# Other Aquarium Forums > Fish Care, Nutrition and Water Management >  Poll: Anti Chlorine & Chloramine

## dbcyeo

I know this has been discussed a number of times before. But recently I had a discussion with an experienced hobbist who highlighted that anti-chlorine and chloramine is not necessary depending on where you stay. The hobbist even proudly proclaimed that his collection of fishes is doing well.

I hope that this poll will shed some light on the use of anti-chlorine and chloramine practised by the forum users and the reason for using it. Secondly, I do hope that current and future hobbist do understand why they are treating the water if the discussions in this thread is fruitful.

Other comments and discussion is more than welcome.

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## dbcyeo

Just to share my personal fish keeping experience on using anti chlorine. 

When I first started out fish keeping, I didn't always use anti-chlorine. Although my fishes do survive during the water changes, there were frequent casualties. My goldfishes and bettas that were more hardy usually survived these water changes. However, I do note that over time that my goldfishes do lose their liveliness and shine on their scales. And for bettas, you can actually see a drastic degrading of it's form and color over time.

While I can't say I know the scientific reason for using anti-chlorine, I found that it helps improve the health of my fish when the water is treated.

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## yorky

Err.. what about "I don't use it because I am lazy but I do know the benefits of it?"

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## benny

> Err.. what about "I don't use it because I am lazy but I do know the benefits of it?"


Sounds like someone I know!!

On a more serious note, our water is heavily treated and is not the most ideal for fishes. That's why discus/guppy breeders uses carbon block filtration to try to remove the chlorine, chloramine as well as heavy metals. Makes a world of difference to your livestocks.

Cheers,

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## kuku

Normally I don't use. I don't believe in adding chemical into my tank.

However I will drip the water slowly into my tank when strong air bubbles...

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## mickthefish

if thats the case kuku why not invest in a water purifier, ive been using one for the past 10 yrs and don't have any probs about chlorine or heavy metals or bugs coming through the water supply, or if you can afford it an RO unit is the best of all.
mick

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## dbcyeo

Actually, kuku's system does work if the water is only treated by chlorine. but i'm not sure that chloramine can be dissipated so easily.

There's many ways to treat the water and using chemicals is definitely not the only way.

The reason I started this post is share my experience. It's kinda of sad to see some hobbyists with so many of their fishes passing on and some of which most of us in Singapore can only dream of due to its rarity here. 

I also believe if we post our experiences, it will also give new hobbists an idea or insight to some of our costly mistakes in the past and learn.

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## kuku

> if thats the case kuku why not invest in a water purifier, ive been using one for the past 10 yrs and don't have any probs about chlorine or heavy metals or bugs coming through the water supply, or if you can afford it an RO unit is the best of all.
> mick


Hi, i have not been dosing anit-C for the pass few yrs for my Arowana tank...
not very sure abt planted tank cos still very very new... :Embarassed:  


Thanks

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## kuku

> Actually, kuku's system does work if the water is only treated by chlorine. but i'm not sure that chloramine can be dissipated so easily.
> 
> There's many ways to treat the water and using chemicals is definitely not the only way.
> 
> The reason I started this post is share my experience. It's kinda of sad to see some hobbyists with so many of their fishes passing on and some of which most of us in Singapore can only dream of due to its rarity here. 
> 
> I also believe if we post our experiences, it will also give new hobbists an idea or insight to some of our costly mistakes in the past and learn.


btw, i do age my water....my its only 10% of what i change...so, the other 10% is slowly pump into the main tank with anti C. and the age water i do not does anti C....
Thanks

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## citizen

Just based on my casual observation, y618 don't seem to be using antichlorine and the fish seem to be fine so it may be true it depends on area. I do use antichlorine though, just to play safe.  :Smile:

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## kuku

> Just based on my casual observation, y618 don't seem to be using antichlorine and the fish seem to be fine so it may be true it depends on area. I do use antichlorine though, just to play safe.


i guess their water are aged....

