nzfishkeeper Posted January 27, 2013 Report Share Posted January 27, 2013 What does everyone here use as a dechlorinator/water Conditioner? I have been using Tetra Aquasafe plus, which I have found great but it is nearing the bottom of my bottle. I priced up the Aquasafe which is $37.95 for a 500ml bottle which is quite pricey so I am looking to see what others recommend at a decent price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted January 27, 2013 Report Share Posted January 27, 2013 You will probably get heaps of responses but one thing to bear in mind with the price is that while one brand in a 500ml bottle may treat say 5000 litres another brand in a 500ml bottle might treat 9000 litres so it might, in the long run, be more economical to pay a higher amount for a bottle that will go further. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
critter_crazy Posted January 27, 2013 Report Share Posted January 27, 2013 I love Seachem Prime. Treats 200L per 5ml whereas API Stresscoat, Nutrafin Aquaplus etc. only treats around 40L per 5ml :thup: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disgustipated Posted January 27, 2013 Report Share Posted January 27, 2013 when doing 25% water changes i use the cheapest of them all - none. but for bigger changes, the cheapest i have found is aqua one water conditioner. $5 bottle treats ~600 litres Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted January 27, 2013 Report Share Posted January 27, 2013 When the council chlorinated the water supply during the quakes I used sodium thiosulphate xtals that cost me $10/kg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nzfishkeeper Posted January 27, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2013 I guess it will be easiest to just go into a pet shop and read the back of the labels to find the best one, Thanks for your the help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F15hguy Posted January 27, 2013 Report Share Posted January 27, 2013 If you want to go really cheap I think you can purchase bulk Sodium Thiosulphate some one on here was selling some a few months back Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disgustipated Posted January 28, 2013 Report Share Posted January 28, 2013 you can always just let your water sit in a sunny place for a day or two before using it. should dechlorinate itself. for even better results, put a bubbler in there as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aotealotl Posted January 28, 2013 Report Share Posted January 28, 2013 :gpo2: that's exactly what I am doing as the Axolotl do not endure any kind of water conditioner at all as it does harm them... (it is not standing in the sun but the bubbler is running non stop and every time I take some water out I just refill it) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted January 28, 2013 Report Share Posted January 28, 2013 me too - for my bugs pond top up and black worms I leave a bucket with no additives out overnight and use that. When there is rain I use rain water with no additives for my rasboras and CPDs. For tap water I used to use API Stresscoat but this time around have switched to Prime, and I use barely any as it is more concentrated and my tanks are small. I don't know if one does a better job than another. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F15hguy Posted January 28, 2013 Report Share Posted January 28, 2013 If your council is using Chloramine, it breaks down in UV light, but it can release small amounts of ammonia. supposedly Chloramine has a half life of around 23-25 days btw, i've never had trouble with Axo's and Water conditioner..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted January 28, 2013 Report Share Posted January 28, 2013 No councils in NZ use chloramine. They are required by the Dep of Health to use chlorine. Chloramine is a biproduct of using chlorine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F15hguy Posted January 28, 2013 Report Share Posted January 28, 2013 thats good, I didn' know that... funny though when reading they guidelines I found this As such, fish hobbyists should be notified, along with pet stores and aquarium supply establishments (USEPA 1999). they really do care Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaSa Posted January 28, 2013 Report Share Posted January 28, 2013 My water conditioner: 100l drum with selfmade level indicator. Cut a lid out of the top and attach hinges; lid helps to keep humidity down. Use old juice bottle and drill holes in bottom & big hole for pipe in lid. Fill with stones, activated charcoal, oyster shells and a bit of the white filter stuff on top to keep erverything in place. Insert pipe in lid, add a air stone and some airline and hook it up to your airpump. The air takes water up the pipe and it starts circulating through the bottle & drum. On it's way it flows through the filter media and get's rid of chlorine + gets a bit harder in my case. I also add 1 teaspoon of salt per 10l (thats why I need the level indicator). If I do waterchanges I use the cheap submersible pump that lives in the drum, a few meters of hose & a waterer from the warehouse. I then re-fill the drum with tap water and by the time the next waterchange is due the water is free of chlorine, the salt is well disolved and the water has the same temperature as the air = same temperature as the tanks... Cheers, JaSa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nzfishkeeper Posted January 28, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2013 My