Water Conditioner

[Coomon10]

Among all the other costs, that of conditioning the water seems to be one that spirals the larger the tank you get and will never stop!

I seem to race through the conditioner with my frequent water changes, so working on a theory that not everyone out there is a millionaire and that many people dwarf my 240l tank how do you de-chlorinate the water for your tanks??? My big plan revolves around rainwater in the winter, but is there somewhere that sells vats of the conditioner (rather than the 500ml that i buy), what am i missing, do people use half the recommended dose etc...???!!!

TIA

 

[Irf]

Very good question, and one that I would like to see an answer to as well!

I buy my conditioner and other stuff online if I can - it's often up to 30% cheaper. It's still a significant cost though.....

Irf.

 

[EliteFishy]

You can just leave the water out for a day to let the chlorine evaporate. Thats what I do sometimes when I run out of water conditioners.

 

[Irf]

If leaving the chlorine to go away on its own, don't you need to agitate or aerate the water?

Also, what about things like "chloramine" and "heavy metals"?

Irf.

 

[moeldner]

Look into the dechlorinators for ponds - they are quite often in much bigger packs (and more economical on cost), or more concentrated so you don't need as much each time.

 

[yvez9]

I bought a half gallon of Aquaclear for 30$ last November.

I have 6 tanks: 90,50,30,20,10,4 gallon tanks

That half gallon cost 30$ and I probably have about half a litre left in there still. That's roughly 3-4$ a month of dechlorinator and I do 25% water changes on all tanks every week or every other week.

How much do you put in and how much do you pay for it?

 

[Tolak]

I buy a 2l jug of Prime a couple of times a year. Aerating water for a day or 2 will work with chlorine, but not chloramine or heavy metals. The cheapest way to dechlor, other than letting it sit out, is to buy sodium thiosulfate and mix your own. This will neuteralize chlorine, and break the ammonia/chlorine bond in chloramine.

Problem is, this leaves you with some ammonia, which isn't a big problem in a mature tank with good biofiltration. It does become a problem in newer tanks, with larger water changes, or with more sensitive fish. I use it in the summer months, when the concentration of chloramine is lower.

Any dechlor that says it removes chlorine & chloramine with no mention of ammonia is nothing but glorified sodium thiosulfate. Don't waste your money on these products.

 

[voo]

Very good question, and one that I would like to see an answer to as well!

I buy my conditioner and other stuff online if I can - it's often up to 30% cheaper. It's still a significant cost though.....

Irf.

What's the website that you buy from?

 

[Irf]

The last place I bought from was Emersons - they are around 25% of the cost for Tetra Aquasafe compared to my lfs.

Irf.

 

[Cheffi]

Pond dechlorinator is much cheaper ml for ml and does the same thing.

 

[Coomon10]

Pond dechlorinator is much cheaper ml for ml and does the same thing.

So do you use it? And if so where do you get it from?

 

[Bloo]

I bought a large (I think it's about a gallon) container of API stress coat many months ago - around £35 or something. I've been using it on three tanks (total 100 gallons) for many months on weekly 50% water changes - and it looks like I've hardly used any of it!

So buy in bulk and you will save.

 

[Coomon10]

I bought a large (I think it's about a gallon) container of API stress coat many months ago - around £35 or something. I've been using it on three tanks (total 100 gallons) for many months on weekly 50% water changes - and it looks like I've hardly used any of it!

So buy in bulk and you will save.

From lfs or online?

 

[Cheffi]

Pond dechlorinator is much cheaper ml for ml and does the same thing.

So do you use it? And if so where do you get it from?

I have used it yes and bought it from my a pond place. Tetra Aquasafe 500ml cost me around £10 you use 5ml for every 10L.

The pond stuff is Nishicare Pond Water dechlorinator 250ml cost me £2.99 (I think or thereabouts) 10ml treats 180L so you can see the difference and how much money you could save.

 

[Bloo]

I bought a large (I think it's about a gallon) container of API stress coat many months ago - around £35 or something. I've been using it on three tanks (total 100 gallons) for many months on weekly 50% water changes - and it looks like I've hardly used any of it!

So buy in bulk and you will save.

From lfs or online?

LFS had to order it in for me - they do not usually stock that size. Most people buy the smaller bottles. Three small bottles would have cost me just about the same this large container of the same product. Odd hey ?