Water Changes Too Much?

Ficious

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ive got a nice community tank and am wondering...when i do my water changes i plan on filling up 10 quarts of water (average bucket) and letting it sit overnight +half a day till i use it. is 1.5 days enough? i fill it before i go to bed and use it when i get off work the next day. is that enough time for the chlorine to evaporate? i would like to fill and refill 4 times a week so thad be about a 33% water change every week. the reason i wana stick to my water changes is because i have a heavily stocked 40 gal and dont have the money for the dual bio-wheel and underground that i want! will i be ok?
 
If you use a dechlorinating agent/ water conditioner that removes chlorine, then the chlorine should have come out within a few minutes of the conditioner being added to the water. However, it can take some time for the dechlorinator to come in contact with all the chlorine molecules in the water so if the water is aerated or circulated with the dechlorinator in it, then it will be more effective and the water should be safe to use within 30 minutes.
If the water is just tap water that has been left to stand without dechlorinator, then 24 hours is the minimum time you want to allow the chlorine to come out. Therefore 1.5 days should be adequate in either respect.

If you need to do lots of water changes you would be better off getting a bigger bucket (say a 45litre plastic rubbish bin from the hardware) and filling that with water. Add your conditioner and an airstone and allow it to bubble away. Then you can use it when you need it. After you use some water top it up and leave it to bubble away for another day before use.
When I had my fishroom I simply had holding tanks for water. They were bare tanks that sat on the top shelf of each stand and I would fill them with water and leave the to aerate for a few days. Then I drained out the dirty tank water and refilled the tanks with the aged/ dechlorinated water from the holding tanks.
A friend used a 200litre plastic water container for the same thing. He used a small water pump to circulate the water and to pump it up to his tanks during the water changes.
 
actually, i've read that the effect of dechlorinator is almost instant. so just add the right amount of dechlorinator, wait for the white stuff on the water surface to fizz out, and pour the water into the tank.
 
i have heard of many people adding conditioner and water at the same time with no ill effects, but the if your going to go the untreated way then yes 1.5 days is long enough and i agree a bigger bucket so you can do them less frequently would be helpful.
 
If you only have chlorine in your water, you dont really need water conditioner if you let it sit a day. If you are worried, just get an airstone and the chlorine should be out within a few hours. I am pretty sure its less time than that because the water is trying to reach equilibrium with the air. There is pretty much no chlorine in the air, so it should be expelled out of the water pretty damn fast. Just waiting for bignose to correct me if im wrong :rolleyes:

Make sure your water does not have any chloramine in it though because that stuff doesnt evaporate. You gotta use water conditioner for this stuff. :good:
 

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