Help!

[FishGuest5123]

As I stated previously, I love my Python and could not clean all of my tanks without one. Try carrying buckets of water to 55G and above tanks. Especially when you have more than one. We all have our beliefs and do what we have found is successful in caring for our own fish. Go with your beliefs and experiences. I have never lost a fish using a Python so I believe they are safe to use. Someone else may have had a bad experience and I appreciate their choice not to use one. Aquarist around the world use them with success and praises for them. Has to say something positive for them.

 

[Lilyann]

Discussion can continue...but let's please keep things civil and respectful

Everything kosher. Didn't see an injury anywhere.

 

[Lilyann]

As I stated previously, I love my Python and could not clean all of my tanks without one. Try carrying buckets of water to 55G and above tanks. Especially when you have more than one. We all have our beliefs and do what we have found is successful in caring for our own fish. Go with your beliefs and experiences. I have never lost a fish using a Python so I believe they are safe to use. Someone else may have had a bad experience and I appreciate their choice not to use one. Aquarist around the world use them with success and praises for them. Has to say something positive for them.

Very nicely said.

 

[Back in the fold]

Yes, that's just what it does. It gives me peace of mind. Thank you.

 

[Fishmanic]

I personally use a python for my four tanks which are situated in different rooms in my house. I have a bad back and the python makes things much easier for me. It's quick, though not very efficient as it does waste water, but it's what works for me.

If I saw ammonia spikes and fish loss after a water change then I would be concerned. But I am not seeing that so I will continue using the Python.

 

[Back in the fold]

The price of a Python will buy a lot of beer.

 

[FishGuest5123]

But the time it saves will give you time to enjoy the things you love.

 

[Fishmanic]

The cost of owning a Python spread out over many years is a bargain if it makes doing water changes easier.. Although the overall cost if you figure in the water wasted does increase.

 

[Byron]

OK. This is just my opinion. I don't think putting straight chlorinated water into an aquarium is a good idea and here is my reason why. While the negligible amount of chlorine added prior to the chlorine killing additive may not hurt the fish, something tells me that it will hurt the little tiny organisms that help things. Beneficial bacteria, infusoria, etc. I always try to err on the side of caution. It takes a long time to get a tank exactly like I want it and fish are expensive and I also have an obligation to give them the best possible care that I know how to.

Chlorine is dangerous but not like it was assumed back when you and I entered this hobby [I had a tank back in the 1950-60's, then after school/university I got back in the hobby seriously in the 1980's]. Chloramine is more of an issue if you have that added to your water; which is not to say chlorine is not, but it is controllable.

There is scientific evidence now that chlorine does not kill nitrifying bacteria unless it is in very high levels and depending upon exposure of the bacteria to the chlorinated water. I rinse my filter media under the tap at every water change, and always have; a marine biologist and microbiologist told me years ago this was safe primarily because the majority of bacteria are in the substrate not the filter anyway. And an article in PFK a couple years back said the same thing, from the perspective that the nitrifying bacteria are not as "delicate" as we may think and chlorine is not usually going to kill of of them. I'm certainly not suggesting no dechlorinator in filling the tank, that would be absurd and result in dead fish quickly, but it is beneficial to put everything in perspective.

Chlorine is also a micro-nutrient for aquatic plants. It is used by plants in osmosis, ionic balance, and photosynthesis. There will likely be sufficient left even after use of a dechlorinator. But chlorine is not all bad. And with the rapid action of good conditioners within seconds, there really is no issue. But there is nothing wrong with caution, and the increase of chlorine in city water can be an issue in summer especially as Colin rightly pointed out.

 

[FishGuest5123]

Very interesting! What if you have chloramine in tap water?

 

[Byron]

Very interesting! What if you have chloramine in tap water?

I personally would be more cautious than I need to be with just chlorine. Most conditioners have a recommended dose for chlorinated water, and a higher recommended dose (usually double the amount) for water treated with chloramine.

 

[Fishmanic]

Once I did a 50% water change using the Python WC in my 10 gallon tank with 6 fish. I forgot to add prime to the water. I remembered after about 3 hours to add the prime. There was no negative affect to fish or (I assume) the BB from my error.

 

[Back in the fold]

The things you can find out. Very interesting. My city uses chlorine and according to their analysis it is a very small amount by most standards. My city puts a bit more in during winter because the flow of the Yellowstone River goes down due to lower inflow and ice. And what with Fishmanic's observation maybe I'm being a Henny Penny waiting for the sky to fall.

 

[Byron]

The things you can find out. Very interesting. My city uses chlorine and according to their analysis it is a very small amount by most standards. My city puts a bit more in during winter because the flow of the Yellowstone River goes down due to lower inflow and ice. And what with Fishmanic's observation maybe I'm being a Henny Penny waiting for the sky to fall.

Not exactly; it is prudent to be cautious but not reckless. My larger tanks are never a problem adding the dechlorinator into the tank after the water begins to refill. But I would not do this in my 10g because it is very rapid filling by comparison to the larger tanks, and to avoid overflow with the Python anyway I use a 3g bucket (twice) so I add the three drops of API's Tap Water Conditioner to the bucket as it begins to fill under the tap.

Once I did a 50% water change using the Python WC in my 10 gallon tank with 6 fish. I forgot to add prime to the water. I remembered after about 3 hours to add the prime. There was no negative affect to fish or (I assume) the BB from my error.

You were lucky here too. And there may not be too much chlorine in your water. I have twice forgotten the dechlorinator, both times in my 115g tank as it happens, and I could have lost the entire fish load had I not realized it in time. I have a habit of observing the fish in a tank as it is refilling. On these two occasions the tank got I suppose half full (I had drained out easily 65%-70%) and I noticed all the fish at the opposite end, very near the surface. I knew at once what I'd done, so I grabbed the conditioner and squirted it directly into the fish shoal. Within very few seconds they relaxed and moved back throughout the tank, though avoiding the far left side. No fish died in that tank for months if not years after the last slip-up so I caught it in time. But I do keep an alert eye on the behaviour of fish during water changes, it can tell you a lot.

 

[Colin_T]

Chlorine and chloramine burn the skin, gills and organs of the fish. So even though you might not see any damage from chlorinated water, fish exposed to chlorine or chloramine even for a short time, will suffer some damage. This damage will probably be cumulative in fish just like it is in people and animals that inhale chlorine gas. Eventually the lungs are damaged to a point that the animal cannot breath and death ensues.

If chlorine damage is cumulative in fish like it is in animals, then each time the fish are exposed to chlorinated water, the risk of them suffering from gill damage and major organ failure increases.