KingJamesIII
New Member
I’ve been using imagitarium water conditioner for my fresh water tank. I’m just curious on how long I should leave the water in my bucket sitting with conditioner, before I add it back to my tank?
Water conditioner question
- Thread starter KingJamesIII
- Start date
That depends on who you listen to.
Most of us add it to the tank straight away, but some members say you should wait half an hour or 5 minutes with an airstone running in the bucket.
I've always put the water conditioner in the bucket then run the water in at full speed then put it in the tank straight away.
Most of us add it to the tank straight away, but some members say you should wait half an hour or 5 minutes with an airstone running in the bucket.
I've always put the water conditioner in the bucket then run the water in at full speed then put it in the tank straight away.
OP
OP
KingJamesIII
New Member
Thanks bud. That really helps. Didn’t want to wait 24 hours like the good ol’ “Google” stated at first LOL.
Before water conditioners were invented, and all water providers used chlorine, letting the water stand 24 hours allowed the chlorine in tap water to gas off. But chloramine doesn't gas off so letting it stand 24 hours does nothing.
That's probably where the hit you found on Google got the 24 hour idea from. If your water provider still uses chlorine, you can let the water stand for 24 hours and not have to use water conditioner. But standing 24 hours plus using water conditioner is a bit of overkill.
That's probably where the hit you found on Google got the 24 hour idea from. If your water provider still uses chlorine, you can let the water stand for 24 hours and not have to use water conditioner. But standing 24 hours plus using water conditioner is a bit of overkill.
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OP
KingJamesIII
New Member
Ok cool thanks again. Very helpful. I’m new to fish keeping and the forum, so any information helps a ton.
There are other reasons to aerate the tap water for a bit before adding it to the aquarium.
1) Tap water is under pressure in the pipes and this can cause oxygen and other gasses to come out of the water. When the water comes out of the tap and gets put into the aquarium, it doesn't always have the correct balance of gasses in the water, and the fish can suffocate or get exposed to incorrect levels of gasses (carbon dioxide, nitrogen and oxygen). Vigorously aerating the tap water for 30 minutes before adding it to an aquarium helps get the dissolved gasses back to normal safe levels.
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2) Most water companies artificially raise the pH of tap water so it is above 7.0. This help keep chlorine and chloramine stable and active for longer, and reduces damage to the water pipes. Aerating the water for 24 hours before adding it to the tank, can let the pH get back to normal levels so it doesn't happen in the aquarium.
You can check to see if this is an issue for you by getting a sample of tap water and testing the pH straight out of the tap. Then leave the sample of tap water for 24 hours and test the pH again. If it hasn't changed then you don't need to worry, but if the pH does change a lot (and it usually drops over 24 hours), then you should hold the tap water for 24 hours before adding dechlorinator and using it in your tank.
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3) Aerating the tap water for at least 5 (preferably 30) minutes before using it, allows the dechlorinator to come into contact with all the chlorine/ chloramine in the tap and neutralise it. This means no harmful chlorine will get into the tank.
If you just add dechlorinator to a bucket and fill it with tap water, then add it to the tank, there is no guarantee you have neutralised all of the chlorine/ chloramine in the bucket of water, and you can harm the fish if they are exposed to chlorine/ chloramine.
1) Tap water is under pressure in the pipes and this can cause oxygen and other gasses to come out of the water. When the water comes out of the tap and gets put into the aquarium, it doesn't always have the correct balance of gasses in the water, and the fish can suffocate or get exposed to incorrect levels of gasses (carbon dioxide, nitrogen and oxygen). Vigorously aerating the tap water for 30 minutes before adding it to an aquarium helps get the dissolved gasses back to normal safe levels.
----------
2) Most water companies artificially raise the pH of tap water so it is above 7.0. This help keep chlorine and chloramine stable and active for longer, and reduces damage to the water pipes. Aerating the water for 24 hours before adding it to the tank, can let the pH get back to normal levels so it doesn't happen in the aquarium.
You can check to see if this is an issue for you by getting a sample of tap water and testing the pH straight out of the tap. Then leave the sample of tap water for 24 hours and test the pH again. If it hasn't changed then you don't need to worry, but if the pH does change a lot (and it usually drops over 24 hours), then you should hold the tap water for 24 hours before adding dechlorinator and using it in your tank.
----------
3) Aerating the tap water for at least 5 (preferably 30) minutes before using it, allows the dechlorinator to come into contact with all the chlorine/ chloramine in the tap and neutralise it. This means no harmful chlorine will get into the tank.
If you just add dechlorinator to a bucket and fill it with tap water, then add it to the tank, there is no guarantee you have neutralised all of the chlorine/ chloramine in the bucket of water, and you can harm the fish if they are exposed to chlorine/ chloramine.
Joe80
New Member
I got confused about this recently regarding pH. After testing and testing numberous times, I found that the pH in my aquarium is different ( slightly higher ) to the pH of the water straight out of the tap, by about 1.5.
After drawing water from the tap, into my buckets, I add conditioner and then let an airstone bubble away for about 30 mins ( about the time it takes for me to syphon and clean the tank ). This brings the pH in the new water up to near the level in my aquarium. I’m not sure if a very slight pH change matters that much, but it makes me feel better
After drawing water from the tap, into my buckets, I add conditioner and then let an airstone bubble away for about 30 mins ( about the time it takes for me to syphon and clean the tank ). This brings the pH in the new water up to near the level in my aquarium. I’m not sure if a very slight pH change matters that much, but it makes me feel better
This is the reason we always ask for the pH of freshly run tap water and a sample that's been allowed to stand for 24 hours when comparing tap and tank pH.
Jamesthecat
Fish Crazy
When i do a water change ( 145 litres ) i fill up my trust dustbin, add the tap safe and any other buffers im using.
Drop in my heater to get it up to temperatuse ( usually 2 hours ) and run a power head pointing at the surface just to aerate it and give it a bit of life.
Then throw it straight in - agree with the previous post - i can remember back in the late 80’s that everyone used to leave the water overnight for the gases to bubble off because there wasn’t such an abundance of the tap safe chemicals
Drop in my heater to get it up to temperatuse ( usually 2 hours ) and run a power head pointing at the surface just to aerate it and give it a bit of life.
Then throw it straight in - agree with the previous post - i can remember back in the late 80’s that everyone used to leave the water overnight for the gases to bubble off because there wasn’t such an abundance of the tap safe chemicals
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