Simi Valley Water Question, Especially for Python Users

[serpentara]

I just got a new job in Moorpark and I am looking to move into the Simi Valley area.

Where I currently live (near LAX) the LFS says we have chloramines in the water so I can't use a python to pump water directly into my tank even if I have added the right amount of Amquel (or whatever dechlor) to it first. I must put the water/amquel into a trash can or bucket, then put it in the tank.

This is a royal pain in the rear, and I most likley will be moving into an apartment where I wont really have room to store a big trashcan to do this water decontamination process. Does anyone in Simi Valley/Moorpark area know if there are chloramines in the water? Can I put the water directly in the tank during water changes if I have already put in the right amount of Dechlor?

I love my Cichlids, and would hate to accidently kill them, so any advice from locals would be great. BTW this is a 100 gallon tank.

Thanks

[Pufferpoison]

if your not sure and don't want to kill the little fishies here's what i started doing. go to walmart and get a 30 gallon plastic tub (around $8 to $10) and make it's washed out. then go to http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=8164&N=2004+113041 and buy a pump. mine cost around 20 bucks and buy some plastic hose here :http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/NavResults.cfm?N=2004+113793 and get the right size tubing. so all you have to do now is have the 30 gallon tub fill with python, use declorinator and plug pump in and it's as easy as that. or buy enough tubing, fill bathtub (no soap scum) and put the pump in there. hope this helps

[beblondie]

Ummmmmmmm we have chlorimine in our water no idea what they told you but I add Prime water treatment as i add the water to the tank with my python.letting the water stand does nothing for the removal of chloramine-Anne

[Roan Art]

beblondie is correct, chloramines do not gas off at all. You will have to treat the water.

I have chloramines as well and I use my Python to fill the tank. The easiest way is to dose the tank for the full amount (100g) before you start adding the fresh water. I used to add it into the stream, but IME dosing before adding is easier. I use Prime exclusively unless the LFS is out. Then I use Amquel+. Both of these are known to handle chloramine properly. Chloramine is chlorine bound with ammonia. Prime and Amquel+ "unbind" it, remove the chlorine and render the ammonia into a harmless ionized form (NH4+). This form is not harmful to your fish and can still be used by bacteria and plants.

Just keep in mind that your test kit will most likely not be able to distinguish between chloramine and ammonia. Test the tap water (at least once a month in case the levels change) and see how much "ammonia" you are dealing with. Then test your tank after your water change. The amounts should be the same. This'll help if you ever happen to get an ammonia spike shortly after a water change, or are trying to cycle a new tank. You'll be able to tell if it's "normal" or something to worry about.

The ammonia reading will disappear from your tank in a couple of hours as it gets processed by the bacteria.

Hope that helps,
Roan

[raymond_h2002]

In reading over pufferpoison's post, I think that he described a process to dechloraminate the water before introducing it to the tank, as an extra precaution to help insure that the fish get exposed to less chloramines than when you fill up a pre-treated tank straight from the tap. I'm not sure how necessary this is. One could reduce the flow of the tap into the pre-treated tank, but then I always get fish that swim into the current and practically stay in the gravel vac while the tank is filling. I would think that those fish are getting exposed to a considerable amount of chloramines.

[Roan Art]

One could reduce the flow of the tap into the pre-treated tank, but then I always get fish that swim into the current and practically stay in the gravel vac while the tank is filling. I would think that those fish are getting exposed to a considerable amount of chloramines.I always flow the water onto one of my rather large rocks and they can't get into the tube. They swim in the flow that gushes around the rock instead.

If it were harmful, I'd have a lot of dead rainbowfish by now.

Roan

[carpguy]

What Roan said.

I add some Amquel straight into the tank and refill with the Python at a fairly modest pressure (for the plants' sake). Some of the fish like to surf in the current. Been doing that (almost) every week for over a year without a casualty.

[Drekkyk]

Treating the full 100G seems like it would get expensive if done on a weekly basis, plus that ends up being a lot of extra chemicals in the tank. Do you run carbon, or would you reccomend this for someone who isn't? I will be doing my first change this weekend with my python, but am not sure how I'm going to do it. My tap doesn't register any ammonia, but I'm sure its chlorinated. I guess I will have to get a big bucket if I don't want to treat the entire tank.

[raymond_h2002]

Cost isn't that bad even when dosing for the full 100g if you use Seachem Prime. One 500ml bottle will last you 50 weeks, close to a full year, for weekly dosings of 100g.

That one bottle will cost $9.99 online, and if you buy the bulk 2L version, that same 500ml would cost $7.50. For one year of weekly water changes.

If you are sure that your water is chlorinated and not treated with chloramines, you could buy sodium thiosulfate crystals (the active component of stresscoat and several other chlorine-only dechlorinators) and dissolve that in water. That would probably be the cheapest option for chlorinated water.

I think you can just predose the tank and fill straight from the tap with the python. Now that I think about it, I cant find asingle person so far has complained of fish deaths from this method.

[Roan Art]

I buy Prime by the gallon. Seriously :)

Dunno how two capfuls of Prime (from the 500ml bottle) could be considered expensive. That's all you really need to treat a 100g tank.

To break it down: a 500ml bottle. You use 10ml (two capfuls) for each water change. That's 50 water changes. Almost a year. My 500ml bottle was $17 from the LFS. You can get it MUCH cheaper on line.

Heh, my 1 gallon jug of Prime was 90$. Never buying that from the LFS again.

Personally, I wouldn't bother asking the water company if they use chloramines. Most of the either do, or are switching, or do so during the winter months only. Fairfax Co., VA uses chlorine in the summer and chloramine in the winter.

Why worry? Just use Prime or Amquel and there's no worries.

Roan