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## citizen

I don't think so, esp when they come straight from the tap... :Razz:

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## kuku

> I don't think so, esp when they come straight from the tap...


opss....sorry...didn't sees that though. :Grin:

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## planted86

> i guess their water are aged....



you mean if you aged the water the chlorine and chloramine and the other heavy metals will disappear by itself??

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## kuku

> you mean if you aged the water the chlorine and chloramine and the other heavy metals will disappear by itself??


did i say that?  :Shocked:

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## MIZU

for me i use it to play safe.. :Smile:

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## solonavi

Not sure if any of u read this article written for Marine Hobbist. Its a well written article on chlorine and chloramine. http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/20...ture/index.php

"How much chloramine should one allow into an aquarium? That, of course, depends on what is in the aquarium. In the absence of knowing the toxicity of chloramine to every inhabitant of the aquarium (or of even knowing the identity of every inhabitant), it seems prudent to have chloramine levels far below those where the most sensitive organisms are killed, and that chloramine concentration is somewhere well below 0.005 ppm-Cl. The value suggested by Environment Canada seems like a reasonable maximum.

There is, however, substantial uncertainty in deciding exactly which levels are acceptable and which are not, since there is so little data available. Perhaps the acceptable levels for daily exposures during the entire lifetime of an organism needs to be even lower than this value. After all, some organisms live quite a long time, and presumably we are interested in preventing all toxicity, not just death. It is apparent from the data in Table 1 that the longer the exposure, the lower the toxic levels become. In the end, we are limited by the available data and also by the ability of aquarists to measure chloramine itself.

This target of 0.005 ppm-Cl or less does not necessarily imply that all water used for aquaria must be that low. For example, an aquarium that tops off 2% of the tank volume daily (to replace evaporated water) will not have a chloramine concentration equal to the top off water. It will, however, have fresh chloramine added every day. Even if the chloramine added each day is broken down in the aquarium before the next addition (something that is likely, but not demonstrated for aquaria), then if the top off water contained 4 ppm chloramine, the aquarium would be boosted to 0.08 ppm every day. That level appears to be well above the danger zone for many invertebrates. Consequently, aquarists need to be aware of the chloramine levels in water that they use to replace evaporated water. Similar, and even more stringent, concerns would apply to water used for water changes or in setting up a new aquarium.'

Cheers
JC

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## solonavi

One more thing that have been on my mind, since Chloramine is chlorine + NH3, could this be the reason why some of us is experiencing cloudly water after doing large water change (when we also added anti-chlorine which effectively only remove chlorine and not the NH3)?

JC

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## Shaihulud

I would rather not have chloramine in my water, but i do not use any pills to get rid of them. I usually agitate my water for use in wc and let it age for a day or two. I am curious about the antiseptic capabilities of chloramine, if it was so inert, then it would be useless. I am of the opinion that it is the gradual breakdown and release of chlorine from chloramine that constitutes its anti bacterial properties. I can't think the gradual breakdown into ammonia and chlorine is good for the fish, but its somewhat overblown.

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## Shadow

I'm using water after pass through the drining water filter, something like "Diamond water" type of filter. It is suppose to remove Chlorine, Chloramine, etc. However I need to add some trace fert.

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## ronald_t80

ermm i reside in pasir ris....i just add in water straight from my tap and everythings seems fine. BUT my colleague who stay in CCK expereince lots of casuaties in his 4 feet tank after every water change if he didnt add any *Anti Chlorine.* He even try ageing his water for 2 days but the outcome still the same....anyone from that area experience this too???

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## doppelbanddwarf

For me i usually use Seachem Prime to play safe.

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## ljsg

My tank at tampines only gets about 1/5 water change every 2 weeks. water would have been left over-night without additional chemicals.
there was once when i use anti-chlorine because my friend asked me to, but i find my fishes get sick easier.

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## XnSdVd

Strange, i was under the impression that chloramine stayed in the water permanently. Chlorine on the other hand, evaporates over a few days. Could someone confirm this?

