water treatment additive based on tank size or amount of water added during water change

[finfayce]

when i do large water change i add de-chlorinator based on tank size.
with my amano shrimp tank should i measure water additives based on amount of water added or by tank size?

 

[Essjay]

If you are using a bucket to refill after a water change, add dechlorinator at the dose amount of water in the bucket. If it needs more than one bucketful, treat each bucketful with the amount to treat that bucket.

If using a hose, advice varies. Some brands say to add enough to treat the whole tank volume, others say enough to treat the amounts of new water only.

 

[finfayce]

If you are using a bucket to refill after a water change, add dechlorinator at the dose amount of water in the bucket. If it needs more than one bucketful, treat each bucketful with the amount to treat that bucket.

If using a hose, advice varies. Some brands say to add enough to treat the whole tank volume, others say enough to treat the amounts of new water only.

thanks-my amano tank is only a week old so i’m doing 1/3 water change so the new shrimp don’t have to go through a drastic change. water was new on tuesday, so i think partial water change should be ok?

 

[Byron]

I agree with @Essjay. A bucket of fresh water should be treated according to the volume, no more (or less). Also, know if chlorine or chloramine is added by your water authority, as some conditioners require double dose for chloramine over chlorine only.

As essjay said, there is no consensus on the amount of conditioner when using a direct fill hose from the faucet (like the "Python" or similar). The amount of conditioner for only the replacement water volume will be sufficient; however, some will consider the entire tank volume but there is no evidence (that I have ever found nor anyone else has posted) that the conditioner amount should be for the entire tank volume. Manufactuers all say to follow the latter, but they are after all trying to get you to buy more of the product.

 

[finfayce]

I agree with @Essjay. A bucket of fresh water should be treated according to the volume, no more (or less). Also, know if chlorine or chloramine is added by your water authority, as some conditioners require double dose for chloramine over chlorine only.

As essjay said, there is no consensus on the amount of conditioner when using a direct fill hose from the faucet (like the "Python" or similar). The amount of conditioner for only the replacement water volume will be sufficient; however, some will consider the entire tank volume but there is no evidence (that I have ever found nor anyone else has posted) that the conditioner amount should be for the entire tank volume. Manufactuers all say to follow the latter, but they are after all trying to get you to buy more of the product.

yeah that’s so true. as i have complained before, i live in a very small town (2000). a member of the water board said because we live close
to the town’s water tower( 2 blocks away) we Smell chlorine in our drinking water. they put extra chlorine in at the water tower source so the other 1998 people end up with some chlorinated water. it’s so typical of this stupid small town “ quaintness “ i have other words to describe it …..
so knowing we have extra chlorine i add it according to the choice to do the most de chlorinating. should i even do more?.
americans know arkansas is well- whatever. not as sophisticated as other states.

 

[Byron]

yeah that’s so true. as i have complained before, i live in a very small town (2000). a member of the water board said because we live close
to the town’s water tower( 2 blocks away) we Smell chlorine in our drinking water. they put extra chlorine in at the water tower source so the other 1998 people end up with some chlorinated water. it’s so typical of this stupid small town “ quaintness “ i have other words to describe it …..
so knowing we have extra chlorine i add it according to the choice to do the most de chlorinating. should i even do more?.
americans know arkansas is well- whatever. not as sophisticated as other states.

I would probably consider the "extra" dose for chloramine here, in other words, if one drop- per gallon for chlorine, do 2 drops per gallon. It may be overkill, but it is cautious. The reason for using as little as possible is simply the fewer chemical substances in the water, the fewer get inside the fish, and that is also beneficial for fish health.

 

[finfayce]

I would probably consider the "extra" dose for chloramine here, in other words, if one drop- per gallon for chlorine, do 2 drops per gallon. It may be overkill, but it is cautious. The reason for using as little as possible is simply the fewer chemical substances in the water, the fewer get inside the fish, and that is also beneficial for fish health.

thank you. i’ve read that the shrimp are especially affected by water additives. right now the tank has water from my darter fish aquarium, but i have to add more.
thanks again for the help.

 

[Colin_T]

You could invest in a chlorine test kit and check the water before and after treatment.

Ideally, you want to fill a bucket with water and add dechlorinator at the recommended dose. Then aerate the solution for at least 5 (preferably 30) minutes. Then check the chlorine levels to make sure there is no chlorine present in the water. If the water is free of chlorine, then use it to fill the tank.

Adding chlorinated tap water to an aquarium containing fish or other life forms brings the risk of killing them all from chlorine or chloramine poisoning. Water companies do work on the water pipes and don't tell people when they do it. Then they add extra chlorine or chloramine to make sure nothing is alive in the water.

If you do a water change and add chlorinated tap water to the tank, and there is an unusually high dose of chlorine/ chloramine in the water, then adding a single dose of dechlorinator might not be enough and you can kill everything in the tank.

It is always preferable to dechlorinate the water in a separate container and then add it to the tank.