water conditioner: 100l drum with selfmade level indicator. Cut a lid out of the top and attach hinges; lid helps to keep humidity down. Use old juice bottle and drill holes in bottom & big hole for pipe in lid. Fill with stones, activated charcoal, oyster shells and a bit of the white filter stuff on top to keep erverything in place. Insert pipe in lid, add a air stone and some airline and hook it up to your airpump. The air takes water up the pipe and it starts circulating through the bottle & drum. On it's way it flows through the filter media and get's rid of chlorine + gets a bit harder in my case. I also add 1 teaspoon of salt per 10l (thats why I need the level indicator). If I do waterchanges I use the cheap submersible pump that lives in the drum, a few meters of hose & a waterer from the warehouse. I then re-fill the drum with tap water and by the time the next waterchange is due the water is free of chlorine, the salt is well disolved and the water has the same temperature as the air = same temperature as the tanks... Cheers, JaSa Great little setup you have there, may have to look into setting up a similar setup myself, where did you get the drum? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaSa Posted January 28, 2013 Report Share Posted January 28, 2013 where did you get the drum? RD1, Wrightsons, Farmlands, ... and pick up some clear, non-toxic tube while you are there. Much more flexible + thicker then garden hose. You will get drums for a $5 donation for the social club. Acid drums are easier to clean then drums with teatspray. Make sure you rinse 3-4 times and then let water sit in the drum for a few days and rinse again. I would go for a 200l drum now which would safe me filling up all the time... JaSa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randomsam1001 Posted April 6, 2013 Report Share Posted April 6, 2013 I love Seachem Prime. Treats 200L per 5ml whereas API Stresscoat, Nutrafin Aquaplus etc. only treats around 40L per 5ml :thup: +1, it's nice and powerful Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted April 6, 2013 Report Share Posted April 6, 2013 +1, it's nice and powerful Hmmm, At those dosages and using the largest bottles(on HFF's website) assuming those are the cheapest per volume... Seachem Prime 250ml bottle costs $34.30 to treat 10,000 Liters making it .34 cents per liter API Stresscoat 1.89L costs $57.50 to treat 15,140 Liters making it .38 cents per liter. So, pretty much the same price but stresscoat claims to be good for the whole replacing the slime coat and stress thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rouseabout Posted April 7, 2013 Report Share Posted April 7, 2013 I Hmmm, At those dosages and using the largest bottles(on HFF's website) assuming those are the cheapest per volume... Seachem Prime 250ml bottle costs $34.30 to treat 10,000 Liters making it .34 cents per liter API Stresscoat 1.89L costs $57.50 to treat 15,140 Liters making it .38 cents per liter. So, pretty much the same price but stresscoat claims to be good for the whole replacing the slime coat and stress thing. So if I have a UV purifier running do I need to treat tap water when doing small water changes (up to 20%)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted April 7, 2013 Report Share Posted April 7, 2013 Copied from a previous post & edited: When you add chlorine to water you get hypochlorous acid which reacts with nitrogen compounds like ammonia,urea and the amines (in all proteins) and forms monochloramine. When you add more chlorine you get dichloramine and even more you get trichloramine. All these (and other reactions) form part of the "chlorine demand" in the water. You cannot get free available chlorine until this "chlorine demand" is satisfied. Therefore when the reaction is pushed towards trichloramine there will be virtually no monochloramine present. In some states in the US they treat the water with monochloramine (made by reacting chlorine with ammonia) because chlorine will react with other impurities in the water and form some compounds that are not so nice (such as acetone) where as monochloramine will not. Monochloramine is not as effective in treating water as chlorine which is used in NZ but is still a strong oxidising agent. When people complain that the chlorine in a swimming pool is too strong and it is burning their eyes the problem usually is that the free available chlorine has been used up by contaminants in the water (such as urea) and this has pushed the chloramines back towards the monochloramine and this is what is burning their eyes. The problem is fixed by adding more chlorine. When you allow water to stand or aerate it to get rid of the chlorine the chloramines all move back to monochloramine and this will react with your fish the same as an under chlorinated swimming pool will with your eyes. Chlorine and all chloramines can be converted to more harmless chemicals with the addition of sodium thiosulphate which is the active ingredient you are buying from the petshop with dechlorinating products. Drinking water will contain various impurites that add to the chlorine demand and will form chloramines and other compounds. Ammonia is a bi product of the reaction when adding thiosulphate to chlorinated water. Chlorine only is used to sanitize water supplies in NZ and when you add chlorine you will always get chloramines unless you use distilled water. _________________ Alan NZKA 56 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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