Can tap water kill you? Probably not. But have you ever thought about how tap water can kill a goldfish?
Most people have experienced bringing a goldfish home from the pet store (or maybe you won it at the ring toss booth at the county fair) and you had to add those extra drops so that the goldfish can have a better chance to survive in tap water. If you didn't add the drops, there's a high likelihood that you'd find the fish belly up the next morning and you'd either send them to swim with the other fishies (down the toilet) or perform a proper burial in the back yard?
Many people have wondered if goldfish can live in tap water. We know to be wary of contaminants in our tap water but what about the water you give your pets? Should you be worried about the tap water you add to your fish’s aquarium? The answer is yes! If contaminants, found in basic tap water, are harmful to humans, think of how horrible it is to let your tiny fish swim in that water.
So, what water is best to use for your goldfish? Our filters target the harmful contaminants such as heavy metals, chlorine, fluoride and many, many others. These are contaminants that could harm you and kill your pet fish! It's no wonder that these little animals can't stand a chance against the chemicals found in our water!
Which contaminants should I look out for? What ends up killing my fish?
Chlorine and chloramine can be particularly detrimental to your fish’s health. Luckily, Clearly Filtered water filters remove up to 99.5%! Nitrates and Nitrites should also be removed and our filters are able to take out up to 99.9%. If you have a particularly high level of nitrates in your water, changing the water will reduce nitrate levels and also discourage algae growth. High levels of nitrites can reduce the oxygen content in your fish’s blood so changing your water or add aquarium salt will reduce the level of nitrites. Also, when changing your water make sure it is at a similar temperature as large fluctuations in temperature may shock your fish.
Does the PH of my water matter?
Many propose to use distilled water instead of tap water for their fish tank, and this is fine initially, but will create a very unstable environment that may allow the PH to fluctuate too much. These PH fluctuations can create an unhealthy environment for your fish and stress or even kill them in the long run. Clearly Filtered pitchers are able to leave the good minerals (or Total Dissolved Solids) in the water which will act as a buffer for PH fluctuations in your water. This will make your fish's water the closest it will come to natural, contaminant-free water. When changing your fish’s water, about 10-25% of your water should be removed and replaced with clean, filtered water. Remember to check the PH! A healthy range for most fish is between 6.5-8.2.
Do you have customers that use Clearly Filtered water for their fish tanks?
As a matter of fact, we do! Fairly often do we hear that a customers fish loves swimming in Clearly Filtered water. We get a little giggle out of it every time we hear it, but it makes sense. Our filters are designed to target the contaminants that are known to cause issues for fish. The best part is that this shows us our filters are working as intended.
"Maybe the best review I could give comes from Bob, my pet Beta fish! Using treated tap water the one gallon bowl must be changed weekly, sometimes more often than that. I decided to use Clearly Filtered and am going on week 4 without needing to change his bowl which remains as pristine as when first set up (without aquarium filter). If a water source is good, or bad, for living creatures the same goes for people. Very happy with the peace of mind this filter provides making it worth every penny spent to rid the tap water of Fluoride, lead, etc ..."
- Mary Anne
Obviously our filters are formulated for human use, but it is not uncommon that we hear about our filters being used for peoples pets. Some even state that their animals will no longer drink regular tap water after trying Clearly Filtered (again, makes sense as their sense of smell and taste is far superior to that of a human).
We don't want to guarantee this will work for everyone or every pet seeing as we have no specifically tested it ourselves, however our customers do love sharing their real-life scenarios with us so we are fairly sure if it works for them it will work for you.
So, what can I learn from this?
Other than animals love Clearly Filtered water too, it proves that tap water contains levels of contaminants that can kill smaller organisms like fish, and these same contaminants will have negative affects on a human as well.
The point is to let your filter do the work, rather than turning your body into a filter.
Oh, and remember to always to replace the water in your tank with fresh water once a week and to let your filtered water come to room temperature before changing it. Your pet fish will thank you!
Let us know: Do you use Clearly Filtered water for your pets? If so, do they enjoy it?
