Cleaning out first time

[Reiss]

So i had my minnows in my tank for about just over a week now, I got them last saturday it is now thursday 12 days later.
I left it this long since its new and I didnt think the algea will have grown but now I am considering changing the water.
I don't really want to put dechlorinator in cause I am not too sure where to get it from
But would boiling water and letting it cool dechlorinate it ?

 

[Colin_T]

It depends on if you have chlorine or chloramine in your water supply. Boiling water and letting it cool down will get rid of chlorine but will not remove chloramine.

To get rid of chloramine you need a dechlorinator, which is available from any pet shop.

If you contact your water supply company (by website or telephone), they can tell you if there is chlorine or chloramine in the water. They can also tell you the GH (general hardness) and pH, which is worth knowing but not essential.

Find out what you have in the water before doing a water change. When you know if there is chlorine or chloramine in the water, then go to the local pet shop and get a dechlorinator for that.

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When you do a water change, get a clean bucket that has never had any chemicals or cleaning products in. Fill it with tap water and add dechlorinator if you are going to. Aerate the water for 30 minutes or so.

Get another bucket and a basic model gravel cleaner like the one in the following link. Use the gravel cleaner (available from any pet shop) to suck the gunk out of the gravel while it drains some of the tank water out. Remove about 50-75% of the tank water and then carefully add the new dechlorinated water that is in the other bucket.
https://www.about-goldfish.com/aquarium-cleaning.html

Do a water change and gravel clean once a week.