water changes

[wilson004]

i want to know how much dechlorinator to use when i do water changes.it says use 1 capful for every 10 gallons to remove chlorine, and 1 capful for every 5 gallons to remove chloramine.which 1 should i use?

 

[travelinman1969]

You need to test for both and see what the local water company puts in. They don't add either in my town.

 

[nursie]

Do you know which your water has? You can check with your local water company, or test with a kit. To be safe you can treat with the 1 cap per 5 gal, but why have a level of the chemical in the tank that you don't need to if you don't have to.
Also, when you do water changes, you just add to treat what you have added now, not the whole tank.

 

[Raskolnikov]

It would be good to find out what your water is treated with. A call to your local water utility should reveal this.

Also, when you do water changes, you just add to treat what you have added now, not the whole tank.

That's not necessarily true, if you add tapwater directly into a fishtank. The directions on the side of a good dechlorinator/dechloraminator should specify. PRIME is a very popular one on these boards, and directions say to base dose the full tank volume. Just one of a multitude of good reasons to use aging vessels for change water.

 

[wilson004]

it doesnt bother me how much i put in im not concerned about the $ for a bottle i just dont know if my water will go merky if i add what is not needed,thats my only concern.

 

[daveedka]

What brand of dechlorinator are you using?

In some cases such as "prime" a little extra won't hurt. if you are using stress coat the extra will cause trouble. additionally, if you don't know wheather or not you have chloramines, you really need to find out. despite product claims, there are only a couple that actually do deal with chloramines properly. If in doubt use prime per the directions and you'll be safe.
Dave