Is Water Dechlorinator Really Nesacery?

[swordtail_king83]

I just got the results from my local water company on my chlorine and chloramine levels. here is what they said in my email. (maybe someone can tell me if these scientific measurements of the chlorine are acceptable for doing these water changes with untreated tap water. The City uses Free Chlorine as the measurement of Chlorine in our system. Chloramination is not practiced here.

The Free Cl2 leaving our plant ranges anywhere from 0.95-1.50 mg/L or ppm, and has a distribution range anywhere from 0.25 mg/L to 1.10 mg/L. In your area, the residual runs in the 0.30 mg/L - 0.45 mg/L range

 

[eaglesaquarium]

If you simply let the water sit for 24 hours (adding some airstones for a double check) would not require dechlorinator. However, the dechlorinators are still a good idea, considering their impact on heavy metals.

 

[cpwebsite]

It all depends on your tap water. However a 2L bottle of prime (enough for 20,000 gallons) is only $50 so the only way you would use two of those per month is if you have 40,000 gallon of water changes a month which means that is probably yours smallest cost.

I would recommend using it unless you can gaurantee its not a problem. If you have chloramines you must use it but if you have chlorine you can put your water in a holding bucket for 3 days beforehand and allow that to melt chlorine, it shouldn't be to hard.

I would also consider getting an RO/DI system. A RO/DI system would be more efficient and you can get just a chloramines or a chlorine and chloramines one.

 

[DreamertK]

Sometimes I wonder because my tap always tests 0ppm. I'll have to inquire about the chloramine though.

 

[welshviking]

Very interesting post as i am about to do a 60% water change today (approx 300L) and i always use 25ml-50ml of Interpet tapsafe and 5-10ml of Seachems Prime when doing large water changes, if there is only need to use 1 of them products i will as it will obviously save me money in the long run.

 

[raptorrex]

I'd suggest that changes of 25-30% need no de-chlorination.
However I’d still suggest you use one as most good ones have a heavy metal binding function, which is very useful.
As for cost?
Prime costs pennies to treat a 200 gallon tank.
Even to the least well funded, this should be no problem to afford.

You can take several measures to reduce the chlorine in you change water.
I put my finger, partially, over the tap/faucet, outlet.
Its causes the water to “spray” out.
As you do this you can smell the chlorine being gassed off!
This also gasses off chloramines’ too.
Or you could leave your change water in a tub for 24 hours.
But there would be little point as “spraying” the water achieves the same in minutes.

 

[the_lock_man]

This also gasses off chloramines’ too.

Really? Chloramine is a liquid at room temperature / pressure, whereas chlorine is a gas. Whilst not being an expert by any stretch of the meaning, I'm a bit dubious on that one.

 

[snazy]

Very interesting post as i am about to do a 60% water change today (approx 300L) and i always use 25ml-50ml of Interpet tapsafe and 5-10ml of Seachems Prime when doing large water changes, if there is only need to use 1 of them products i will as it will obviously save me money in the long run.

Why do you dose so much? I change 50% weekly on slightly larger tank and dose 10ml for the entire tank considering I add the dechlorinator straight into the tank and the water straight from the tap.

 

[welshviking]

Very interesting post as i am about to do a 60% water change today (approx 300L) and i always use 25ml-50ml of Interpet tapsafe and 5-10ml of Seachems Prime when doing large water changes, if there is only need to use 1 of them products i will as it will obviously save me money in the long run.

Why do you dose so much? I change 50% weekly on slightly larger tank and dose 10ml for the entire tank considering I add the dechlorinator straight into the tank and the water straight from the tap.

I dose to the requirements on the bottles Interpet tapsafe is 25ml for 225L of water and Prime is 5ml per 200L of water, i am only doing as the instructions quotes. What i needed to know is do i have to use Tapsafe with using Prime ....Cheers

 

[fluttermoth]

They're both dechlorinaters, so you only need to use one.

 

[welshviking]

They're both dechlorinaters, so you only need to use one.

Thank you , Prime it is then i will keep the tapsafe for another day when needed

 

[swordtail_king83]

well I use so much because I have 5 tanks currently.. 35 gallon, 30 gallon, 29 gallon and a 20 gallon. if I change say 40-50% weekly, that's 2-3 pails I take out and put back in..now the directions for my dechlorinator say 5ml per 10 us gallons. so mathematically, on my 20 gallon tank alone..that is adding 10 ML to each full pail of water im going to put bak in the tank..so if I take 3 pails out and put 3 pails back in that wud be 30ML right there total (10ML per pail). now my bigger tanks say the 35 gallon, if I took 3 pails out, for each pail of fresh tap water I wud have to add 17ML approx..(5ml per 10 us gallons) 17 ml x 3 pails wud be 51ML. and when u have a 250 ML bottle u can see just in 2 tanks on a weekly water change I will have already used up 81ML of the 250 ML. now do the math with the 30 gallon and the 29 gallon theres ALMOST a full 250 ml bottle in ONE weekly water change!!!!!!. so nutrafin aquaplus isn't the best for concentration quality. the WORST is tetra AQUASAFE, u have to use 10ML per 10 US gallons..the hell with that..i googled seachem PRIME and it said u only need 1ml per 10 us gallons and it does everything any other dechorinator does (adds/maintains slime coat, protects scales and fins, neutralizes chlorine/chloramine, and it has a benefit over all other dechlorinators in that it actually breaks down the ammonia left in your fresh water pail caused by the dechlorinating process, and renders the ammonia harmless and in turn is consumed by your biological filter. so I think im going to be using PRIME as my go to brand for water changes as my #1 dechlorinator to add to the pail of water before adding to my tank..thank you all for recommending prime!.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

If the pail is only 5 gallons, you'd only need to add 2.5 ml to the pail.

 

[swordtail_king83]

well I don't know what or who to believe then because my pails I just checked are your everyday joe blow 10L round cleaning pails. and if I know im changing my 30 gallon tank say, once ive removed that full pail of water, dumped it down the sink, refilled with fresh water, before I add that water to the tank I will add the dose of water dechlorinator (like aquaplus) for 30 gallons. which in that case for the 30g tank is 15ml. so I will pour the recommended 15 ml in the new pail of water then add to my tank. when I follow dosing instructions on any dechlorinator product if it says so many MLs per so many us gallons I go by my tank size for dosing. example-label says 5ml per 10 us gallons, even tho my pails are only the avg 10L size and im changing say a 30 gallon tank, each pail I will add I add 15ML to each pail before adding to the tank as 15ML would treat a 30 gallon tank. if ur saying that's not how you measure it and u go by your pail size?? who do u believe??

 

[sadguppy]

Unless you are adding water straight to the tank via a hose, which you aren't, just add enough dechlor for the water in the bucket. I add about a half to one ml of prime to each 10l bucket, which is slightly overdosing.