Best Dechlorinator/conditioner

[rebrn]

Hello,

I have used up the sample of dechlorniator that came with my aquarium kit, it was Tetra Aqua Safe. I am down to my last dose and will need to buy some more, however, before I do I was wondering if anyone could tell me if Tetra Aqua Safe is a good brand or is there a better one out there? My tap water is treated only with chlorine ONLY NO Chloramine (verifed by the city) and when testing directly from the tap it tests at 0ppm for chlorine, but I still use the dechlorinator just incase, I also let my water sit for 24 hours after adding the dechlorinator (before adding to the tank). Thus far I have been fine with the Teta Aqua Safe but like I said I also let my water stand for a minimum of 24 hours after treatment before adding it tank. I also know that my tap water (per the city) may contain trace amount of copper and lead (depending on the age of the pipes in the house) which is the other reason I use the water conditioner, so I know I would definately need one that neutralizes heavy metals (aqua safe says it does).

Thanks

 

[craig855s]

1.There is positively NO NEED to let the water sit for 24 hours if u use dechlorinator,doing it is risking more harm than good to the fish (dust,bugs,aerosols that are around ur bucket for 24 hours)
2.How big is your tank,and therefore,how large are your waterchanges
3.Pond dechlor is good because 7.5ml will cover a 90% water change on my tank (with something like aqua+ it would need a lot lot more)
4.If your tank is only small,and your waterchanges only need a couple of gallons or so then i'd recomend aqua+ personally,i'd go back to it if i had a smaller tank
5.I use pond dechlor at the minute in my 63 gallons,it does the job fine,doesnt protect the fishes scales like aqua+ does but the fish do fine without it

 

[rebrn]

1.There is positively NO NEED to let the water sit for 24 hours if u use dechlorinator,doing it is risking more harm than good to the fish (dust,bugs,aerosols that are around ur bucket for 24 hours)
2.How big is your tank,and therefore,how large are your waterchanges
3.Pond dechlor is good because 7.5ml will cover a 90% water change on my tank (with something like aqua+ it would need a lot lot more)
4.If your tank is only small,and your waterchanges only need a couple of gallons or so then i'd recomend aqua+ personally,i'd go back to it if i had a smaller tank
5.I use pond dechlor at the minute in my 63 gallons,it does the job fine,doesnt protect the fishes scales like aqua+ does but the fish do fine without it

My current tank is only 5 gallons. The container I keep the water in is actually a water dispenser sealed from dust, bugs, aerosols etc. I am using the water dispenser right now only because I am in a fish-in cycle and am doing daily water changes. So it is easier for me to treat the 5 gallons of water in the dispenser rather then treating 1 or 2 gallons at a time, also by treating 5 gallons all at once my dosing is much more accurate. I realize that I don't have to let it stand for 24 hours since I am treating the water, but like I said it is just easier right now to always have "fish-tank ready" water at hand untill I get through the cycling period. Aqua+, who makes that?

 

[Inchworm]

Hi rebrn

I've been using API Tap Water Conditioner for several years and am quite happy with it. It only tanks a drop per gallon so it's very inexpensive. It treats the water for chlorine, chloramine and heavy metals. It's a basic water conditioner that doesn't contain aloe or any other unnecessary ingredients.

 

[hobbsthepuffer]

I really like Prime brand dechlorinator, I can use it in my nursery tank and my big tank.

 

[drobbyb]

I really like Prime brand dechlorinator, I can use it in my nursery tank and my big tank.

I use prime, and have used it for years with great success. That being said, most of the available dechlorinators will do the job, so it's up to personal preference and cost effectiveness.

 

[loraxchick]

buy any brand of POND dechlor. so concentrated that it only takes around a ml per gal (that is only 5 drops!!!). its all i ever use on multiple small tanks and a turtle tank, and the bottle lasts me for a few months (i have to do lots of water changes on the turtle tank. but per volume is the best value for your money. and works like any other dechlor...just concentrated.
cheers

 

[RookieAqua]

well lots to ponder, obviously no one clear winner . I also had one other quick question. I have been pretreating the water...so basically if I remove 1 gallon of water from my tank, then I replace with one gallon of treated water. Is this correct, or should I be treated for the total tank volume? I thought if you treated the water before you added it to your tank you only needed to treat that amount of water. Just wanted to double check.

 

[loraxchick]

whatever you remove, that's what you treat for (assuming its the same volume you are replacing)
so, on a 50% waterchange in a 5 gal., youd replace about 2.5 gals of water. so thats all you treat for
im tellin ya. get some pond dechlor. a 30% change/week and that bottle will last forever !!!
cheers

 

[rebrn]

Thanks guys. It looks like it is all down to budget and personal preference. I will have to take a look at my local LFS and see what is readily available, I know that the Tetra Aqua Safe can be found at just about any store around here, so maybe I will just stick with that. Will have to scope out the stores.

Thanks again for all your input.

 

[shane87]

i always use jbl products .... jbl biotopol is the conditioner i use

 

[K-Holed]

I used Aquasafe with no problems wha so ever. Tetra tend to make relativly good products. For the amount of DC you'll need to use, and decent brad isn't going to break the bank.

 

[waterdrop]

I use Seachem Prime based on plenty of recommendations and reading here on TFF. I like to recommend this for beginners to use for about the first year because, in addition to it being very concentrated and thus a good value, we seem to get good feedback for it having more control in the more difficult situations such as ammonia control via conversion to ammonium and heavy metal control. I recommend that it be used at 1.5x or 2x the instructed dosage but not more than 2x during cycling. I think this overdosing is a good idea for the first year of a tank but can then be scaled back, depending on one's feelings about the reliability of the water source (many water authorities unexpectedly oversose chlorine products when they "have a problem in the lines.") During this first year you can take notes at your leisure when visiting various LFSs and figure out which available brand of pond dechlor might save you money over what you're paying for Prime. If you find one that's less then that would be a good dechlor to switch to once the year is over and your bacterial colonies are less fragile. Water changes of 10% or less don't necessarily need dechlor. Value of the fish is also a factor. Many experienced aquarists with extremely expensive stock will slightly overdechlor as just another bit of insurance against their fish being hurt by one of those overchlorinations by the authorities.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[drobbyb]

Value of the fish is also a factor. Many experienced aquarists with extremely expensive stock will slightly overdechlor as just another bit of insurance against their fish being hurt by one of those overchlorinations by the authorities.

Couldn't have said it better myself. My breeder stock are worth alot to me in sentimental value (and worth a nice chunk of change). I would rather not take any chances. I'll spend a few dollars on what I know works, and in this case, also serves as a slight layer of protection in case an emergency arises.

(I really need a new keyboard, this having to go back and correct everything is for the birds)