Collection: Water Care

Most fish keepers are aware that tap water contains a disinfectant known as chlorine, which is harmful to aquarium pets. Therefore, tap water cannot be added directly to aquariums without the addition of dechlorinator or water conditioner for fish. In the past, hobbyists could let the tap water sit and “age” for 24 hours so that the chlorine would evaporate. However, nowadays many water treatment facilities use chloramine, which is a more stable form of chlorine and does not readily evaporate, so a water dechlorinator must be used to neutralize the chlorine, chloramine, and other toxic chemicals. Out of all the aquarium water conditioning products on the market, our favorite one is the Fritz Complete Water Conditioner because it comes with an easy-to-use pump head. No more measuring out capfuls of fish tank dechlorinator; simply add 1 squirt for every 10 gallons of aquarium water.

Looking for a product to clear up cloudy fish tank water? Try an aquarium water clarifier. This fish tank water treatment works by adding binders to the free-floating fine particles in your cloudy aquarium water. The fine particles become bigger and heavier, which allows them to be caught by your fish tank filter or sink down into the substrate for easy removal using an aquarium gravel vacuum.

If you have very soft water that is low on mineral content, try adding crushed coral, Wonder Shell, or Seachem Equilibrium as a gentle way of raising your water’s GH (or general hardness). Goldfish, livebearers, African cichlids, and certain dwarf shrimp all love hard water and therefore require higher levels of salts and minerals for proper muscle growth, bone or exoskeleton development, and other healthy biological functions.

Finally, don’t forget to use catappa leaves for shrimp, betta fish, and blackwater fish species. Catappa leaves release tannins into the fish tank water, which contain mild healing properties against bacterial and fungal infections. These Indian almond leaves are often used for breeding bettas or South American fish, and they also grow a thin layer of biofilm that is fed to cherry shrimp and their babies.