between the fish and well, yourself as a human is that we are two different organisms with separate ways to drink or consume water.

We as humans drink water through our mouth cavity which is filtered before being absorbed into our bodies while the fish take in water through their gills which goes directly into their bloodstream without being filtered. This is such a distinct difference that will help you identify how water selection for a fish tank is crucial.

This is the main difference that sets the water selection an important step, for instance, chlorinated or chemically treated water is safe for us because it is relatively a safer option because most of the impurities have been removed through the chlorination process.

It is highly toxic for a fish though as chlorine can act as poison for a fish, destroying its living cells and causing breathing problems and as a result, the fish will die eventually.

A solution for this is to use a water filtration system such as the reverse osmosis water filtration system that will effectively remove chlorine and other contaminants from the water but you also need to keep the other factors inside the fish tank in mind to figure out if the specific type of fish will survive in the filtered water or not.

Water PH

If you are aware of your fish’s requirements, you must also know that different species of fish have different pH requirements. Normally, the acceptable pH range of water inside the fish tank should be around 6.5 to 9.0. If the pH fluctuates often or is at a continuously low or high level, it will affect the fish’s ability to reproduce and it will not grow as it is supposed to. If the pH is lower than 4.0, then it is definitely not suitable at all for any aquatic creature so make sure you check that as well.

For instance, tropical fish prefer to live at a pH of around 5.5 while saltwater fish or aquatic creatures prefer a pH of 8.8 or even higher. In addition, the lake water fishes will survive in water with a pH higher than 8.8 or above. The pH for freshwater fishes is usually between 6.5 to 7. Having prior knowledge of the fish you are keeping in your fish tank will help you avoid a number of problems in the future.

Beneficial Plants

Because a fish is a living organism, it is natural that it will give way to other organic materials such as phosphate, fish’s own waste material, food wastage, algae, etc. As the phosphate levels increase, it is only natural that the algae growth will incline as well. As a result the production of ammonia especially increases if you change the water of the fish tank for the first time. Having plants in the tank, especially anemones will clear out the toxins released by the microscopic organisms in the fish tank and reduce ammonia production.

You can install a filter inside the fish tank just to be safe especially in cases when you are not quite sure what kind of water is suitable for the fish you have or if you do not have aquatic plants.

Best Water Choice

The quality, pH and type of water totally depend on the type of fish you have decided to keep in your fish tank. Essentially, you should always use filtered or distilled water for your fish tank because it is usually chlorine-free. Using a reverse osmosis system also works in favour of removing chlorine from the water which is extremely harmful to the fish.

Also, avoid using tap water on its own because it is not filtered properly and probably has chlorine and other metals such as lead in it which are not healthy for a fish tank environment. Some people also use dechlorination drops but it will cost you a lot of time and energy so better to use either RO or distilled or filtered water as the best choices.

FAQS

Is drinking water the same as filtered water for use in a fish tank?

Yes, drinking water can be RO water, distilled or carbon-filtered water that is safe for drinking for humans as well as fish. It is tap water that can be deemed dangerous for the fish because of the presence of a compound called chloramine.

Final Thoughts

I hope you found your related queries in this article which hopefully helped you figure out if the filtered water can be used in a fish tank or not. It is important that when you get fish of different types, you learn to take proper care of them and ensure their well-being and safety by using the correct type of water.