Making my own water dechlorinator?

[Salty&Onion]

Most aquarium water conditioners are made from Sodium Thiosulphate, which neutralises chlorine in water. It also breaks the chlorine/ ammonia bond that makes up chloramine, leaving you with ammonia in the water.

As for dose rates, I have no idea.

API Stress Coat 1.9L Water Conditioner Dechlorinator Treatment Fresh Aquarium | eBay

API STRESS COAT. As such, we have a huge wealth of experience in online trading. At present we list over 6,000 specialist aquarium & pet products suitable for Aquatic, Reptile, Cat and Dog enthusiasts.

www.ebay.co.uk

Found this for a great deal. It does dechlorinate?

 

[Essjay]

Yes, it dechlorinates but it also contains aloe vera.

This one is better

API® | TAP WATER CONDITIONER™

API TAP WATER CONDITIONER treatment removes toxins from tap water instantly, so you can add fish to your aquarium (or add them back after a water change) immediately.

apifishcare.com

It uses 1 drop per gallon/3.6 litres water. And it doesn't contain aloe vera. If you get a bottle bigger than 1 oz or 1.2 oz, you'll also need a dropper or pipette to measure drops as the bigger bottles have cups on the lid which is no use for dosing a bucket.



Don't forget that dechlorinators have a use by date, and the bigger the bottle, the more that will be left when it reaches the use by. Smaller bottles can be more cost effective - if you have to throw half a bottle away, then it costs twice as much per ml as the purchase price suggests.

 

[Salty&Onion]

I've got a 4oz bottle of api tap water conditioner. My lfs sells it for £7.

 

[Essjay]

This dechlorinator is the best on the market as far as I'm concerned.

Look at the use by date on the bottle you have. Then imagine how long one of the biggest bottles would last. They will have the same use by as the smaller bottles. Yes, you can use it after the use by but the longer after that date the less effective it could be.

API Tap Water Conditioner sounds expensive till you realise how much you use.
The 4 oz bottle of TWC treats 6700 litres and costs £7. It treats 957 litres per £
That big bottle of Stress Coat treats 15200 litres water and costs £22.90. It treats 664 litres per £

The 4 oz bottle of TWC works out cheaper than that big bottle of Stress Coat.

 

[Salty&Onion]

Yes, it does really last long. One small bottle (4oz) lasted me two months, maybe it would last longer, but it was my first time when cycling my tank. I'm really happy with it.

 

[Essjay]

My 4 oz bottle lasts me over a year with 2 tanks.

 

[Salty&Onion]

My 4 oz bottle lasts me over a year with 2 tanks.

Wow! That is long!

 

[Essjay]

I change about 100 litres a week. The bottle does 6700 litres so that's 67 weeks.

My 180 litre tanks doesn't hold 180 litres water because of all the wood I've got in there.

 

[Salty&Onion]

My 180 litre tanks doesn't hold 180 litres water because of all the wood I've got in there.

How does it look? I'm curious

 

[Essjay]

I don't have any recent photos of the tank. This is what it looked like last year. it's not as impressive as most people's tanks but the fish seem to like it.




As you can see I have floating plants and plants attached to wood, nothing growing in the substrate.

Yes, there are two filters. There used to be just one, but the pump part died. Luckily I had another filter of the same type, from a tank I had to close, with a much less powerful pump so I used that pump. Then rather than buy a new filter of the same type as the first I bought another smaller one and divided the media between the two.

 

[Salty&Onion]

I don't have any recent photos of the tank. This is what it looked like last year. it's not as impressive as most people's tanks but the fish seem to like it.


View attachment 107811

As you can see I have floating plants and plants attached to wood, nothing growing in the substrate.

Yes, there are two filters. There used to be just one, but the pump part died. Luckily I had another filter of the same type, from a tank I had to close, with a much less powerful pump so I used that pump. Then rather than buy a new filter of the same type as the first I bought another smaller one and divided the media between the two.

Wow! That is an amazing tank! I love it! I wish I have been that good in aquascaping.

 

[Essjay]

I've just realised it looks like a fishless tank

I can see the last lone pygmy cory under a piece of wood and a cherry shrimp strolling across the sand, but there were also shoals of espe's rasboras and Daisy's rice fish in there somewhere.


I'll have to take some more photos showing actual fish.........

 

[Salty&Onion]

I've just realised it looks like a fishless tank

I can see the last lone pygmy cory under a piece of wood and a cherry shrimp strolling across the sand, but there were also shoals of espe's rasboras and Daisy's rice fish in there somewhere.


I'll have to take some more photos showing actual fish.........

Nice choice of fishies and shrimpys

 

[Essjay]

It isn't so much aquascaped as just slowly evolved. I started fish keeping with plastic plants, then moved on to silk plants. Then I discovered I could manage plants attached to decor. Early attempts were attached to plastic decor, then real wood. I started with just a couple of live plants and ended up with more and more, then the floating plants. Nothing was actually planned, it just happened.

There is one pygmy cory and 3 Boraras bigittae (or B. urophthalmoides) in the tank. They are the last members of shoals from the tank I had to close. The rasboras and rice fish have at least 12 each - that's as many as I can count before losing track of which ones I've already counted.
And there are now 5 pearl gouramis in there.

The tank is a custom built, the builder worked in inches so it's 42 x 18 x 18 inches (107 x 45 x 45 cm)

 

[Salty&Onion]

Its very much aquascaped
Your tank is my type of a tank, I'm just a failure and can't do the same so I'll just stuff my tank with bunch of plants and then I'm good to go