Why tap water should be conditioned
Regular water changes are essential to ensure all aquarium inhabitants do well and stay healthy. Aquarists depend on using tap water, which is considered one of the best monitored provisions. It is thus very well suited as drinking water for humans. However, there are other basic requirements to aquarium water, which makes using a water conditioner necessary. Especially in online aquarium forums, due to great trust in modern drinking water processing there is often the opinion that using water conditioners is unnecessary.
Tap water is not aquarium water
Luckily, tap water is nowadays very clean in most countries, and therefore usually excellently suitable as drinking water for us humans. However, there is still a major difference between tap water safe for humans and water in which aquarium inhabitants do well. Occasional chlorine treatments and low-level heavy metal pollution are not rare – also according to modern safety standards. Pollutants brought into the aquarium via tap water, for instance chlorine and heavy metals such as copper, lead or zinc in a first step usually harm the gills and the skin of the fish. The bacteria responsible for the nitrification process can be affected by these pollutants, leading to biological filtration not functioning properly any more, and both ammonium and nitrite levels increase.
Remove dangerous pollutants
Water conditioners such as sera aquatan can be used for preventing these threats. aquatan immediately and reliably conditions the water to fish friendly water by removing pollutants such as chlorine and chloramines, binding heavy metals and preventing pollution by ammonia (see diagram). It does not affect the water parameters adversely even in case of multiple dosage.
aquatan helps to quickly achieve an environment safe for the useful filter bacteria in new setups. When combined with sera bio nitrivec, which contains porous volcanic rock with millions of filter bacteria, adding new fish can take place within only 24 hours.
Add important mineral substances
Fish and other aquatic organisms depend on taking up a part of their required mineral substances directly from their environment – the water. Fish take up through the skin and the gills. In natural waters, mineral substances are provided by the environment. An aquarium, however, is a system closed in itself depending on external addition of the essential mineral substances. The sera research department considered this with the recent composition optimization of sera aquatan. It now adds important mineral substances to the aquarium water. The mineral substances consumed in the aquarium are thus added in a bio available form with every water change:
- Calcium for a strong, well proportioned skeleton and flawless scales
- Magnesium for strong growth and muscles
- Manganese for healthy growth and improved fertility
- Iodine for a balanced development and better disease resistance
The advantages of the well proven composition are of course retained, ensuring that aquatan continues to quickly and reliably provide fish friendly, clean water.