I got a new aquarium cleaner and I’m kinda afraid of it

[Sed6]

Help me understand how you can add tap water to your aquarium. Ph is wrong and it's full of chlorine and chloramine. Doesn't that shock your fish?

 

[Slaphppy7]

Help me understand how you can add tap water to your aquarium. Ph is wrong and it's full of chlorine and chloramine. Doesn't that shock your fish?

What do you mean by "ph is wrong"?

Good water conditioners neutralize chlorine/chloramine

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Help me understand how you can add tap water to your aquarium. Ph is wrong and it's full of chlorine and chloramine. Doesn't that shock your fish?

Most of us choose fish that are suited to the local tap water conditions, such as hardness and pH. I always strongly advise people to do so, especially when starting out. What are the alternatives? Rain barrels are too inconvenient for most people (and some of us don't get much rain); jugs of distilled water from the grocery store get pretty expensive, and ordering 50 gallon drums of water off amazon or ebay is going to kill you with shipping expenses.

 

[Back in the fold]

Allow me to be the voice of dissent. I fart in the general direction of the Python water changer. It's a lazy man's gadget. I do it the old fashioned way. I age my change water for a week, dip it out of the tanks and replace out of my aged water container. I do little to no substrate ( gravel vacuuming ) siphoning and I don't make messes either. I'm not in a hurry to do my periodic aquarium maintenance . That's my time with the fish and I treasure it. Doing my seven tanks takes two to three hours depending on how much time I spend looking out the window at the bird feeders or gazing at the fish. When I get the tanks drawn down I feed fruit flies because it's fun to watch the fish jump. Can't do that with a full tank. Another thing about the Python is that you add dechlorinator as you use it. Aging your water absolutely guarantees the water is safe and chlorine free. So put that Python to better use and siphon gas with it.

 

[Sed6]

What do you mean by "ph is wrong"?

Good water conditioners neutralize chlorine/chloramine

I mix my dechlorinated 7.8 tap water 50/50 with my 6.0 RO/DO water for a 6.9 pH for my aquarium. That also cuts my TDS from 400 to 200 and gives me perfect Gh and Kh. Anyway, doesn't the exposure from the chlorine and chloramine in particular hurt or stress the fish for the 5-15 minutes it takes to neutralize them once a dechlorinator is added to the now filling tank? I'd sure think so.

 

[Slaphppy7]

Allow me to be the voice of dissent. I fart in the general direction of the Python water changer. It's a lazy man's gadget. I do it the old fashioned way. I age my change water for a week, dip it out of the tanks and replace out of my aged water container. I do little to no substrate ( gravel vacuuming ) siphoning and I don't make messes either. I'm not in a hurry to do my periodic aquarium maintenance . That's my time with the fish and I treasure it. Doing my seven tanks takes two to three hours depending on how much time I spend looking out the window at the bird feeders or gazing at the fish. When I get the tanks drawn down I feed fruit flies because it's fun to watch the fish jump. Can't do that with a full tank. Another thing about the Python is that you add dechlorinator as you use it. Aging your water absolutely guarantees the water is safe and chlorine free. So put that Python to better use and siphon gas with it.

Not true with chloramine, which is what is most commonly used in the States nowadays...

 

[Slaphppy7]

I mix my dechlorinated 7.8 tap water 50/50 with my 6.0 RO/DO water for a 6.9 pH for my aquarium. That also cuts my TDS from 400 to 200 and gives me perfect Gh and Kh. Anyway, doesn't the exposure from the chlorine and chloramine in particular hurt or stress the fish for the 5-15 minutes it takes to neutralize them once a dechlorinator is added to the now filling tank? I'd sure think so.

Good dechlors work instantly.

 

[Sed6]

Most of us choose fish that are suited to the local tap water conditions, such as hardness and pH. I always strongly advise people to do so, especially when starting out. What are the alternatives? Rain barrels are too inconvenient for most people (and some of us don't get much rain); jugs of distilled water from the grocery store get pretty expensive, and ordering 50 gallon drums of water off amazon or ebay is going to kill you with shipping expenses.

None of us accept the chlorine, chloramine, ammonia, nitrates, or nitrites in our water. pH and hardness are easy to adjust with off the shelf products or you can buy RO/DI units under $60 on Amazon. No excuses, IMO, not to adjust every facet of your water conditions.

