The reason water quality is so important for amphibians is because of the rapid rate of diffusion of exterior molecules into the blood stream. Highly vascularized lungs in humans obtain oxygen essentially the same way as an amphibian’s skin. Humans that breathe in harmful chemicals are at risk for many diseases and infections that can harm the entire body. Amphibians are the same way. Poor quality water is absorbed into the skin and pumped directly into the blood stream of the amphibian.
The Woes of City Water.
A search in google of "Common chemicals in tap water" will amaze you. There are many chemicals you would think are illegal to have in water sources, but they do exist.
Chlorine is one of the most common chemicals found in tap water. This makes sense because most city water companies will use chlorine to help decrease microbial populations in ground or lake water sources. Chlorine levels are not harmful to humans because they are so dilute. An amphibian’s skin and bloodstream however can be harmed very easily by these chemicals.
Pesticides from ground water, nitrates, anti-bacterial products, and even traces of prescription drugs can be found in many sources of water throughout the United States.
What types of water should I use?
I always use tap water. I make sure that my water is clean and safe before I use it though. There are several things keepers can do to keep your water safe. I will get into these techniques in a later section. Some people swear on distilled water. This is a great way to ensure there are no harmful chemicals in your pet's water. Many people do however believe that amphibians need some solutes in water for proper osmoregulation (hydration, dehydration). I believe in this hypothesis. I also don't have a distillery on hand and deplore going to the grocery store for gallons of water when I have so much water to change on a daily basis. It's just not economically feasible. Well water is another option. I feel that this is one of the most reasonable natural sources of water your amphibian can live in. As long as your household well system does not use too many salts and chemicals to purify your water, your water source should be fine. I still recommend treating and aging your water to make sure all chemicals have defused and you have 100% safe water.
Simple Tricks to keep you phibs happy.
Whether you obtain your water from the city or from a well, aging your water is the most important thing you can do to make sure your water is safe. To store your water over night, I recommend a 5 gallon bucket or trash barrel depending on how much water you use. Fill your storage container with water and let it sit over night. Any chlorine or similar chemicals will generally diffuse out into the air within 24 hours. To help speed up the process, I recommend a small power-head or air stone to help circulate water. Surface water is the only water that will allow chlorine to dissipate into the air, by circulating or bubbling air into your aging water, you are allowing greater turn over on surface and thus increase chlorine dissipation.
Air stones are always a reasonable thing to keep on hand when aging water. Air stones help oxygenate the water which can be beneficial for amphibians who require oxygen rich environments. Bubbles increase the surface area within your aging water to help not only chlorine dissipate, but ammonia and phosphorus as well. Ammonia can be found in many types of water systems. Some cities will infuse ammonia to help keep pipe microbial loads low. Well water can contain ammonia because of fertilizers used in the agricultural industry. Phosphorous is used in many city water treatment facilities to help prevent corrosion. In any case, regardless of where you live and what water you use, it is a good idea to use an air stone. It may not be necessary if you are aging your water for a week, but most of us don't have time to wait that long.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, use carbon. Carbon (charcoal) is used by many aquatic hobbyists to remove all kinds of wastes and is applicable to aging water. Your water source has bad chemicals you want to remove, so using carbon is a cheap way to do it. Carbon in combination with your airstone and/or powerhead will ensure all chemicals are removed within 24 hours. Carbon is used mainly to remove dissolved organic molecules as well as leftover metals from piping and chlorine. Many believe carbon must be soaked for several days before use due to phosphate leaching. During the production of carbon, acid washing sometimes leaves free phosphates to be leached into a water source. It is advisable to use phosphate-sponge in conjunction with carbon to sequester any phosphates leached into your aged water source. If phosphate-sponge is out of your budget, soaking carbon for a day can help. Phosphorous is likely not a problem when aging your water, but if you are overly cautious, phosphate sponge and carbon aging is an option.
It is also a good idea to allow your water to age because of temperature. Although we may feel as though the water we put into an aquarium is just right, the animals may highly disagree. By allowing your aged water to sit over night, the water acclimates to room temperature and will be less likely to cause stress or shock to your animals. For tropical animals, aging with an aquarium heater is an option as well.
