Treating my water change water question?

[PattyCakes81]

Hi guys,

It's been a long time since I've been on here. All my fish died . I took a long hiatus from the hobby.

Soon I will be starting over again. After I have fishless cycle my tank and went through all the stocking and planting and aquascaping etc.

My question is: can leaving the water stand for 24 hours and using activated carbon, can this replace using the dechlorinator?

I'm asking this because I would like to install a drip system directly connected to the water source. I would like to do something like in this video:

Any help and or tips is greatly appreciated,
Patty

 

[tanker]

My question is: can leaving the water stand for 24 hours and using activated carbon, can this replace using the dechlorinator?

My answer would be no. Today most water is treated with Chloramine, and not Chlorine.
Chloramine is much more stable, and treating over night with carbon will not remove it.
But, in a big enough tank, with a slow enough drip, the small amount of chloramine canl be handled by the BIO system.

 

[PattyCakes81]

My question is: can leaving the water stand for 24 hours and using activated carbon, can this replace using the dechlorinator?

My answer would be no. Today most water is treated with Chloramine, and not Chlorine.
Chloramine is much more stable, and treating over night with carbon will not remove it.
But, in a big enough tank, with a slow enough drip, the small amount of chloramine canl be handled by the BIO system.

Hi Tanker. Thanks for the help.

 

[smitty]

Check with your water supplier and find out if they use chlorine or chloromine. If it is chloromine it would take at least 5 days for it to vaporize.

 

[FreshyFresh]

Patti you've had a rough go for sure! Maybe making up your fresh water change water in advance is something to try. Let it sit with an air stone and/or power-head circulating it around.

Tanker, I'm not sure Chloramine is the norm for most areas?

 

[myswtsins]

It seems chloramine is becoming the norm these days because it is more stable and doesn't dissipate as quickly as chlorine. Good for it's intended purpose but making it more difficult on us fish keepers.

 

[fishorama]

Check with your water suppler, they probably have a web site to tell what they use. Both of our east coast towns still used chlorine...or did. When we first moved to the Boston area we were told they would definitely have to tell us well before they switched to chloramine. Ask!

24 hours might not be long enough even with just chlorine, maybe w/aeration, we used to let our sit (no aeration) for a week but never tested. But, like tanker said, if you're slowly dripping into a well planted tank it may not matter much. Carbon doesn't remove either AFAIK.

 

[myswtsins]

My water filtration company just confirmed for me today that activated carbon does remove chlorine and chloramine. I also found lots of references online stating that it does but I believe my water guy more.

 

[fishorama]

you're right myswtsins, I don't know what I was thinking

 

[Rbishop]

Carbon clogs quickly enough as it is from natural things we filter out. While chloramine may gas off over a really extended time of sitting, circulation and aeration, most folks don't have that much space to have tanks set up for repetitive changes or for many tanks.

A drip system does help with that...IF in a well established tank. Usually more work than it is worth for small tanks that most hobbyists have.

Regardless what they use for the treatment, chlorine/chloramine, check in person. Most municipalities here in the states also switch during the year and shock their system with the opposite.