Methods for dealing with Chlorine

[Fishworks]

Hey All,

I'd like to discuss safe methods for dealing with Chlorine.

I believe the safest method is to use a dechlorinator on a reserve water tank and aerating the container for 24 hours. We can siphon old water and muck from the aquarium, then add the resulting treated water in any amount of change water for your aquarium. The downside of this method is the cost of the reserve water tank. The upside here is safety.

The next method is dosing dechlorinator for the full aquarium volume. Basically, we are overdosing the dechlorinator to speed up its action against the chlorine, since our fishes will be exposed to chlorine for 2 minutes. What happens here is we siphon old water and muck from the aquarium (for example 25%), then add dechlorinator for the full tank volume, then add the desired amount of change water. Other people dose the dechlorinator at double or triple the change water rather than the full aquarium volume, I really don't know if its more effective. The downside to this method is that our fishes are exposed to chlorine for 2 minutes at water change. The upside is not having to buy a reserve water tank.

At the moment, I am deciding whether or not I should invest in a reserve water tank. If dechlorinator neutralizes chlorine in 2 minutes, would the risk of exposure to our dear fishes be monumental or insignificant?

[Willie]

Whether you need to aerate your tap water is primarily a function of incoming temperature.

Here in Minneapolis, tap water comes into my home at ~35F in the winter. As it warms, dissolved gases are released - but not nearly enough. A 100% water change using water from my water heater will kill most of my fish and shock the rest. (I've lost very nice fish doing this.) So my tap water goes into a holding tank, aerates for 24 hours, then go into the fish tank. I doubt it needs 24 hours to aerate, but that's my water change cycle. In the summer, warm water can go directly into my fish tank without producing "bends". I've made 100% water changes this way with no problems.

Aeration will also reduce pH. My tap water comes into the aeration tanks at pH 8.8 and settles to pH 7.7 after 24 hours. I don't have enough data to suggest that the pH change causes a problem. It might, but I've never seen it. Nevertheless, since I have storage tanks set up, all my water goes through 24 hours of aeration.

Also, I do not add dechlor to the holding tanks. If you do, you'll get slime buildup on the sides. My current holding tanks do not have any slime buildup after 5 years of use. Dechlor is added as I fill the tanks. If you look up the active ingredients of the various concoctions in the Merck Index, you'll see that 10X the recommended concentration will not affect fish. I use 1X - 1.5X because daily 100% water changes makes it one of my major costs.

Hope that helps, Willie

[LizStreithorst]

I disagree Willie. I live down south and I have a .4 pH swing. Ground water is full of C02 while surface water is often over oxygenated.

[Willie]

I disagree Willie. I live down south and I have a .4 pH swing. Ground water is full of C02 while surface water is often over oxygenated.

I don't know that we agree or disagree. My point is that I'm not sure a pH swing due to dissolved gases effects discus. If I add tap water, the discus is experiencing pH 8.8. If I add conditioned water, the discus experiences pH 7.7. They don't behave any differently (in the summer) either way.

[LizStreithorst]

I see. With mine I discovered after a period of a few months that my first ones from Joe did start acting off until I started aging. I didn't know what else could be causing it but when I started aging the fish went back to normal.

[seanyuki]

For me… When adding water to the tank before treating and best to treat the entire volume of the tank. Ensuring there is enough dechlor available to remove any chlorine or chloramine without being effected by any ammonia,nitrite or nitrate currently in the water.

[matt parsons]

In my opinion aging your water is better than chemicals in every way.
That being said, it is not possible for me to age enough water for the amount of water changes that I do daily so I use Safe instead. Like Willie, I have major micro bubble issues in the winter time. To help this issue I add a small amount of salt to my water changes to help my biggest problem, the loss of slime coat. I have so many bubbles that it pulls the slime coat right off the fish. I have never noticed bends like problem with the fish but I do worry about the loss of slime coat.
If I had more room for storage water, I would age all of my water. Now I have barely enough room for my pairs and that’s it.
We all have different source water so we all do different things to get the best water we can for our fish. My advise is see what works best by trying both methods.
But again, if I had the choice aging my water would be my preferred method.
Chemicals are like medicine in my opinion, use as a last resort.
And as for the little time the chlorine is in the tank before the dechlor does it’s job should have no noticeable effects unless your chlorine levels are extremely high. And if that is the case, aging your water is the best choice.
Respectfully, Matt

[Fishworks]

In my opinion aging your water is better than chemicals in every way.
That being said, it is not possible for me to age enough water for the amount of water changes that I do daily so I use Safe instead. Like Willie, I have major micro bubble issues in the winter time. To help this issue I add a small amount of salt to my water changes to help my biggest problem, the loss of slime coat. I have so many bubbles that it pulls the slime coat right off the fish. I have never noticed bends like problem with the fish but I do worry about the loss of slime coat.
If I had more room for storage water, I would age all of my water. Now I have barely enough room for my pairs and that’s it.
We all have different source water so we all do different things to get the best water we can for our fish. My advise is see what works best by trying both methods.
But again, if I had the choice aging my water would be my preferred method.
Chemicals are like medicine in my opinion, use as a last resort.
And as for the little time the chlorine is in the tank before the dechlor does it’s job should have no noticeable effects unless your chlorine levels are extremely high. And if that is the case, aging your water is the best choice.
Respectfully, Matt

Matt,

I live in a tropical country, so I suppose I should not worry about the micro bubble issue right?
What is this "bends" thing you speak of?

