dechlorinating water for new tank

A

aimsz88

AC Members
Nov 7, 2004
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hello,


this has to be the dumbest newbie question...i've always used doc wellfish's (or something or other) dechlorinator for my various freshwater tanks, and it only says something about tropical fish on the back of the label, so i decided to err on the safe side and bought the kent ammonia detox which is primarily just for the chlorine and chloramines (was about the same price so i said what the heck). does it matter what dechlorinator you use?

now, i just started to set up my sw tank...got the sand and water in, filters and circulation going...and dumped some dechlorinator in. again, to be on the safe side, probably added twice as much as i needed. (i know, i'm just a little cautious) but the water still smells very much like chlorine, even after a few hours. is this supposed to happen?

i'm not going to salt until i figure this out! should i be mixing the chlorinator beforehand always? (for the first water in the tank i hooked up my hose to the sink and filled up the tank that way) i know i can't do that once i have live rock and fish in there...(i'll be using super nice water from my work laboratory anyways to top off, etc.) but i thought it would work for the first fill up. help...

:rolleyes:
 
Do you know if your water has chloramines, or just chlorine? If just chlorine, pretty much all dechlorinators will work, but I prefer those that don't have additives (like alow, etc) for 'slime coat'. If you have only chlorine, it will gas off under agitation, usually in 24 hours.

When you say 'probably'--are you measuring, or just doing a calibrated pour? Too much can be a problem. Have you looked at a water quality report to determine what else may have just been added to the tank?
 
water report...

los angeles is in the process of converting using chloramine instead of chlorine, and its a slow conversion until 2008, with no specifics of which areas that they've done so already.

the doc wellfish's dechlorinator specifies it takes care of chloramines, as well, so do you think that's ok?

you're right, i checked my water this morning and it didn't smell like chlorine. is there a chlorine test to be had at any lfs? none near me...

thanks!
 
Yes, you can purchase a chlorine test. I would call the utility directly and talk to them--they should be able to notify you of timing for the conversion, and also let you know how much they will be using to help you determine appropriate dosing. I'm not familiar with the Doc Wellfish product--I know Prime and Amquel are good products. Verify that it processes the ammonia as well as breaking the chloramine bond.
 
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