If you are going to add chlorinated tap water directly to the tank, add enough dechlorinator to treat the entire tank and add the tap water slowly. Have lots of aeration and monitor the fish during this time. If any fish start hanging around the surface or start breathing heavily, add another full dose of dechlorinator to the tank.

 

[finfayce]

You could invest in a chlorine test kit and check the water before and after treatment.

Ideally, you want to fill a bucket with water and add dechlorinator at the recommended dose. Then aerate the solution for at least 5 (preferably 30) minutes. Then check the chlorine levels to make sure there is no chlorine present in the water. If the water is free of chlorine, then use it to fill the tank.

Adding chlorinated tap water to an aquarium containing fish or other life forms brings the risk of killing them all from chlorine or chloramine poisoning. Water companies do work on the water pipes and don't tell people when they do it. Then they add extra chlorine or chloramine to make sure nothing is alive in the water.

If you do a water change and add chlorinated tap water to the tank, and there is an unusually high dose of chlorine/ chloramine in the water, then adding a single dose of dechlorinator might not be enough and you can kill everything in the tank.

It is always preferable to dechlorinate the water in a separate container and then add it to the tank.

If you are going to add chlorinated tap water directly to the tank, add enough dechlorinator to treat the entire tank and add the tap water slowly. Have lots of aeration and monitor the fish during this time. If any fish start hanging around the surface or start breathing heavily, add another full dose of dechlorinator to the tank.

thanks Colin ,
i have always added de- chlorination liquid to the big tanks based on tank size. but now with these fragile amano shrimp i wanted to be extra careful. i’ll have to check my API water test kit. maybe it has

 

[finfayce]

thanks Colin ,
i have always added de- chlorination liquid to the big tanks based on tank size. but now with these fragile amano shrimp i wanted to be extra careful. i’ll have to check my API water test kit. maybe it has

a chlorine test. when i got the shrimp i put them in a separate tank filled with one of my existing tank’s water (recently cleaned). now will be the first time i’m adding more water.
i now have 7 amano. they are hearty eaters.

 

[itiwhetu]

I think that the whole Dechlorintor, Chlorine /Chloramine dosage rates and the way it is used must be the most unscientific thing that is ever discussed on this forum site. It sounds like as long as you do something it is better than doing nothing and it should be fine. It also sounds as if nobody here really understands how it works or why.

 

[Colin_T]

It also sounds as if nobody here really understands how it works or why.

Speak for yourself, he who lives in a clean environment and only does 25% water changes

 

[finfayce]

a chlorine test. when i got the shrimp i put them in a separate tank filled with one of my existing tank’s water (recently cleaned). now will be the first time i’m adding more water.
i now have 7 amano. they are hearty eaters.

can hardly watch the news every day. i recommend amano shrimp to make a person smile. cute.

I think that the whole Dechlorintor, Chlorine /Chloramine dosage rates and the way it is used must be the most unscientific thing that is ever discussed on this forum site. It sounds like as long as you do something it is better than doing nothing and it should be fine. It also sounds as if nobody here really understands how it works or why.

um- smelling chlorine made me pass out once. paramedics came and gave me oxygen. i was 23 at the time in perfect health. i avoid smelling it. think what happens to a tiny fish. if i could afford it i use purchased purified water.

 

[finfayce]

can hardly watch the news every day. i recommend amano shrimp to make a person smile. cute.

um- smelling chlorine made me pass out once. paramedics came and gave me oxygen. i was 23 at the time in perfect health. i avoid smelling it. think what happens to a tiny fish. if i could afford it i use purchased purified water.

here are my adorable amano shrimp. sitting on the lifelike rock

 

[AbbeysDad]

I'm with @Essjay and @Byron (and others). If you're de-chlorinating in a bucket or barrel then you typically only need the exact amount for the water to be processed. Refilling directly in the tank (e.g. Python like) is questionable. Manufacturers recommend treating for the entire tank volume. Many hobbyists have reported success directly refilling using only the amount of conditioner for the water being added to the tank.

A fellow club member recently told me that he's on a municipal (chlorinated) water supply, does 20% water changes, and uses NO conditioner at all!!!
A while back, our club president did a water change on several tanks in his fishroom using the routine amount of conditioner, but by the next day, lost all the fish in the affected tanks (suspect that excess chlorine was in play due to water main issues).

So it seems to me it's like an unpredictable crap shoot. Manufacturers recommend treating for the entire volume and although we might think they're just covering their backsides while trying to sell more product, we might also conclude that they've done tests that suggested or determined that the product was not effective unless the the entire tank volume was treated.
It seems to me that unless we suspect some problem with the conditioner, treating for the entire volume, although perhaps conservative, just may be safer for your fish.

Footnote: I have well water and although in the past I've had to deal with high nitrates, ammonia, and excess CO2, I'm glad I don't have to deal with and condition for chlorine/chloramine!