water conditioner question

[CBC]

I'm getting a new betta this week. It's going to be my first from a breeder, and I was nervous about shipping very far, so I had him sent to my parents house, which is only a couple hours drive from where the breeder is shipping from. Unfortunately, shipping him to my parents means I won't be there to take care of him for another 3 weeks.

I tried to send a betta care package with melafix and slime coat and all my pH, etc. testing materials, but my mom said it was okay because someone at Petsmart said that all she would have to do was get this stuff called Hagen Betta Plus, and it would serve as a water conditioner, and as a medicine in case he got hurt during shipping.

Has anyone used this water conditioner, or know anything about it? Will it be okay if she uses this with him for the 3 weeks until I get home, or would it be better to try to send what I have? I'm thinking I'll wait and see what kind of condition he's in when he arrives, and then if he needs medicine I'll send it, but as far as water conditioners, I don't want her to put him in water that is not safe for him. Even though this stuff says it's made for bettas, I know some products listed this way aren't always best for bettas.

Also, is conditioned tap water better or worse for bettas than spring water? I've always heard spring water is the best, but recently I've been hearing from people who swear by tap water and say that spring water contains harmful amounts of certain minerals.

[Rachel]

That’s exciting that you’re getting a betta from a breeder. Does your mom have an appropriate tank, thermometer and heater to keep the new arrival comfortable?

I tried to send a betta care package with melafix and slime coat and all my pH, etc. testing materials, but my mom said it was okay because someone at Petsmart said that all she would have to do was get this stuff called Hagen Betta Plus, and it would serve as a water conditioner, and as a medicine in case he got hurt during shipping.

I tried looking around for a few minutes about this water conditioner, but I couldn’t find much, not even the ingredients listed on Hagen's website. So I don’t not much about the water conditioner, but testing the water as you suggested is always an important step. Unfortunately we can’t always trust pet store employees for the proper advice on fish care . Testing pH is especially important when getting a new fish to help determine how long the acclimatization period should last to get him used to his new water conditions. I’d make sure your mom has a thorough understanding that she shouldn’t just dump him into a tank of water as soon as he gets there, but over the course of hours she should slowly replace new water with what he came in.

Also, is conditioned tap water better or worse for bettas than spring water? I've always heard spring water is the best, but recently I've been hearing from people who swear by tap water and say that spring water contains harmful amounts of certain minerals.

Spring water is often suggested because it is free of chlorine/chloramine and generally free of impurities, although it varies depending on the source the water comes from. Conditioned tap water can be just as good for bettas as long as you properly treat it – remove chlorine/chloramine and adjust/stabilize pH as needed, etc. You can’t exactly make a comparison between the two without knowing the specific water parameters of both sources (KH, GH, pH, minerals). Even bottled spring water differs depending on the brand.

Let us know how things go with him. We'd love to see some pictures in the Gallery.