Water Conditioner

[GRJ]

Hi, i am cycling my 108ltr tank with 5 platys and doing 20% water changes daily to dilute the ammonia ect.I was just wondering about water conditioner. I fill my buckets with tap water and add the appropriate amount of Stress Coat to the buckets to dechlorinate the new water, then leave it overnight to get to room temperature before taking out the old water and putting the new in the tank. This way find that the temperature in the tank only goes down by 1 degree celcius, 25C down to 24C and then within an hour its back up to 25C. The question is though about wether i am doing the right thing by adding Stress Coat to the bucketed water and not directly to the tank. GRJ

 

[doresy]

What you are doing is perfect.

Some people put the conditioner right in the tank then add the new water.

The dechlorination process is instant so it doesn't matter too much either way.

 

[Genie]

another way of getting the bucket water to a decent temp is using a kettle. 1 boiled kettle per bucket (say 14 litres, or 3 gal).

the way i used to be told was to leave normal tap water standing in a bucket for a while. And the chemicals kind of leave, not evaporate, but escape. Id rather use water conditioner. ATM im using aquarum treatment 1: fresh start tap water conditioner. Adding to the bucket.

I had also wondered if it made a difference adding to the tank or the bucket

 

[GRJ]

thanks, at least i am doing something right!!! the fish seem to like the flow of the water when i siphon it in. I just want to make sure i am doing things right and that the ammonia ect levels are low while cycling. Seems to working so far, 20% everyday. I test the water before oing the change but wondered if i should be testing it again a while after the change or if i should just test it before the change daily? Thanks.GRJ

 

[Genie]

i test mine before the change, and then give it a couple of hours before testing again, to let the water mix lol

my ammonia levels are still sky high, with no nitrate and no nitrite. Im at wits end doing water changes!! but means i dont have to go to bodypump lol. (2 flights of stairs x however many 14l buckets i carry up and down )

 

[GRJ]

I am lucky, i have an outside tap just around the corner and live in a bungalow so when i do a 20% water change, its just 2 buckets for me, but it does get rid of fat arms when i have t siphon the water back into the tank as to get a good flow i have to hold thw bucket up as high as i can. Its just as effective as weight training! GRJ

 

[vic]

I ahve a question. Does "stress coat" nutrilize chlorine AND chloramine? It is my understanding that it is not!
Vic

 

[ArauraDiscus]

I add the water from the tap and then dechlorinate. The fish love the change in temperature and in many it induces spawning as it mimics a cool midnight rainfall in spring. THe chlorine wont hurt the fish if they are in contact with it for 5 or so minutes while you are adding water, but dont forget to add the conditioner when your done.

And almost every single water conditioner removes chlorines and chlorimines. It says chlorine on the front of the bottle though because most people have never heard of chlorimines.

 

[MstrLinks]

I add the water from the tap and then dechlorinate. The fish love the change in temperature and in many it induces spawning as it mimics a cool midnight rainfall in spring. THe chlorine wont hurt the fish if they are in contact with it for 5 or so minutes while you are adding water, but dont forget to add the conditioner when your done.

And almost every single water conditioner removes chlorines and chlorimines. It says chlorine on the front of the bottle though because most people have never heard of chlorimines.

The change in temperature doesn't freak them out?

How long does it take for the temp to get back to normal once you plug the heater back in?

 

[ArauraDiscus]

Some fish it may freak them out, but the majority will find a sudden (small less than 4 degree change in 5 mins) change in temperature refreshing, especially the 80 F or more fish as this triggers rainfalls in their natural habitats. And it normally returns to normal in about 1 hour with the heater on.

 

[rdd1952]

I ahve a question. Does "stress coat" nutrilize chlorine AND chloramine? It is my understanding that it is not!
Vic

Stress Coat removes chlorine and neutralizes chloramine which is fine. It's the only dechlorinato I've ever used.

As to the orginal post, what you are doing is fine. It's not really necessary though. I simply mix warm water from the tap to get the water to almost the exact same temperature as the tank water. As long as you let the hot water run for 30 seconds to a minute before you start filling your buckets, you will run out any impurities in the line.

 

[MstrLinks]

As to the orginal post, what you are doing is fine. It's not really necessary though. I simply mix warm water from the tap to get the water to almost the exact same temperature as the tank water. As long as you let the hot water run for 30 seconds to a minute before you start filling your buckets, you will run out any impurities in the line.

So does it matter if you pour the water in the tank than use the conditioner or add the conditioner to the water before pouring it into the tank?

 

[Tolak]

As to the orginal post, what you are doing is fine. It's not really necessary though. I simply mix warm water from the tap to get the water to almost the exact same temperature as the tank water. As long as you let the hot water run for 30 seconds to a minute before you start filling your buckets, you will run out any impurities in the line.

So does it matter if you pour the water in the tank than use the conditioner or add the conditioner to the water before pouring it into the tank?

I haven't found a difference either way. I've added it before filling, during, and after. Quite some time ago I did 50% water changes on identical 20 gallon tanks with angel fry, one got dechlor as it was filling with a hose, the other didn't get any. I waited for 2 hours to see a difference, and didn't notice any. At this point I had other things to do, added dechlor to the second tank and never had any problems with either tank.

 

[GRJ]

As i use on outside tap to fill my buckets, i let it run for a while so that any impurities are flushed out of the hose and dont end up in my bucket. Stress Coat does remove both chloride and chloramine, it says so on the back of the bottle. I must admit, i have found this product easy to use being a newbie and the daily water changes arent taking half as long as i expected them too. Half hour and i have changed the water and vacced the gravel. The fish also love the flow of cooler water, my temp only drops by one degree and is back up to 25C within the hour. GRJ