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## oblivion

> Strange, i was under the impression that chloramine stayed in the water permanently. Chlorine on the other hand, evaporates over a few days. Could someone confirm this?


thats my understanding as well
chloramine does not evaporate away over time like chlorine does
thats why i add seachem prime just for the chloramine

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## XnSdVd

And with that understanding, does that mean everyone else who's been aging their water has been doing so in vain? 

I used carbon filtration myself. It was after i realized that adding anything to the water would cause the TDS reading to increase. That in turn makes it harder for fish to breathe.

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## oblivion

> And with that understanding, does that mean everyone else who's been aging their water has been doing so in vain?


i aint so sure actually
but what ive read of about chloramine states that its either very hard or impossible to evaporate from the water directly
thats y i add seachem prime
but then again there are people who do perfectly fine without additives

from personal experience, if i dun add additives the shrimps tend not to do too well.
the galaxies (or celestials if you prefer) are perfectly fine either way so far

probably has to do with water quality in the area (woodlands/admiralty for me) as well as the fauna type and filter arrangement i guess

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## XnSdVd

So does seachem prime help the chloramine evaporate or does it just make it inert/not harmful to the fauna.

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## oblivion

> So does seachem prime help the chloramine evaporate or does it just make it inert/not harmful to the fauna.


the bottle says it "removes chlorine, chloramine and ammonia and detoxifies nitrate and nitrite"

how it goes about doing that i wouldn't know  :Razz:

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## Quixotic

Aging water? I never do that anymore, just add water directly in the tank.  :Razz: 

Prime FAQ




> *Q:I tested my tap water after using Prime and came up with an ammonia reading. Is this because of chloramine? Could you explain how this works in removing chloramine?*
> 
> A: Prime works by removing chlorine from the water and then binds with ammonia until it can be consumed by your biological filtration (chloramine minus chlorine = ammonia). The bond is not reversible and ammonia is still available for your bacteria to consume. Prime will not halt your cycling process. 
> 
> I am going to assume that you were using a liquid based reagent test kit (Nessler based, silica). Any type of reducing agent or ammonia binder (dechlorinators, etc) will give you a false positive. You can avoid this by using our Multitest Ammonia kit (not affected by reducing agents) or you can wait to test, Prime dissipates from your system within 24 hours.


From San Francisco Public Utilities Commission: How is Chloramine removed from water by private citizens as well as industry?

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## Shaihulud

Chloramine does break down, into ammonia and chlorine, both which readily evaporates, it just takes a long time for it to break down. Many popular dechlorinators are actually sodium thiosulfate or bisulfate, sodium is very reactive so it forms into NaCl releasing ammonium hydroxide and sulfate, so if your tank stinks after dechlorinating, then you know what has happened. There are chemical agents that breaks down chloramine and renders the ammonia and chlorine harmless, dunno what are the chemical content. 



> how it goes about doing that i wouldn't know


Exactly why i skeered to put into my tank, just replacing one chemical with another.

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## XnSdVd

Hmm... Primes sounds like an extremely effective product. Removes chloramine AND it doesn't affect the TDS of the water. Perfect for breeders who want plain old H2O at the end of the day.

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## oblivion

except for inorganic ferts, i try not ot add anythin to my tank
prime came into the picture when well as i said my shrimps started not doing too well whenever water change (30% weekly)

now i used aged (1-2 days) water plus prime (just before water change) and everything's all rosy

so far its a pretty good product in my experience
cheap too... not much quantity needed considering the volume of water
i dose according to the instructions and a bottle can last pretty long

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## bettasrcool_01

I just use the Tetra water Conditioner. But I think I used too much, might explain why I've lost 4 goldfish.

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## StanChung

Will be on the lookout this Aquarama for coconut shell carbon blocks 0.5 micron for my fishkeeping needs. Takes out both chloramine and heavy metals.

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## blackBRUSHalgae

> Will be on the lookout this Aquarama for coconut shell carbon blocks 0.5 micron for my fishkeeping needs. Takes out both chloramine and heavy metals.