 

[Back in the fold]

I guess I'm lucky in the little burg of Billings Montana USA. The city water plant uses chlorine only. No chloramine. I talked to the head honcho and that's what he said. They might not have even heard of chloramine. Yes, we are that backward up here. Anyway, when you put dechlorinator in the water you smell that sulphur rotten egg smell for a few hours until it has completely worked its thing. I aerate my change water for a week and if I don't use dechlorinator the chlorine smell is gone after three or four days. So, I use dechlorinator sometimes and sometimes I don't. It is expensive. My point here is that de chlorinating as you go with that goofy Python apparatus is playing with fire. Your fish will get a whiff of chlorine. Can you live with that ? I can't. Your fish might be fine with a passing dose but your nitrifying bacteria and other microorganisms might not. Remember that it was chlorine gas that Hitler was exposed to as an infantryman in World War 1 that made him crazy.

 

[Sed6]

Your fish will get a whiff of chlorine. Can you live with that ? I can't.

Me neither!

 

[WhistlingBadger]

None of us accept the chlorine, chloramine, ammonia, nitrates, or nitrites in our water. pH and hardness are easy to adjust with off the shelf products or you can buy RO/DI units under $60 on Amazon. No excuses, IMO, not to adjust every facet of your water conditions.

You said "Help me understand." Silly me, I assumed you meant that. My mistake. Carry on.

 

[Slaphppy7]

I guess I'm lucky in the little burg of Billings Montana USA. The city water plant uses chlorine only. No chloramine. I talked to the head honcho and that's what he said. They might not have even heard of chloramine. Yes, we are that backward up here. Anyway, when you put dechlorinator in the water you smell that sulphur rotten egg smell for a few hours until it has completely worked its thing. I aerate my change water for a week and if I don't use dechlorinator the chlorine smell is gone after three or four days. So, I use dechlorinator sometimes and sometimes I don't. It is expensive. My point here is that de chlorinating as you go with that goofy Python apparatus is playing with fire. Your fish will get a whiff of chlorine. Can you live with that ? I can't. Your fish might be fine with a passing dose but your nitrifying bacteria and other microorganisms might not. Remember that it was chlorine gas that Hitler was exposed to as an infantryman in World War 1 that made him crazy.

I've never had a problem, and neither have my fish, by adding dechlor to chlorinated (chloramine) tap water as I fill my tanks during WCs. Been doing it this way for a decade, with 6 different tanks (4 currently).

 

[Back in the fold]

I've never had a problem, and neither have my fish, by adding dechlor to chlorinated (chloramine) tap water as I fill my tanks during WCs. Been doing it this way for a decade, with 6 different tanks (4 currently).

Bottom line ? If it works and you're happy , that's all she wrote.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

My point here is that de chlorinating as you go with that goofy Python apparatus is playing with fire. Your fish will get a whiff of chlorine. Can you live with that ? I can't. Your fish might be fine with a passing dose but your nitrifying bacteria and other microorganisms might not. Remember that it was chlorine gas that Hitler was exposed to as an infantryman in World War 1 that made him crazy.

This used to really bother me too, until I did a bit of research on the chemistry involved and gave it some thought. I use a python on my 150g tank--it's in a business, and I do big water changes to keep the organics under control, and having several dozen gallons of water lying around for several days isn't an option. I add enough water conditioner to treat the whole tank, not just the water being added--that's important. I also have the filter running. So, the water conditioner gets circulated through the whole water column, and the chlorine/chloramine gets instantly nuked as it contacts the aquarium water. I doubt the fish ever get a whiff of it, and it's certainly neutralized before it gets into the filter or the substrate. No problem.

Anyway, my angelfish have not embarked on a campaign of militarization (at least not anymore than what you'd expect from a school of angelfish), nor have they set up any concentration camps to try to exterminate the tetras, so I guess we're doing OK.

 

[Sed6]

I add enough water conditioner to treat the whole tank, not just the water being added--that's important. I also have the filter running. So, the water conditioner gets circulated through the whole water column, and the chlorine/chloramine gets instantly nuked as it contacts the aquarium water. I doubt the fish ever get a whiff of it, and it's certainly neutralized before it gets into the filter or the substrate. No problem.

This was what I wanted to understand. The order, process and thinking. This makes sense, thanks! Maybe one day again I'll have an aquarium large enough to utilize this method