Many people, in an effort to give their fish the best possible environment will rush out and buy the most expensive bottled waters on the market. But the truth is, not only do most bottled waters not contain the essential minerals your fish needs, they may also contain some harmful chemicals. Likewise, you should never use distilled water or water that has been “purified” in any way – including through a carbon filter. This water won’t have the minerals that your Betta needs.
The actual best water for your Betta fish is just plain old tap water! (By the way, if you’ve been using bottled water in the past, don’t worry. It won’t kill your fish, but unless your local tap water is so bad that you don’t drink it either, switch back to tap water ASAP. And if you have to used bottled water, make it spring water, and follow the steps below, to make sure that you remove any harmful chemicals before adding it to your Betta’s tank.
Of course, because most of the water we drink is chemically treated, there are a few steps to follow to make the water safe for your Betta fish – but don’t worry! Follow these simple instructions and it will be a breeze:
1. Find out if your local water supply is treated with a chemical called chloramines. (If so, then you’ll have to buy a special treatment for it. It’s called AmQuel and is readily available at most pet stores.
2. Plain tap water right from the tap will kill your fish, because of the chlorine (chloramines), so it has to be treated first. The product to do this that’s also best for your Betta fish is called “stress coat” and you’ll find it at your local pet store too.
3. Once you’ve treated the water according to package directions, it needs to “age” which will allow all of the chemicals and gasses to evaporate, and also for the pH in the water to normalize. To do this, just let it sit in an open container for about a week.
