Fish Water?

[Lord Frieza]

Hi everyone, I have a question. I keep both freshwater and saltwater fish at home, and I change their water fairly regularly. I'm wondering if it is safe to use the fish water as water for crabs? There aren't any heavy metals in the water, and possible chemicals include nitrates and phosphates (no/trace amounts of ammonia). Does anyone have any knowledge on this topic? Thanks!

[turtlegirl95]

I work at a pet store and the water we use in our spray bottle for misting the hermit crabs comes from our aquariums, this just simplifies things for the employees. However our aquariums are regularly siphoned and treated so as to prevent ammonia buildup, as long as you are doing this as well your hermits should be fine. I would recommend testing your tanks weekly to see where the ammonia level is at so you know when it needs to be siphoned. This will be good to know for the fish too.

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[NLindsey921]

As long as the fish have no diseases that you have treated. Fish medicine quite often contains copper and copper is bad for the crabs.

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[GotButterflies]

I think you would be better off to use fresh water for the crabs instead of tank water just to be safe.


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[aussieJJDude]

To be fair, for the first 2 years of crabbing I did use fish tank water. No issues. I then just got lazy - and added filtration soon after -that I just decide to use water straight from the tap as its quicker than walking up and down a stairwell.
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But yes, it should be fine. I know that many reefers and planted tank enthusiasts do use ferts and additives, so if you do use these products I would personally stay away from using tank water, but thats just me. Like NLindsey921 said, copper is believed to be damaging - it's believed, but never been proven - can most medications used to treat illness does contain copper. In a SW tank, I assume this wouldn't be a problem - especially if you have corals and inverts, as copper will kill them - but in a FW tank, copper and other medications - like methylene blue - has the ability to remain in the tank for years, such as being adsorbed into the silicone and decor - such as wood.