Is fishtank water conditioner water safe for ducks?

[Sumerr]

Hello all I'm wanting to add some minnows to my little duck pool, but because it's just hose water, the fish don't make it very long and I'm wondering if I can add some of the fish tank water conditioner stuff so that the fish will last longer and my ducks will have live food as intended.

Backstory: My 2 preteen ducklings are TERRIFIED of this blue kiddie pool, so I'm trying everything to make it more enticing. They loved the fish the last time and almost got in, but the fish stopped moving so the fun was lost

TIA

Edit to add: Longtime chicken mama, brand new to ducklings ♥

 

[Tretinker]

I'm afraid I don't know about the fish safe stuff but have you tried throwing some of their feed in? We did this with ours and they went wild!

 

[KaleIAm]

I'm also not sure about the water conditioner, but my ducks love mealworms in water. You could try that.

Also you might try a puddle, just spray some water on the ground. Then a large tip proof dog bowl, or a lasagna dish. Then maybe a cement mixing container, or a baby bath. Then a small kid pool. Then a bigger one. Sometimes ducks need baby steps.

 

[Sumerr]

I'm afraid I don't know about the fish safe stuff but have you tried throwing some of their feed in? We did this with ours and they went wild!

Funny update: I picked up four new baby ducklings today and as soon as I got in, the babies did too! Hilariously, my most vocal preteen duck yelled at everyone and drove right in so I think I solved the problem lol

 

[KaleIAm]

Funny update: I picked up four new baby ducklings today and as soon as I got in, the babies did too! Hilariously, my most vocal preteen duck yelled at everyone and drove right in so I think I solved the problem lol

Haha! And sometimes they need a role model.

 

[Tretinker]

Funny update: I picked up four new baby ducklings today and as soon as I got in, the babies did too! Hilariously, my most vocal preteen duck yelled at everyone and drove right in so I think I solved the problem lol

That's brilliant!

 

[Dandichook]

Sounds like you solved it, but!

I would think it would be fine to let the ducks into water with water conditioner in it. Most fish tank water conditioners act by binding with chlorine and chloramine in the water, so theoretically should be pretty much inert by the time it's fully mixed. That said, I personally wouldn't (and don't) drink out of my fish tank...although that's more because I see what those fish DO in the water...but my dog has, on several occasions, and she seems fine!

Do the ducklings eat the fish? For some reason I didn't think ducks ate fish!

 

[ruthhope]

Hello all I'm wanting to add some minnows to my little duck pool, but because it's just hose water, the fish don't make it very long and I'm wondering if I can add some of the fish tank water conditioner stuff so that the fish will last longer and my ducks will have live food as intended.

Backstory: My 2 preteen ducklings are TERRIFIED of this blue kiddie pool, so I'm trying everything to make it more enticing. They loved the fish the last time and almost got in, but the fish stopped moving so the fun was lost

TIA

Edit to add: Longtime chicken mama, brand new to ducklings ♥

For future reference as the problem is resoved, If you fill the kiddie pool with chlorinated water and leave it for a couple of days, all the chlorine will have evaporated. We kept fish for decades [until we found out that ducks were far more interesting] and didn't use water conditioner. I just drew a couple of buckets of water and left them open for the chlorine to evaporate, before using the water in the tank.

 

[Sumerr]

Sounds like you solved it, but!

I would think it would be fine to let the ducks into water with water conditioner in it. Most fish tank water conditioners act by binding with chlorine and chloramine in the water, so theoretically should be pretty much inert by the time it's fully mixed. That said, I personally wouldn't (and don't) drink out of my fish tank...although that's more because I see what those fish DO in the water...but my dog has, on several occasions, and she seems fine!

Do the ducklings eat the fish? For some reason I didn't think ducks ate fish!

Thank you! And yes they do!! It was super fun watching them dive bomb those fishies lol