General Care Discussion :: Water...

[Sarah89]

I am moving in with my aunt. She told me her water is not good for an aquarium, and that she was told to add salt to an aquarium if using the tap? She didn't really know what she was talking about, was hazy with details. Is there something I should use to test her water? Are pH strips good enough? Would I be able to treat the water? I could buy water, but at $12 per 5 gallons I'd be spending $50 - $100 + every time I do a partial/complete water change. Any advice or links would be great

[VeipaCray]

Adding salt will change the PH. Some cichlids and some brackish water species require aquarium salt in a freshwater or brackish tank. Not needed for RES.

Test strips are useless. A drop based test kit like the API freshwater master test kit is a better choice. However, there's many water parameters besides the tests that come in a standard test kit

If the water is known bad, no need to add chemicals to treat it. Just filter it through carbon.
Pet stores will sell a fairly inexpensive tap water filter. http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/p ... catid=4484

Most hardware stores will sell something similar.

A brita or pur water pitcher filter system is very inexpensive and accomplishes the same thing. A Bit annoying 1 gallon at a time, but cheap. Your refrigerator may have a built in water dispenser with charcoal/carbon filter.

[michaelg]

Before doing anything, find out what's wrong with the water. Most pet stores will test the water for free. Unless your aunt has a well, you should be able to call the water company or the local MUA to get a report on the water quality. The pet store will tell you what the pH is, and what the Ammonia, nitrate and nitrite levels are. The water company can tell you how much chlorine and chloramine is in the water, what the calcium hardness is as well as the pH. They should also be able to tell you what other metals are in the water.

For the long run, you should get the test kit VeipaCray mentioned. Knowing the quality of your water will go a long way to keeping your turtle(s) healthy.

A tap water filter will remove impurities, but it can't change the hardness of the water or the pH of the water. If the water is hard (above 100 ppm) you will get white deposits on anything that the water touches and then gets exposed, like on the glass at the water line, the basking area and your turtle's shell. The harder the water is, the more deposits you will get. pH is more of a concern for your equipment than the turtle ( as long as the pH isn't too low), however quick changes in pH can be bad for your turtle.

-Michael

[Listen97]

Normally wanter coming from the tap would be safe. The biggest concern would be chlorine. Too much chlorine wouldn't be a reason for salt. The only reason I know of for salt is Hard Water and the use of a Water Softener. They use salt pellets or crystals to reduce the hardness. Like MichealG mentioned hard water isn't as dangerous to your turtles as to your equiptment.