Would I shock my goldfish if I started giving him tap water that has been left out for 24 hours?

Question

... as opposed to the non-filtered, non-conditioned tap water I give him now? Here are my concerns --

- that he has somehow "adapted" to whatever chlorine levels there are in the water I already give him, and that suddenly giving him water where the levels are dramatically less would somehow fatally shock him. Sorry if this seems like a pretty absurd idea. (Has anyone heard of this kind of case before?)

- also, surely nothing will have happened to the oxygen levels in the tap water when I leave it out, right? I know people leave out the tap water for their fish all the time if they don't have a filter, but I want to be absolutely sure.

Please help!

Answer 1

totally agree with Mokey...goldfish are hardy..they can adapt themselves to a lot of things you do wrong...but tht means they are slowly getting harmed..so please do the right thing and keep him in chlorine free water..and no excuses on tht....

Answer 2

well water is fine -- city water needs to be treated with dechlorinator.  imagine how his poor little gills feel!

I think that leaving chlorinated water out for 24 hours allows SOME of the chlorine to evaporate.  Oxygen in water will be unaffected by sitting and I don't see what leaving water out to compensate for lack of a filter could POSSIBLY do.  It's easy to put oxygen into the water by disturbing the surface, say with an air stone or filter.  It's the rippling that puts the oxygen in.  If you are keeping the fish in a (yikes) Goldfish BOWL please don't fillit up to the tippy-top -- try to maximize the SURFACE AREA of the water.  Best to keep fish in the biggest tank you can with the best filtration you can afford.

Answer 3

Hi Yen Tm, Your fish has in no way adapted as you put it to living in chlorine-he has no option but to put up with it. By all accounts it is a similar feeling in their gills to when we get soap in our eyes but unlike us they do not have the luxury of the discomfort only lasting a few seconds. Don't worry about shocking him by suddenly using treated water-think of yourself trapped in a room with no air conditioning & full of toxic fumes-then suddenly someone opens a window & turns off the toxins-you would love it & so will your fish!

  Using water that has stood for 24 hours is fine as long as you are sure your local water company only uses chlorine because this will evaporate. If they use chloramine this ageing is absolutely useless as the ammonia in the chloramine stays locked in your water for weeks slowly poisoning your fish. You can check by going on the website of your local water company & searching for the facility to get a local water report by typing in your post/zip code. If you find they use chloramine the dechorinator fluid is absolutely essential, if you simply can't find out one way or the other then use it just to be on the safe side.

  I gather from your question that you don't use a filter so I'm going to recommend you get one as soon as possible because without it your fish will die from suffocating on his own waste even in treated water. The link below has all the answers

Answer 4

what the?? ok, what you are doing now is REALLY harmfull, switching it to that watr will be BETTER, but still not really safe.... please, go get some tap water treatment!! it costs like 3$ for a bottle that lasts severl months!! not using this is seriously harming your lil fshy, please immediatly switch to dechlorinated tap water!! =]

Answer 5

No the things that can 'harm' the will avaporate by then. However Goldfish are pretty hardy so even useing tap water can be alright (thats what i use and I have had ALL of my fish for over 4 years)

Answer 6

No fish adapt to Chlorine - it's toxic to any living thing

Letting water sit will not affect the oxygen content, there is nothing in the water to use O2, and the level will just balance out with the air. Sitting for a day will generally improve the water, but best is to use a water treatment like Prime. Chloramine compounds that may be in the water will not break down and evaporate that quickly, but water conditioner will neutralise them instantly.

Ian

Answer 7

I doubt that doing the right thing will bother your fish.  I'd be more concerned about his total living conditions.  One goldfish should be housed in a minimum of a 20 gallon well filtered tank with 10 more gallons for each additional fish.  Living in smaller quarters will stunt their growth and cause eventual organ failure and death.

**

Answer 8

I Have Tropical Fish In Tap Water, I just let the water cycle through the filter for a while.