Add anything if tap water is fine?

[traco]

I tested my tap water for ammonia and shows nothing. Can I just age my tap water, aerate and bring up to temp for 24 hours and then add straight into my tank for water changes?

Or do I need Chloram X for my water changes? Want to be prepared for when I get my fish and start my daily water changes.

Barb

[markl323]

Usually tap water doesn't contain ammonia. But I guess being extra careful doesn't hurt.

You need to find out if your tap water contains chloride or chloramine or both. You can do this by giving your local water company a call. If they only use chloride, you should also ask if they have plans to upgrade to chloramine and if so, when?

In the case of chloride, you can age your water for 2 days or use an airstone/powerhead to get rid of the chloride. I'm not sure how many hours it takes with an airstone. Get a chloride test kit to be sure.

If your water contains chloramine, you need to use a chemical product such as Seachem Prime to remove it. This works instantly right after adding. Seachem Prime can also be used to remove chloride.

[Carol_Roberts]

Test your tap water for pH directly from the tap and test a cup of water that has set on the counter overnight. You want the pH to be close, the temperature to be close and the chlorine/chloramine to be removed.

[traco]

My tap water and tank water were fairly close for PH (according to the fish store when they tested my samples). I haven't tested tap water that has sat for 24 hours.

We are on a community tank for our water supply. Is there a test kit to test for chloramine?

[Carol_Roberts]

You can buy a pH test kit at Walmart for less than $5. Look in the swimming pool section of waltmart for chlorine test kits. You can also buy all kinds of test kits online at www.petsolutions.com etc.

[billeagan]

IMO, I would just use prime. A capful takes care of 50 gallons or something.

The little bit that you would use would justify the cost and its always better to be safe than sorry.