ANSWERS: 4
  • Auntie Em is somewhat correct. The chlorine in "average" tap water will dissapate eventually in an open container. I say average, because day to day and source to source it will differ. Chloramines, different than chlorine chemically, are still present. These break down VERY slowly. There may also be other minerals and such in your water (flourine, zinc and even ammonia). These won't go away without help, and can kill the fish in sufficient quantities. Best bet however is to visit the local pet shop and buy aquarium conditioner. Be careful to read on the label what they will remove as all are not created equally. The directions will likely add that it's best to operate the aquarium/fish bowl for a few days before adding fish. In the case of a fish bowl, no filter etc., it's wiser to use bottled water that has been conditioned ( no chlorine to begin with)and the water is "harder". Refilling the bowl is as simple as having an empty water bottle filled with tap water, lid off and adding the appropriate amount of conditioner.Let it sit, lid off for a few days.Cap and store. This gives you a reserve of top up water when you need it. Lol...1000 gallons? Ok it's a Koi pond then. Check out your local garden centre. Some have a section for waterfalls and Koi ponds. They will have conditioner. A little goes a long way though, so you may just need what the pet store offers. Filling up again due to evaporation will not be an issue. The pond itself will eat up the chlorine (fecal matter from the fish, leafs, dust and dirt) if there is no waterfall associated with the pond ( more evaporation) and no leaks in the liner, then on average , the water loss will be 1/4 to 1/2 inch per week or less. The amount of chlorine introduced will be minimal in the refill water. If there are plants in the pond, ammonia and chloramines will also mostly be taken care of.
  • Go to a local petshop and buy a bottle of dechlorinizer, jungle brand is what i use, the directions are on the bottle, and it only takes a tiny bit, Good luck ^_^
  • Steve, a 1000 gal pond? That's a whole 'nother kettle of fish. ( Which your pond could become if it doesn't get enough shade.) That 'tap water' had us all thinkin about the kitchen sink and a little goldfish bowl. If your tap water is safe to drink it is usually safe for your fish after sitting or 'aging' for a while. Sure, their is all kinds of stuff in the water, but unless your supplier has issued some kind of warnings they are usually not worth worrying about, especially in a pond, with the exception of the chlorine and chloramine, which is used in someplaces instead of chlorine. Chlorine usually evaporates within 24 hours, chloramine usually within a week, but call your water supplier and ask which they use, how much and how long they say it will take to dissipate. You can buy an inexpensive chlorine chloramine test kit at the pet shop. You can spend more and test for all sorts of stuff. After you have the substrate, fine gravel or coarse sand, in your pond fill it up with the 'tap water' ( I'd call it water from the hose, I think that's what threw us off, and lets not get into what kind of hose to use, if the hose is safe for your yard, its safe for the fish.) Let the water sit a couple of days at least, a week if you can (mosquitos can mature within a week). Turn on the pump if you have one, the movement and aeration will help dissipate the chlor. and help the temperature stabilize. If you have a filter use a coarse medium, you are going to have a lot of sediment stirred up and ya don't want to clog it up too soon, the filter will help some against the mosquitos. Before putting in any fish put in your plants, you want plants, they will shade the water and act as a filter and will remove and stabilize some of the chemicals in the water, as well as just looking good. The best filter plants are floating ones with a bunch of hairy lookin roots hanging down. After a few more days, a week is better, and the plants are stabilized and you're thru movin um around a stirring up more mud, you can start adding fish and stop worrying about mosquitoes. Start with a few cheap goldfish, ( my local pet shop lets me pick and choose the 'feeder' fish some of which, while not 'show quality,' look just fine when viewed from above.) You don't want to take the risk of somethin bein wrong and your expensive fish croakin. (your pond should attract some frogs who will do that, sometimes annoyingly so.) After about a week of the cheap fish you can start adding your fancier ones. Do what you want with the cheap ones leave um in there or if the kids haven't named them and if nobody's lookin' sorta toss um over into the neighbor's yard where you don't have to watch them gasp, or find somebody who has a hungry Jack Dempsy. It's up to you, but regular ol'comets will had some movement and interest in with those fancy things with such fat bodies and flowing fins that they can hardly move. When you need to add some water to the pond because of evaporation, you don't have to worry about letting it sit or age. Most of the 'experts' say it is safe to remove and replace 1/4 of the water in an average stabilized 20 gal or larger aquarium, after letting the new water sit just a few hours, Innes and Axelrod actually say 1/3. You are not going to be adding near that much. Most drinking water is treated with less than one part per million (ppm), of chlor. if you replace 100 gallons of water in the established 1000 gal pond, you will wind up with less than .1ppm; your pet shop test kit won't even detect it. If you do not have some kind of automatic float system, just add water once or twice a week or more often if you want. Straight from the hose, not too strong a flow that will disturb the plants or stir up to much sediment, close to the pump inlet so it will mix faster. Once a month or two you can pump out a hundred or two gallons from down near the bottom and then just refill from the hose, or the fancy filling system you installed.
  • Tap water, in most cities and communities, is safe to drink. this is only because of the addition of chlorine. chlorine is safe for humans, but not safe for fish. bottled water is much safer for fish and humans. my tap water has so much chlorine, that it destroys the taste of a cup of coffee. we use bottled spring water. my dog even hates tap water. he gets bottled water, also. a gallon of bottled water, is not that expensive. buy it for your goldfish. they may live longer and thank you for it.

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