Pond Water - help Please

[wiggal]

Hey all,

Only me!

Is it possible to use tap water to fill a pond with fishies in?
Asking for a friend as having just moved house has found the pond in the garden has fish in it, but the water is really not very nice. They would replace the water with rain water, but do not have any stored up.

Thanks!

Wiggal
xx

[Whoever]

It's obviously better to use rainwater, but even rainwater which has been stored for ages in a water butt is not suitable because it will be stagnant. Probably the best thing to do is try and scoop out some of the gunge and grot at the bottom of the pond first as it is this decaying vegetation which is causing part of the problem. The water can be topped up with tap water as a last resort but it's really best to do it gradually, storing the water in large containers first for 24 - 48 hours to let some of the chemicals (fluoride, etc) evaporate. If the fish are small, it's advisable to take them out and store them for 24 hours in a large container with some of the existing pond water and then return them as soon as the cleaning up job has been done to avoid disturbing them too much.

[hammerman]

I do a 10% water change in my 3,000 gallon koi pond every week with no problems at all...straight out of the hose.

Providing your friend only does say a maximum of 20% a week, it should be fine from the tap.

[kaztuz]

It is highly unadvisable to do any sort of water change from tapwater, unless a dechlorinator is connected. The maximum if absolutely necessary is 10%. It is not advisable to use rain water unless it has been tested for acidity/alkalinity.
Has the pond got a filter system?

[woofgang]

when I clean out my pond or top it up in the summer I use a hose off the tap but do 2 things. First I make sure that the water gets agitated as this drives out some of the chlorine. If I am filling the empty pond, I do it with some force so the water sprays around , if topping up I use a sprinkler head. I also get stuff from the local pet shop to add to the water to remove the chlorine and coat the fish to protect them...can't remember what its called now but the pond shop or petshop should know. Make sure you buy a pond sixzed one as its sold for fish tanks as well in much smaller amounts and is much dearer that way. If I am cleaning out the whole pond then i put in a bacterial kick start and treat the fish with antiseptic....just done a web search, I use Aqua Safe and medifin by Tetra because that's what i can get locally, other ranges are available, they generally say you shouldn't mix them