What chemical to treat tap water?

[Rubberducky]

I plan on using water straight from the tap. I'm curious what you use to condition the water that you add to your tank? Do you fill the tank with tap water and then add conditioner, or do you slowly add conditioner while your filling the tank?

[Wes]

Add the amount of prime or safe in for the total tank volume, not just the amount of water you are replacing and then add the new water. Remember water temp of new water to be close to tank temp.:)

[Skip]

use to use PRIME. now SAFE..

[PleiadesSTi]

Prime. I treat the entire tank I use water slightly warmer than the tank water to simulate daily temp changes.

[Wes]

Just remember you will get a false positive when using prime on a ammonia test kit.

[ShinShin]

I use Prime, but don't know why. We do not have ammonia compounds in our water, and actually, very little chlorine. I ought to just buy sodium thiosulfate crystals and use that as it is so much cheaper.

Mat

[JenTN]

I have always used a product called Aqua Life Complete...for about 5 years now. Great results with it IMO. My lfs gives 20% discount on refills too :-) We also have very little chlorine and I think no ammonia out of tap, along with very soft water. Great for SA fish, not so great for washing towels!!!

[MSD]

I use Prime, but don't know why. We do not have ammonia compounds in our water, and actually, very little chlorine. I ought to just buy sodium thiosulfate crystals and use that as it is so much cheaper.

Mat

Is Safe just sodium thiosulfate?? The only company I saw selling that was Jungle Products and I don't know if they still do?

[ShinShin]

I do not know about Safe. There are usually a couple different people selling sodium thiosulfate on Aquabid.

Mat

[MSD]

Thanks, I'll check them out.

[ericatdallas]

Is Safe just sodium thiosulfate?? The only company I saw selling that was Jungle Products and I don't know if they still do?

No, Safe isn't sodium thiosulfate.

Sodium thiosulfate is definitely the way to go if you don't have chloramine in your water. I think a lot of people worry that the water utilities 'might' change to chloramine without notifying you, but even if this is the case, a properly cycled tank (and people debate this) should quickly neutralize the ammonia introduced. This is less of an issue with small PWC than it is for the 75-100% WC some members here use.

Just be careful ... you should have a rough idea of how much chlorine is in your water. IF you don't know or want to be safe, I would assume maximum EPA allowable limits of 4ppm (that's not to say the levels can't go that hight, they're just not supposed to).

[gerrard00]

I use Prime, but don't know why. We do not have ammonia compounds in our water, and actually, very little chlorine. I ought to just buy sodium thiosulfate crystals and use that as it is so much cheaper.

Mat

Safe is cheap enough for me. I'm just finishing the first container I ever bought after over a year of usage.

[Ardan]

Call your local water company and find out what they use. If just chlorine then you can get by with cheaper products meant for only chlorine. Do be prepared as water companies adjust the levels of chlorine higher when there are water main breaks or when they are working on the water storage tanks or towers.
I never go without using additives anymore, I used to offgas it in storage barrels until they unexpectedly increased the levels of chlorine and I lost my discus.

hth
Ardan

[Jhhnn]

Always check with your water provider to find out if they use chloramines. Always. Many providers have good websites, packed with info.

More and more providers switch to chloramines to better meet EPA guidelines, usually w/o any sort of fanfare or warning at all. Tap water treated with sodium thiosulfate is fine this week, but it'll kill your fish next week if they've switched. It is, therefore, very smart to use a product like Prime or Safe which neutralize chloramines.

It's also smart to age water before introducing it to aquariums so that the gas balance is correct. That's particularly true in the winter, when water is processed at low temps, pressurized & distributed. When heated & the pressure is released, dissolved gasses escape as microbubbles, a process that can occur on the wrong side of fish membranes... Aging & aerating water beforehand insures that won't happen. Having tap fill water splash vigorously into the aquarium helps, but isn't nearly as effective.

[4discus]

I plan on using water straight from the tap. I'm curious what you use to condition the water that you add to your tank? Do you fill the tank with tap water and then add conditioner, or do you slowly add conditioner while your filling the tank?


I called my de-chlorinator company when I switched and they suggested if you are filling directly to the tank-- you should dose 1/2 the total amount of product you plan to add when you start the fill. Then 1/2 way through the fill you add the rest. I was told to dose according to the instructions. I don't dose according to the instructions myself.

Hey maybe someone can clarify something about dechlorinators for me also....
If I have posted in the wrong place just disregard.

[Ardan]

I was informed (not by the water company) that Sodium thiosulfate will break the bond of chlorine and chloramine both. If there is chloramines in the water then Sodium thiosulfate in its process of breaking the bond of chloramines (not the cholrine) will leave an ammonia behind causing a small or big ammonia spikes pending the size of your water change. "Prime" like products will neutralize the ammonia making it an "easy" to use and a "all in one" product.

True

Ardan

[4discus]

Hey maybe someone can clarify something about dechlorinators for me also....
If I have posted in the wrong place just disregard.

I recently switched to a Sodium thiosulfate based product because I called the water company and they don't use chloramines. I like using the Sodium thiosulfate but does anyone know if this information is true or false....
I was informed (not by the water company) that Sodium thiosulfate will break the bond of chlorine and chloramine both. If there is chloramines in the water then Sodium thiosulfate in its process of breaking the bond of chloramines (not the cholrine) will leave an ammonia behind causing a small or big ammonia spikes pending the size of your water change. "Prime" like products will neutralize the ammonia making it an "easy" to use and a "all in one" product. In my situation I dont need the extra stuff and my water is more clear with the Sodium thiosulfate and my local pond guy will mix the same stuff for cheap when my product is all gone. As a back up to my water company suddenly changing to chloramines one of those in tank ammonia readers sounds like a good back up plan. For my situation I like using the Sodium thiosulfate so is this information True or false? Im not Hijacking this thread I just thought this question would help rubberducky and myself both. Didn't feel it worthy to start a new thread over. Thnx in advance.

[ericatdallas]

To my knowledge, what you were told is true... but let me state it as I understand it.

NaS04 will neutralize the chlorine and then leave ammonia behind. The spike depends on several factors from volume of WC, the chloramine content (ppm), the temperature and pH of the tank, and your bio-filtration.

If you have an uncycled tank, the chloramine is a 4ppm, and you have a high pH, there may be a concern depending on your volume change b/c obviously 1ppm ammonia from 1 gallon of water diluted in a 100G tank is negligible but 99% WC may be more of an issue. It's important to know that putting 5ppm ammonia in, doesn't mean that all of it will stay ammonia, some of it will be ammonium (which is where pH and temperature come into play). Also, with enough bio-filtration, your filters may be able to neutralize it fast enough.

hth

[4discus]

Thanx Ardan and Ericatdallas this does help.

One question Eric.
When you say "NaS04 will neutralize the chlorine and then leave ammonia behind." (I assume that NaS04 is Sodium thiosulfate) does this mean it leaves ammonia from chlorine and chloramine both? I think this is what your saying.... just making sure I got it.
This defiantly helps!

[Ardan]

does this mean it leaves ammonia from chlorine and chloramine both
only from chloramine

chloramine = chlorine + ammonia

hth
Ardan

[ericatdallas]

yup, sorry about that.. Ardan has it right, only applies to chloramine. NaS04 works completely for chlorine.. NaS04 is sodium thiosulfate.

[4discus]

Ok perfect... thanks to both of you.