Most municipal water companies sterilize their water with chlorine or chloramine, a combination of chlorine and ammonia, for safe human consumption. While relatively harmless to humans in minute amounts, chlorine can be deadly to fish.
The amount of chlorine in
tap water may fluctuate, but it is usually between 0.5 and 2.0 parts per million (ppm). Chlorine in water reacts with living tissues and organic matter causing cell death (acute necrosis) in fish. Since fish gills are sensitive and exposed directly to the aquatic environment, the death of cells in the gills — the fish’s breathing apparatus — can lead to respiratory difficulty and asphyxiation.
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