Which water treatment chemical do you use?

[yhbae]

I've been using Stress Coat since I didn't know any better and it was the first bottle I saw at Walmart... :D

All of the below appears to do the same:

- NovAqua
- Stress Coat
- AquaSafe (by Tetra)

They all claim to remove chlorine, chloramine and add some protective layer to the fish. The only difference is that Tetra claims that their product also removes ammonia as well. Since breaking down chloromine produces ammonia, this appears to make sense.

I am tempted to buy a bottle of Wardley's Chlorine out (which strictly removes the two chlorine chemicals only), and AquaSafe for ocasional use...

Has anyone used any of these products? Any comments?

[PumaWard]

I used to use AquaSafe, before I realized I didn't need it cause my tap didn't have chlorine :D. It worked really well when I took some guppy fry to the Science Fair though. It also says that it's suppose to help with heavy metals in such, which is a plus IMO :).

[NJ Devils Fan]

I use stress coat. Simply the best, better than ......yadda yadda ;)

[RTR]

I use nothing but age my water instead (chlorine only), which is better than all the above. My fish live and breed perfectly well in their own slime coats, they do not need anything artificial added.

If I have to deal with chloramined water, or do emergency changes beyond my aged stock, I use Amquel.

[Slappy*McFish]

RTR and I pretty much share the same methods of water treatment, though I use Prime mainly for treating my tap-water for chloramines, and occasionally use Amquel.

[ROLLIN]

I also do not add anything to my water.

[yhbae]

How long does it take for chlorine to escape from a bucket of, say, 2g water? This assumes the bucket is left indoor (to equalize temperature during winter) and left alone.

I'm afraid of killing the fishes because of the trace of chlorine remaining in the water...!

[wetmanNY]

Don't pay attention to our opinions. Go right to the manufacturers' websites and follow the best-presented honest science.

One stands out.

[ROLLIN]

Originally posted by yhbae


I'm afraid of killing the fishes because of the trace of chlorine remaining in the water...!


Dont worry about a little bit of chlorine killing your fish. I know of 2 old fish guys who say if you change 20% or less of your water at one time, you dont need to dechlorinate it. They also say the chlorine in the water acts a bit like an antiseptic. They have been in the fish business for about 40 years, I trust what they say (most of it anyway). I dont think I would try it with really touchy fish though. But with fish such as zebra danios, swordtails, tiger barbs etc it is apparently ok. I dont add anything to my water, but then again mine doesnt have chlorine either.

[Rometiklan]

I usually just buy whatever is on sale. To be honest, it doesn't really matter to me. I feel okay with whatever brand I use as long as the company is reputable. Currently I am using Prime. I need to buy some water conditioner pretty soon, and I noticed that the 4 litre jug of Big Al's own brand of Stress Coat is on sale. It's manufactured by Aquarium Pharmaceuticals, and it's exactly the same stuff as AP's Stress Coat.

I let water age a few days before I add it to the tank during my weekly water changes.

[Matak]

I just went to check and realized that I'm fresh out! But I believe it is Aqua plus.

Will chloramine evaporate in standing water? If so, how long till it is deemed safe? I am having a hard time getting a readout of what is in our water, so I am not sure if I am dealing with chlorine or chloramine.

[WaterBaby]

I think I read somewhere that chlorine will evaporate from standing water, but chloramine will not (please, anyone, correct me if I'm wrong).

I use Bio-Safe from Marineland. It's supposed to remove chlorine, chloramine and de-toxify ammonia. The only thing that I find confusing is on the bottle, it says "for use in new tanks or water changes of 50% or more". Yet it gives instructions of "10 drops per gallon". Also, this is what the LFS recommended for water changes (not that I can rely on their advice for everything - thats why I have you guys ).

:D

I have been using it for 25% changes and haven't seen any detrimental effects from it.

[Hebdizzle]

I dont use anything either

[wetmanNY]

Nothing you add can remove something. It may bind it. It may oxidize it. It may neutralize it in one way or another.

Knowing the what and the how underlies our decisions. Water conditioning is mostly water chemistry. The rest is brand loyalty, part of our cultural obedience training.

For instance, a layer of polymer coating the gills might not be what you're really after. On another tack, some artificial chelating agent, such as EDTA, might be very useful.

Hearsay just isn't a safe basis for guessing whether you are dealing with chlorine or chloramines. Please-- anyone-- correct me if I'm wrong!

C'mon gang, get some information. You're on the Web. This thread sounds like www.fishgeeks.com !

[thom336]

Ive used a whole load (depends where I get it as to whats available), and, although they basically all produce the same results, I would have to say that Aqua Plus is best.

[yhbae]

Chloramine does not evaporate from what I know. This is the main reason why I am continuing to use chemicals right now. (I guess it's time for me to pick up the phone and find out what our city adds to our tap?)

