Looking for Advice

[kaj41354]

I am currently setting up a 125g in our living room that is going to be a Tang Community. The question I have is in regards to water changes. I can do water changes with a python but I was concerned with the Chlorine in our water. I was looking at setting up a tank in the stand to age/heat the water and then pump it in but because of the way the stand is built (not by me) the largest tank I can fit in is a 10g. I even thought of setting a barrell in the basement below the tank but because of the location - I would spend a fortune on a pump large enough to pump to the tank. I am running out of ideas and would like some suggestions. I want to set this up soon!

Thanks all

Kurt

[emartin]

What fish are you keeping?

For all my tanks with puffers, catfish (ancistrus, phyllonemus, synodontis, etc), loaches (chromobotia and botia), cichlids, datnioides tiger fish, etc, I add tap water directly to the tank BUT dose my dechlorinator (ChlorAm-X) for the approximate amount I am replacing (I always round up/add extra) before it is finished filling up.

That way all the water gets dechlorinated as it gets added to the tank. I've never had any fish show any signs of stress, no losses, nothing. I emailed the maker of ChlorAm-X before and he said it is perfectly fine to do that but that if you don't know the exact amount of water you are replacing he recommended to dose for the whole tank volume.

For example; If I replace approximately 2/3 of tank volume for a 120g I'll dose for 90-100gal instead of exactly 2/3 of 120g which is 80g. That way if I am wrong I am safe. But either way with the amount of volume that fish, rocks, substrate, etc, take up if I went ahead and just dosed for 80g I likely would've been safe. Plus my tap water has a very small amount of chlorine concentration, no ammonia or chloramines.


But for say Brackish or Marine fish I would never add tap water directly to the tank, too many things can go wrong with the water chemistry let alone how sensitive some corals for example can be.

[kaj41354]

Ed,

We also only have Chlorine in small amounts. I was thinking Cyps, calvus, leleupi and a few others and would want to do a 20-25% change each week.

So you add the Chlor-Am-X as you are filling the tank?

That would be great if I can do it that way

[emartin]

Honestly the only time I'd bother using water storage tanks to dechlorinate water is if you have a large tank system/fish room going on and have a pump hooked up to do fast water changes in your tanks or if you have a monster fish tank and need to dechlorinate water as cheaply as possible.

If you do go that route, I'd check in monthly with your water company (at least quarterly if not monthly) to make sure they don't decide to add chloramines to the tap water. That's been happening a lot in the Maryland/D.C. area recently.

[Pete]

If you want to pre-mix the water, pick up a rubbermaid from Wally World and just bring it up to the lounge at water change time. Fill that and pump the water in with a not-so-expensive pump.

That's what I used to do when I had a big tank in my lounge. I drilled through the floor to run a hose through the basement to empty the water.. I had a 180 and I'm a firm believer in large water changes.

[emartin]

Ed,

We also only have Chlorine in small amounts. I was thinking Cyps, calvus, leleupi and a few others and would want to do a 20-25% change each week.

So you add the Chlor-Am-X as you are filling the tank?

That would be great if I can do it that way

Yes, but I dose the full amount I need (not in increments). So say with my example with my 120g if I do a 2/3 water change and overdose a bit to treat 100g instead of just 80g of added tapwater, I would dose 2.5tsp of ChlorAm-X which treats approximately 100g of chlorinated tapwater.

I wouldn't add like 1tsp first, then later while it is still filling dose another 1tsp, and then when I am done dose 1/2tsp. I would dose the full amount I need to dose first when I start refilling the tank.

Or you can just dose for the whole tank volume. ChlorAm-X is very safe and can be overdosed, it just stays active until it gets used up by detoxifying any free ammonia or chlorine still in the water.

[fischfan13]

ChlorAm-X is very safe and can be overdosed, it just stays active until it gets used up by detoxifying any free ammonia or chlorine still in the water.


ChlorAm-X would be my choice as well.
If you are changing 20g of water, I dose for 20g of water...not the entire tank.
I also wait until the entire tank is refilled before I add dechlorinator.

[kaj41354]

I am eventually going to put in some water treatment canisters to eliminate the chlorine anyway but in the meantime I just wanted to play it safe. I sure didn't want to kill any fish by doing water changes and wanted to lay it out before filling the tank.

Thanks everybody

[Charlutz]

Sorry, Kurt. I'd love to help but I still can't wrap my brain around a stand design for a 125g that can't fit more than a 10g beneath it. :confused3: Is it made of bricks? Poured concrete? You're only looking to change 30g at a time, can you not fit 3x10g's under there? There are some pretty decent rubbermaid sizes around. Maybe you can get one in there? Is it a problem of small doors and no opening in the back or sides? Can you not remove a side panel to get a tank in? Oh well, I'm sure you're right, but it's odd. I think many people add water and dechlor (Prime?) at the same time rather than aging their water. At least that's the way many interweb discussions go. Good luck with the solution.

[kaj41354]

Charlie,

I will post pictures later but, I think I will give it a shot with the Pythone. It has to do with the opening and the way the stand was built but, it works.

Sorry, Kurt. I'd love to help but I still can't wrap my brain around a stand design for a 125g that can't fit more than a 10g beneath it. :confused3: Is it made of bricks? Poured concrete? You're only looking to change 30g at a time, can you not fit 3x10g's under there? There are some pretty decent rubbermaid sizes around. Maybe you can get one in there? Is it a problem of small doors and no opening in the back or sides? Can you not remove a side panel to get a tank in? Oh well, I'm sure you're right, but it's odd. I think many people add water and dechlor (Prime?) at the same time rather than aging their water. At least that's the way many interweb discussions go. Good luck with the solution.

[phillyofish]

ChlorAM-X is the way to go. Never had any problems since. I add as I am putting water back in. A little goes a long way..