Hmmm.........Should I Change Water This Way?
- Thread starter SilverDollar_03
- Start date
StingrayKid
Fish Addict
Right on. Well water is really good when you have fish tanks! B)diVer said:
SilverDollar_03
Fish Crazy
how long does it take for the aquarium pharmaseuticals "stress coat" to dechlorinate the water???
IBFrog
New Member
I prefer to be on the safe side. I have some gallon jugs I always keep on hand that I have dechlorinated, aged and then capped. I do not keep that water more than a week. Since I have several Betta aquariums, I do not do all water changes the same day. If I am going to need more than 5 gal, I have a plastic bucket I use just for clean water. I fill it and dechlorinate the night before so the water ages overnight. I can then warm some of that water to bring it all to the right temperature before adding. I keep another bucket to drain old water from the aquarium into. That way I can use that water to rinse filters etc in without destroying good bacteria. However I clean the dirty bucket between aquariums so if something is in one, I do not cross contaminate. If I am too cautious, too bad. So far my fish have been pretty healthy.
Aquascaper
Fish Aficionado
De-chlorinator will work as soon as it's added as long as you mix it well with the water (i use a chopstick 
)
)!guppy!
Fish Crazy
i got well outside with rain water... perfect!
Sorrell
If you're a bird, I'm a bird
I'm agreeing with the majority here. I add my chemicals to the bucket before I add the water, it mixes as the bucket fills and then I add it to the tank 
shmax101
Fish Fanatic
Argh! treatment this, treatment that, if changing less than 45-50% of the water, no dechlor is necessary, matter of fact, I change abou 1/3 of my tanks 40% daily(discus), and the other 2/3 40% every week(everything but discus), and I have saved a LOT of money by not even using dechlor. The ONLY water I dechlorinate is what goes into the tanks of newly hatched fry, just as a precaution, as they are more highly succeptible to chemicals and changes in water chemistry. I would LOVE to have the money that companies like hagen and tetra have raked in by selling stuff like STRESS COAT, that does nothing but neutralize chlorine/chloramine, and the stuff is so overused and wasted.. but I understand you people just love your pets, as do I, but so do the freaks who buy dogs sweaters and water purifiers....
konrad05
Fish Addict
Well said shmax. I add a few drops of my concentrated dechlor before I pour water in from my python. If it weren't for it, I'd go broke always buying those "capful per 5-10gallons" dechlorinators.
I'm reading this with my jaw on the floor!
Sorry all if this sounds like a rant as its not meant to be. I've been keeping fish for many many years now and I feel it my duty to help inform new fishkeepers about the hobby. After all fishkeeping requires more science and experiane than keeping just about any other pet. Find me another pet where the chemistry of its home is a primary factor.
Lets just take a step back and look at this for a sec.
1) As fish keepers I would hope you all consider the health and well being of your chosen pets very important. We are responsible for plucking these creatures from the wild....yardy yardy.....you've all heard it before.
2) Why do we use dechlorinator......well we use it because various chemicals in tapwater are harmfull to fish. Dechlorinator takes atleast a couple of minutes to do its thing, a fact that should be write on the back of the bottle.
Taking these two points into consideration, if you add the tapwater to the tank with your fish.....then add the dechlorinator afterwards then you are subjecting your aquatic friends to atleast 5 minutes of serious stress.
And before some bright spark says something about the dechlorinator being stress coat......not causing stress in the first place is obviously better than trying to treat it afterwards.
So please please get your selves a large 3 gallon or more brewers bucket.....you can get them from big boots stores in the UK or get your local wine store to order you one in. They don't cost alot and they have measures up the side so you can work out exactly how much chemical to add. put your tap water in here....get the temp up to room or above for tropical and then add the right ammount of dechlorinator. Give it a stir and go make ya self a cupper.
As for well water......generally it is all good stuff normally low in bad stuff and high in good stuff. However, it is worth while performing nitrate and phosphate tests as watter seaping through the groud can pick up fertalisers etc that may have been used on fields within many miles. If these test are clear then i am very jelious!!!
Chew
Sorry all if this sounds like a rant as its not meant to be. I've been keeping fish for many many years now and I feel it my duty to help inform new fishkeepers about the hobby. After all fishkeeping requires more science and experiane than keeping just about any other pet. Find me another pet where the chemistry of its home is a primary factor.
Lets just take a step back and look at this for a sec.
1) As fish keepers I would hope you all consider the health and well being of your chosen pets very important. We are responsible for plucking these creatures from the wild....yardy yardy.....you've all heard it before.
2) Why do we use dechlorinator......well we use it because various chemicals in tapwater are harmfull to fish. Dechlorinator takes atleast a couple of minutes to do its thing, a fact that should be write on the back of the bottle.
Taking these two points into consideration, if you add the tapwater to the tank with your fish.....then add the dechlorinator afterwards then you are subjecting your aquatic friends to atleast 5 minutes of serious stress.
And before some bright spark says something about the dechlorinator being stress coat......not causing stress in the first place is obviously better than trying to treat it afterwards.
So please please get your selves a large 3 gallon or more brewers bucket.....you can get them from big boots stores in the UK or get your local wine store to order you one in. They don't cost alot and they have measures up the side so you can work out exactly how much chemical to add. put your tap water in here....get the temp up to room or above for tropical and then add the right ammount of dechlorinator. Give it a stir and go make ya self a cupper.
As for well water......generally it is all good stuff normally low in bad stuff and high in good stuff. However, it is worth while performing nitrate and phosphate tests as watter seaping through the groud can pick up fertalisers etc that may have been used on fields within many miles. If these test are clear then i am very jelious!!!
Chew
shmax101
Fish Fanatic
Eve, I understand what you're saying, but you obviously aren't dealing with the number of tanks I am. Changing 8 tanks of discus every day can go through some dechlor pretty quick. My fish are not stressed due to chlorine in the water supply, in fact, they rush to the hose while the water is flowing in, and fight the current like little lovable idiots You all do what makes you feel comfortable, but for me, they can keep their dechlorinator.
You all do what makes you feel comfortable, but for me, they can keep their dechlorinator.Red
Fish Crazy
All very interesting opinions. I'd been wondering how long it too for the stuff to dechlorinate the water because you're right - no brand says it on the bottle.
I've been reading another thread about nitrates off the scale in an Essex tank during summer and the nitrates in my tap water are VERY high. Probably the chlorine is too.
Maybe I'll buy a Brita filter (and a bucket load of patience) like Narayan.
I've been reading another thread about nitrates off the scale in an Essex tank during summer and the nitrates in my tap water are VERY high. Probably the chlorine is too.
Maybe I'll buy a Brita filter (and a bucket load of patience) like Narayan.
Aussie_Star
Fishaholic
well i put 3/4 of warm water in a bucket,( i have a temperature guage on my tap...pretty cool) then add the water dechlorinator, then fill the bucket with cold water...
Then i put it straight into the filter (using another guage my dad installed for me)
then yet in run throught the filter then into the tank.... i normally do 15% water change every fortnight
Then i put it straight into the filter (using another guage my dad installed for me)
then yet in run throught the filter then into the tank.... i normally do 15% water change every fortnight
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