Source of water for tanks

[Reevenz]

Hi all,

I am starting a tank for shrimps and i wonder what do evryone use for water? I'm living in SG. Would sg tap water ok to use?

And for the regular water change, do you need to treat the water to match the aquarium parameter or are you just dump it in right away?

[ole]

i keep cherry sakura. i just use sg tap water, add some stress coat, stir stir mix mix and let it stand for a few hours before doing water change. if i just need want to top up some water due to evaporation, i just take a small bottle, put some stress coat and add water then shake shake aggressively before topping up the water after 10minute of wait. my shrimp shrimp seems all healthy and happy. but the hardcore shrimp keepers probably disagree with my way of doing it.

[Reevenz]

What do u mean by stress coat? Dont understand...

[ole]

API Stress Coat. A tapwater treatment chemical available at most aquarium shops. It also forms a layer of "coat" on fishes/shrimps to "protect" supposedly hence the name "Stress Coat".

Some hobbyists will disagree with the use of Stress Coat citing that it is chemical stuff and will overload the water tank with chemical and stuff. I agree with the idea of not overloading the tanks with chemica but i think stress coat is still okay.

There will be some hobbyists online who suggest u use distill water though. coz easier to control all the water parameter etc on their own without having to care about the mineral level, chlorine level etc in the tap water. but distill water expensive lah. so i just use stress coat with sg tap water.

there will be some people who say just leave the sg tap water overnight will do since gaseous exchange should allow the chlorine to leave the water after enough time. but there will be some who say that the chlorine level in sg tap water is way too high for the chlorine to leave the water just by letting it stand.

an alternate solution is to boil the tap water to allow all dissolved gas to escape. but that means the concentration of nitrate n mineral in the tap water will be higher. furthermore also ex to keep boiling large volume of water like that.

so i just use stress coat with tap water. save money and trouble.

[ole]

oh yeah, ideally you should match the water parameter so that the fish/shrimps will not be "shocked" by the drastic change in water conditions. but since your water constantly evaporates and everything gets more concentrated, the water parameter you are trying to "match" to will most likely be unsuitable in the first place if you do a water change only after long duration (perhaps once a week?). but if you do it daily then definitely not an issue. but i'm the lazy kind lah. i change only once every 1-2weeks and i top up every 2-3days.

so to prevent "shock" when u introduce water that is different from the current water parameters, most people will also suggest that you do small water change between 5-20% on a regular basis. above 30% is kind of pushing the limit. 50% is asking for trouble.

[stormhawk]

The tap water in Singapore contains both chlorine AND chloramine as they are used in the processing of raw water to tap water. Boiling the water does not remove the residual chloramine. Aerating the water in a bucket with an airstone or powerhead will aid in the dissipation of chlorine into the air, but not chloramine. If you wish to use it straight off the bat, get a good dechlorinator that neutralises both chlorine and chloramine. The pH of your tap water will differ from region to region in Singapore, so do not assume that it is "safe" for shrimp use without some prior treatment. See below for a table listing what is in our tapwater, according to the PUB.

http://www.pub.gov.sg/general/pages/watertreatment.aspx

There are good guides in the Invertebrates section on the methods to care for the shrimps, including their water parameters.

[Reevenz]

Hi All,

Thanks for the input, it's surely useful for me. So I think i am now leaning to use bottled water as the source of water.

After looking around the shops, i found that Dasani brand looks like the most "economical" (read: cheap) bottled water, and kinda reliable as it's made by coca cola company. Have anyone used this before?

Can anyone suggest whether these bottled water are having a constant parameter in terms of acidity and hardness?

[stormhawk]

Bottled water also has different water parameters when compared to each other and with tap water. Depending on where the water is sourced from, it can be alkaline in nature and contain trace elements that may or may not affect shrimps. The side of the bottle will explain to you what it contains, and the approximate pH and hardness values if any. You may end up spending more money if you use these bottled water.

[Reevenz]

humm ... getting confused now. ahahah

so is it better to have a bucket of water where i will maintain the acidity and hardness for water changing? is it what everyone usually do?

sorry to ask so many questions. I'm still very new here, i am only used to taking care of fishes which definitely don't need to have this kind of sensitivity to keep.

[stormhawk]

If you only keep red cherry shrimp, they are not too fussy about water parameters. Some will use a mix of dechlorinated tap water and distilled water, others will just use tap water straight. You should have a look at the Invertebrates section, before you take the plunge into shrimps.

Yes it is always good to have a drum barrel / bucket to hold water overnight or longer with aeration via an airstone or powerhead, as a storage facility for your water changes. This is not what everyone does, but if you have the space, it is a good idea to consider.

[Starlett]

Usually I standby quite a few bottles of water and age them until the next water change or top up.

May not be the best way though.

[Reevenz]

Thanks for the updates, its very useful.