Once you've aged your water, you can begin using it! Water changes and misting all require the use of amphibian safe aged water. The frequency of your water changes as well as the amount changed is generally up to the keeper. If you have properly aged your water, the only chemicals you should worry about AFTER being used are ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. These three chemicals are part of the nitrogen cycle. When an animal "dirties" its water, the initial change in water chemistry will be elevated ammonia. Over time, bacteria will convert ammonia to nitrite and eventually nitrate. Ammonia is the deadliest of the chemicals, followed by nitrite then nitrate. Increased ammonia can cause serious harm to amphibians and must not be ignored. If you are consistently having increased levels of ammonia, something about your water changing habits and filtration system needs to be changed. Once you have ammonia levels under control, it is then a good time to invest in products like zeolite or purigen to prevent ammonia spikes in the future.
In your actual amphibian’s home, carbon, phosphate-sponge and zeolite are always recommended. We want to makes sure water quality is as fresh as possible between water changes. I always remember something a keeper told me when I was interning at a zoo for the first time. "If you wouldn't drink it, your amphibians shouldn't be in it." You shouldn't drink your amphibian’s water, but you get my point.
If you are new to aquariums or keeping water in an enclosed space, you need to do your research! Amphibians are very sensitive. In fact, when you see an "eco-friendly" product on the shelf at stores, it means it passed the "tadpole test". The tadpole test is when companies basically add a bunch of a product into a bucket of tadpoles, if they die; the product is not eco-friendly. However, if the tadpoles survive, you have an eco-friendly product! Tadpoles are used for a reason; they are very sensitive to water quality. Learning about the 3 biological filtration types, water changes, nitro-bacter and all the ins and outs of clean water is very important. I could write a whole article about biological filtration alone, but there are countless blogs and websites already made to serve that purpose, so get to it!
I highly encourage every keeper to perform weekly water quality tests on all your amphibian tanks. Get a simple water quality test kit that includes ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. Chlorine strips are also a good idea to have just in case you are unsure of your water aging techniques.
Water Quality tests and what they mean.
If all nitrogen (NH3+, NO2, NO3-) compounds are high during a water quality test, you likely have too many animals and do not perform enough water changes in your set up. Daily water changes are required. Do not change too much water; it is possible to shock your amphibians with drastic temperature and water chemistry changes.
Elevated ammonia, low nitrite and low nitrate can mean you more than likely have "new tank syndrome". Generally a new tank that is heavily stocked will not have enough microbes to filter out nitrogenous waste products. It takes time for nitro-bacter to develop in filters, so until that point, ammonia can be a problem. Water changes are required to remove some of the ammonia but leave some water in to allow bacterial development.
Low ammonia, high nitrites and/or nitrates means you are not performing enough water changes. The second two compounds in the nitrogen cycle are only reliably removed by plants or by water changes. Although you may have a good biological filter at this point, you need to remove and replace water to ensure nitrates don't begin to change your water chemistry too drastically.
pH fluctuations are generally attributed to the nitrogen cycle and can usually be patched by water changes. It is important to note that water changes do not solve problems, they only temporarily fix them. Further investigation needs to be done to figure out what is causing the problem. Many times keepers insist pH is thought to be a filtration issue, only to find out a particular rock is decreasing pH in your system. Do your research and check your water quality tests to confirm problems.
Those little bottles of nothing....
Sorry Petsmart, your water conditioning section is bogus. Do not buy any of the junk found at these stores; they are a waste of money. Aging your water following the guidelines above is all you need to have safe amphibian (and aquarium for that matter) water. The only valid products you may find in these sections are for marine tanks or possibly pH buffers, but even then, these chemicals mask the problem and do not solve it. "Tap water conditioner!", "Waste control!", "Water clarifier!", "Water dechlorinator with bio-extracts!" are all "Wastes of money!" Testing your water for free at these stores is a good idea if you do not wish to purchase any water testing supplies, but I wouldn't give them much more than your dirty water.
If you do want a quick water conditioner, I would suggest Sodium Thiosulfate. Most aquatic suppliers will carry a one pound bag for 5 bucks. One pound mixed into a gallon of water is concentrated enough to dechlorinate a full gallon of city water with one drop. You can go to a pet store and spend upwards of 10 bucks on a limited supply of dechlorinator, or 5 bucks for more dechlorinator then you will ever use, the choice is yours...
If you follow these tips, your amphibians will have a wonderful water source and you will be a budding chemist at the same time. Amphibian water quality is the keystone to thriving amphibian collections and now you know the secrets that most zoos and popular breeders have been practicing for years. If you read this long drawn out post, you are on the right track to taking care of amphibians. They are very simple once you have the knowledge; it just takes a little time and effort!
