Just Added Water Conditioner Right To Tank....be Worried?

[CezzaXV]

I didn't interpet it as them saying nobody needs to use a dechlorinator. All they said and all I interpreted it as was them saying that they personally have never had any problems. I don't expect everyone to have the same water and therefore the same reaction, but it does sometimes help to know others' experiences.

I do use Prime and will continue to use Prime. It took me long enough to build my bacterial colony and I've got £70 of fish in my tank so I'm not taking any chances, though I do dose straight into the tank and then fill from the tap. I would also recommend that others use dechlorinators and do not advocate not using them, just to be on the safe side. I do, however, recognise that the damage probably isn't going to be too great if you forget to dose or don't dose enough once in a while. All I was pointing out that washing under the tap is not the same as adding tap water to the tank in terms of impact on the filter media.

 

[m_attt]

I have my water report in my hand,

Chlorine Free = Min 0.10 Mean 0.47 Max 0.77
Chlorine Total = Min 0.19 Mean 0.52 Max 0.81

So if you read the article linked and what others have said it backs up chlorine at tap levels has none or negligible effect on filter bacteria.


sorry those are in mg/l

also just seen Chloride mg/l Min 11 Mean 11.67 Max 12

 

[Prime Ordeal]

I have my water report in my hand,

Chlorine Free = Min 0.10 Mean 0.47 Max 0.77
Chlorine Total = Min 0.19 Mean 0.52 Max 0.81

I can tell you unequivocally that if you were putting 0.5ppm chlorine into your tank your fish would let you know that it was there. Of course, if you use a hose to fill the tank the chlorine, and to a lesser extent chloramine, gasses off almost instantly, so you'd never know (and that must be what's happening for you and/or you have the lowest 0.1ppm level).

So if you read the article linked and what others have said it backs up chlorine at tap levels has none or negligible effect on filter bacteria.

Low levels of short term exposure has little effect on a mature filter. In fact if chlorine and/or chloramine killed off the nitrifiers we'd almost never get our tanks started cycling as there'd be none in the tap water.


sorry those are in mg/l

also just seen Chloride mg/l Min 11 Mean 11.67 Max 12

Chloride is harmless

 

[BigbruiserAl]

Interesting debate but lets keep it civil

I do anything up to 20% water change without declor and will always dose the tank with full volume of prime for anything more the 20% my 2p

 

[watertown28]

So I guess the real debate here is what % of a water change you should add doclor .... From what I am gathering is if its a small water change in a estabished tank, like ~20% then there is not much need for declor... anything over that you might.

Much more input would be great on what others do.