So if I want to go the cheapo way, I should be fine with using WD's Chloro-Out for regular water changes and ocasionally use one of the other products that removes metals etc... I want to keep chloro-removal chemical since ocasionally, I may not have a chance to let the water sit for 24 hours or more...

Just curious, what do Python users use? Are they pumping chlorine-filled water directly into the tank? Also, what do they do with the temperature difference? I guess you have to attach it to the tap that has both hot and cold water? (Don't like it since hot water tank often contains additional metals...)

[Slappy*McFish]

Originally posted by wetmanNY
Don't pay attention to our opinions. Go right to the manufacturers' websites and follow the best-presented honest science.

One stands out.

http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/rev-cond.htm

[BluEyes]

When I lived where there was chloramine in the water, I used AmQuel, and then Seachem Prime. Both worked fine (the fish looked happy). I think I'd lean towards the Prime if I had to use it again, since it takes so little to neutralize the bad stuff with it.

[wetmanNY]

That's the ticket, Slappy McFish! Now that's a water condirioner link!

.

.

...why didn't I already have it eh?....

[Matak]

Wetman, you have forced me off of my lazy butt to look it up for myself ;) Shame on you!

This is from the web pages of the San Diego Koi club (http://www.koiclubsandiego.org/H2oQual.html#CHLORAMINE):

CHLORAMINE

Chloramine is a compound of chlorine and ammonia that is also added to tap water to control bacteria. It can also be formed by adding water containing free chlorine to a pond containing ammonia. If any ammonia is present in a pond, be sure and treat it before adding any tap water containing chlorine. To determine if chloramine is in your tap water, fill a 5 gallon bucket with tap water, add the proper amount of chlorine neutralizer, and then test the water for ammonia using your ammonia test kit. Chloramine is present if a positive indication of ammonia is found. Chloramine is difficult to measure quantitatively in low concentrations, and particularly when a combination of chlorine and chloramine is present.

Now not all of us have ammonia in our water to test for chloramine so it is a reasonable argument that if we add ammonia in a measured amount, add our de-chloramine product and then test for ammonia, the results should tell us if we have chloramine in our water. Unfortuately, I am out of de-chlorinator at the moment and it is Labour day so I can't perform the test myself. If there is a flaw in my understanding, please correct me.

Acceptable concentration 0

Chloramine does not decrease concentration nearly as fast as chlorine when exposed to air. It produces the same general effects as chlorine but is usually found in the lower concentrations that result in long term damage to the fish. The same treatment actions as for chlorine apply except that the ammonia remains after neutralization. A "healthy" bio-converter will take care of the ammonia or a chemical treatment may be used. Some commercial products incorporate treatment to both neutralize the chlorine and bind the ammonia components at the same time. Check the manufacturer's directions.

Also, the few links to chloramine I checked varied greatly in the length of time that chloramine would dissapate naturaly in standing water, from a week to a few weeks. Does anyone have a firm understanding on this?

[WaterBaby]

Found this information after searching...

http://www.acwd.org/waterquality-chloramines.html

[anonapersona]

[i]Originally posted by Matak
Now not all of us have ammonia in our water to test for chloramine so it is a reasonable argument that if we add ammonia in a measured amount, add our de-chloramine product and then test for ammonia, the results should tell us if we have chloramine in our water. Unfortuately, I am out of de-chlorinator at the moment and it is Labour day so I can't perform the test myself. If there is a flaw in my understanding, please correct me.

[ [/B]

I think it would work better to take ammonia-free water, add a dechlorinator that removes chloramine, then test for ammonia using a Nessler based test (one tester bottle not two parts).

If ammonia appears where there was none before, it ought to be from the broken chloraimne.

[Matak]

Nevermind :o

[wetmanNY]

Water Baby, that Alameda County chloramine FAQ sheet you linked is really clear. I'm not living with chloraminated water, so I was surprised to learn that chloramines pass through a reverse osmosis membrane and that even boiling doesn't necessarily break the chlorine/ammonia bond.

Chloramines are in everyone's future, it looks like...

I think anonapersona got the test for chloraminated water right.

[anonapersona]

Oh, yipee, do I get a prize?

[Matak]

Originally posted by anonapersona
Oh, yipee, do I get a prize? Yes, you win an attaboy. Four attaboys will garner you a brownie point and you know what they are good for.

[anonapersona]

:D

[Speck]

I like Prime cause it does everything and only takes a few drops.

[Ricochet]

There is a newer version of Amquel, called Amquel Plus, that is supposed to detoxify NitrItes and NitrAtes, as well as Chlorine and Ammonia.

If anyone who has Amquel Plus would like to apply Anonapersona's logic (test some tank water for nitrites and nitrates before and after adding Amquel Plus), we could find out if it really does work, and to what degree.

[Andy16]

I just use novaqua i think. Ill probably get stress coat next since it is pretty popular it seems.