Your Tap Water Conditioner May Not Be As Good As You Think

Your fish will not survive for very long without a quality tap water conditioner, especially if you live in an older house with rusty pipes. You should always treat any new water that goes into your fish tank, even if you already filter your water - it's a relatively cheap precaution that is definitely worth taking.

When you are looking at the wall of fish tank chemicals at the pet store you should always take the time to read the label of the tap water conditioner that you choose - they are not all created equal. The bottle should at least state that the product can: 

• Remove Ammonia, Chloramine, and Chlorine
• Detoxify Nitrite/Nitrate
• Remove heavy metals

While letting the bucket of water sit out for a night or two will get rid of the Chlorine, aging it will not get rid of the Ammonia, Chloramine, or any of the heavy metals. These are all very toxic to your fish, and thus very important to remove. You will want to add the full amount of tap water conditioner to your tank every time you do a water change. For example, if your tank is 55 gallons then add the amount of conditioner specified for 55 gallons - not just the amount of water that you are adding back into the fish tank.