I dont think I have extreme chlorine levels as I have been following standard dechlorinator dosing before change water for the past 2 years with no ill effect on my fishes.
What I do is, siphon out 25% of old water and muck, dose dechlorinator for 25% change water, then add tap water into tank, my tetras and rainbowfishes been okay.
Using dechlorinator rather than aging seems secure enough, its also more practical for people like us who have many aquariums to water change.

I just had a thought to still invest in a small reserve water tank for high value fishes like discus, stingrays, tropheus cichlids.
Thanks,

-Harry

[BrendanJ23]

My tap has nitrites in it constantly, that aging will not resolve. I just use straight tap and increase the dose to lock up the nitrite. As others have said, if you use safe which is cheaper than prime, just add a little bit of salt to help with slime cost loss . If you use prime, you won’t have this problem.

[matt parsons]

Hey Harry
The bends refers to scuba divers getting nitrogen bubbles built up in their blood stream when breathing compressed air and from coming up to the surface to fast (I believe but do not quote me here, I’m not doctor. Lol)
It is believed that compressed gasses in cold water off gas when added to aquariums. This can have adverse health conditions in the fish. Many believe this can and does kill fish, and humans.
I’ve never lost fish from this but I can tell it stresses the fish and it does pull the slime coat off of them. The bubbles cover the glass, filters and fish.
I’ll try to add a picture
Take care, Matt

[matt parsons]

1EC8AF77-95DC-4B50-96FF-C10E591C9945.jpg

[Fishworks]

Hey Harry
The bends refers to scuba divers getting nitrogen bubbles built up in their blood stream when breathing compressed air and from coming up to the surface to fast (I believe but do not quote me here, I’m not doctor. Lol)
It is believed that compressed gasses in cold water off gas when added to aquariums. This can have adverse health conditions in the fish. Many believe this can and does kill fish, and humans.
I’ve never lost fish from this but I can tell it stresses the fish and it does pull the slime coat off of them. The bubbles cover the glass, filters and fish.
I’ll try to add a picture
Take care, Matt

The coldest my aquarium water has ever been is 24C during the rainy season. Out of the tap its probably going to be about 27C year round.
Sometimes, I have noticed a tiny white mist from my tap for 2 seconds. Yours however looks quite dramatic.
My fishes are lucky

[Fishworks]

Whether you need to aerate your tap water is primarily a function of incoming temperature.

Here in Minneapolis, tap water comes into my home at ~35F in the winter. As it warms, dissolved gases are released - but not nearly enough. A 100% water change using water from my water heater will kill most of my fish and shock the rest. (I've lost very nice fish doing this.) So my tap water goes into a holding tank, aerates for 24 hours, then go into the fish tank. I doubt it needs 24 hours to aerate, but that's my water change cycle. In the summer, warm water can go directly into my fish tank without producing "bends". I've made 100% water changes this way with no problems.

Aeration will also reduce pH. My tap water comes into the aeration tanks at pH 8.8 and settles to pH 7.7 after 24 hours. I don't have enough data to suggest that the pH change causes a problem. It might, but I've never seen it. Nevertheless, since I have storage tanks set up, all my water goes through 24 hours of aeration.

Also, I do not add dechlor to the holding tanks. If you do, you'll get slime buildup on the sides. My current holding tanks do not have any slime buildup after 5 years of use. Dechlor is added as I fill the tanks. If you look up the active ingredients of the various concoctions in the Merck Index, you'll see that 10X the recommended concentration will not affect fish. I use 1X - 1.5X because daily 100% water changes makes it one of my major costs.

Hope that helps, Willie

Willie,

Whats wrong with slime in a holding tank? is it toxic?

-Harry

[nah]

Willie,

Whats wrong with slime in a holding tank? is it toxic?

-Harry

I wondered the same. My water change is to siphon the water into a bucket. Toss the water. Fill the bucket with tap water. Add Prime. Pour the water into tank. This has been my water change process for three years.

[Willie]

Willie,

Whats wrong with slime in a holding tank? is it toxic?

-Harry

Slime is not toxic at all. If there's no slime, there's never a need to clean out the holding tanks.

In my fish room, the discus and angelfish tanks are all double stacked. I only keep fish in the top tier. The bottom tier tanks are for water conditioning, so there's enough for 100% changes.