Does Dechlor Ever Expire?

[DiscusKeeper403]

Title says it all. I went to the store and picked up some cheap stuff today. The bottle was a little dusty and I just want to make sure. I don't really think it does, but I thought I'd double check. Better safe then sorry.

Thanks,

DL

 

[saltynay]

It has a shelf life of 5 years usually, I am not sure whether it actually expires totally though.

 

[nickelplates]

It has a shelf life of 5 years usually, I am not sure whether it actually expires totally though.

The active ingredient is a simple stable chemical, I should think it would still work just as well in ten years, or a hundred.

 

[Duck and Dive]

I change mine every 1-3 years. My plecs won't let me replace their cave though lol.

 

[Bignose]

It has a shelf life of 5 years usually, I am not sure whether it actually expires totally though.

The active ingredient is a simple stable chemical, I should think it would still work just as well in ten years, or a hundred.

I agree with this. Typical rules apply in that keep it out of sunlight, keep it in a palce that won't get too hot, and it should last almost forever.

Saltynay, do you have any links that backs up your claim of 5 years, or is that just your opinion?

 

[Tolak]

I've got a bottle of API Stress Coat that I won in a raffle. It does have an expiration date, 12 2010. I have no clue how old it is, but I do have a lot number on it, 0501205.

If this actually means it is no good after that date, or is a way of getting people to buy new supplies after the due date I don't know. I'll have to wait a couple of years to find out, if I remember I have this stuff, as I never use it.

 

[saltynay]

Saltynay, do you have any links that backs up your claim of 5 years, or is that just your opinion?

Every bottle I have ever owned I always check the manufacture date and the expiry date because I am anal about such things and the majority I have used have a 5 years after production expiry date although 3 years has also been quite common. I would imagine the reaction of the removal of the chlorine would be through a chemical with excess or easily attainable electrons which in turn is quite likely to react with the air thus reducing its ability to be effective. An effective compound for this would be sodium thiosulfate

 

[three-fingers]

I've got a bottle of API Stress Coat that I won in a raffle. It does have an expiration date, 12 2010. I have no clue how old it is, but I do have a lot number on it, 0501205.

If this actually means it is no good after that date, or is a way of getting people to buy new supplies after the due date I don't know. I'll have to wait a couple of years to find out, if I remember I have this stuff, as I never use it.

I'd personally just assume that it will be fine past 2010, as I think your right about the companies putting an expiry date so people/suppliers have to buy more to replace out-of-date bottles.

However, with things like Stress Coat (and many other products by other brands), they have other things added in the bottle , like unspecified Aloe vera extracts, so that could cloud that assumption alot...

Either way, I wouldn't bother checking the date, as I mainly use dechlorinate just to make myself feel good anyway, I can and have gotten away without it in the past (hanks to threads like this that you have posted in), it just makes sense to use it since it's cheap and I'm kind to my fish.

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

The bottle I got has no expiry date, I was checking at the store. I highly doubt that it is anywhere near 5 years old (hopefully not )

 

[Gouken]

I've got a bottle of API Stress Coat that I won in a raffle. It does have an expiration date, 12 2010. I have no clue how old it is, but I do have a lot number on it, 0501205.

That lot number looks like a julian date made Feb 19th 2001 on 2nd shift line 05. So i would say that its good for awhile.

 

[Bignose]

Saltynay, do you have any links that backs up your claim of 5 years, or is that just your opinion?

Every bottle I have ever owned I always check the manufacture date and the expiry date because I am anal about such things and the majority I have used have a 5 years after production expiry date although 3 years has also been quite common. I would imagine the reaction of the removal of the chlorine would be through a chemical with excess or easily attainable electrons which in turn is quite likely to react with the air thus reducing its ability to be effective. An effective compound for this would be sodium thiosulfate

See this article:

STABILITY OF WEAK SODIUM THIOSULFATE SOLUTIONS
Author(s): DURHAM BW
Source: ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY Volume: 46 Issue: 14 Pages: 2245-2245 Published: 1974

Sodium thiosulfate solutions don't break down over time. This author prepared and then stored several solution of sodium thiolsulfate for many years (10+) and then came back and came back and tested the reactivity of the solution. The solution lost less than 0.1% of its reactivity over that time -- probably well within the experimental error of the equipment.

The author does make mention of ensuring that the water used to prepare the solutions should be as sterile as possible and that you should add a little sodium carbonate to the solution, both precautions to inhibit bacterial growth that can consume sodium thiosulfate. However, I'd have to think that the dechlorinator manufacturers would know about such precautions today and would be adding these as well.

another older article:
The stability of sodium thiosulfate solutions
Author(s): Kilpatrick M, Kilpatrick ML
Source: JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY Volume: 45 Pages: 2132-2135 Published: JUL-DEC 1923

These authors bubbles CO2 and O2 through the solutions for days and then tested their reactivity after; again, almost no significant change in reactivity. They also confirmed that the solutions they did prepare that lost reactivity were due to "high bacterial count". That is, the solution wasn't sterile, and they were culturing bacteria that were consuming the thiosulfates.

I guess that if you left the bottle open and allowed a significant amount of fresh air to get in there, you could get some of the thiosulfate consuming bacteria in the bottle and the dechlorinator would lose its effectiveness. But, I suspect that most people use it fast enough and close the bottle when done that this risk is pretty minimal, really.

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

Great article. Cleared up my question and I am feeling fine using the dechlor.

Thank you,

Connor

 

[saltynay]

I actually said sodium thiosulphate as it is a compound which is fairly un reactive with air, so would be a good choice I have no idea whether it would have side effects for the fish or be the one they actually use.

 

[Bignose]

I actually said sodium thiosulphate as it is a compound which is fairly un reactive with air, so would be a good choice I have no idea whether it would have side effects for the fish or be the one they actually use.

Your previous post wasn't clear to me. I took it that you were saying that sodium thiosulfate wasn't going to be stable in air. And soidum thiosulfate, whether directly or in some complex, is the primary ingredient in most water conditioners that deal with chlorine and chloramine.