Is that the same as AMDUS 0.5 Micron carbon filter cartridges, which is used in those plastice cylindrical tap water filter system?

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## luenny

> Will be on the lookout this Aquarama for coconut shell carbon blocks 0.5 micron for my fishkeeping needs. Takes out both chloramine and heavy metals.


Stan,
I think those are active carbon filters and you have to really watch out for the lifespan. Use it too long and it will release the chemicals back into the water instead of absorbing them. 

Some discus hobbist that I know change their carbon block every month. But then they do 100% water change everyday for 10 or so 3 ft tanks.  :Grin:  

- Luenny

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## StanChung

Luenny, 
Yes that's why need to keep a few blocks standby.

Derrick, not sure if that's the one but you can ask them for clarification.

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## bay4215

I think it depends very much on the kind of fishes that you keep. I stay Jurong and only use water conditioners for my tanks with the more sensitive inhabitants. I do water change straight from the tap. 

Using Seachem Prime (there have numerous discussions on the best/value for money conditioner in other forums and this has come out tops), not only for the anti-chloramine but also to take out the nitrates, nitrites and heavy metals.

Main thing is to understand what your conditioner does (diff brands diff range of purposes) and what are your needs, or rather your fishes' requirements.

Cheers and have fun!

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## blackBRUSHalgae

I live in Siglap area and if I do not age my water even though I used Seachem Prime, direct top up from the tap will definitely kill some of my shrimps ( yamato and cherry.) Recently I tried direct top up with AMDUS 2 stage filtration with 5 micron sediment and 0.5 micron carbon catridges. Water flow was adjusted to very slow on top up and with direct dosing of *Nutrafin* Aqua Plus. I notices that my shrimps, especially cherry, are getting side effects probably from the chlorine and chloramine. They are either swimming desperately or stoning. Eventually a couple of them died over a period of 3 hours. This is really frustrating.  :Sad:

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## PLee

i dont use cause i have age water tank in store room

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## kietgnoel

I use it during every water change and when setting up new tanks.

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## blackghost

but the problem is.

chlorine dissapate over time.. thus better to aged water. 

but the new addition chloromaine doesn't and need the anti-chlorine&chloromaine to remove... 

for me, there was a difference, before i used.. fishes die unexpectedly. now.. the tank seems peaceful.

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## Interestor

is a good practise to use anti-chlorine&chloromaine solution NOW.
you may not know what/when PUB going to add extra minerals in our local water tomorrow  :Jump for joy:  

CHeers..

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## PinGer

guys for new tank and waterchange ah just add anti chlorine and anti chloromine I dont need to age the water anymore right?

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## Quixotic

If your fishes are hardy, then you may not wish to age the water. However, for more sensitive fishes, some aquarists will still take the time to age the water as additional precautions.

For new tanks however, I don't quite understand the need to age the water in the first place. This is because you will need to let your tank go through the nitrogen cycle before adding any fishes.

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## simplydiscus

aging water remove chlorine and aerating remove chloromine

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## simplydiscus

almost all discus breeders just use a simple sponge filter  :Shocked: 




> Sounds like someone I know!!
> 
> On a more serious note, our water is heavily treated and is not the most ideal for fishes. That's why discus/guppy breeders uses carbon block filtration to try to remove the chlorine, chloramine as well as heavy metals. Makes a world of difference to your livestocks.
> 
> Cheers,

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## simplydiscus

it should be very safe since we can drink directly from the tap except for those "sensitive" fish . . just my 2 cents  :Grin: 




> is a good practise to use anti-chlorine&chloromaine solution NOW.
> you may not know what/when PUB going to add extra minerals in our local water tomorrow  
> 
> CHeers..

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## potato

i uses anti-chlorine&chloromaine solution as i dun keep aged water

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## bossteck

> aging water remove chlorine and aerating remove chloromine


I don't think this is accurate. 
The whole idea of using cholramine in water treatment is that it does not get dissipated easily.

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## StanChung

Just keep a simple chlorine tester handy if unsure. 
Chlorine is the deadly substance. The 'amine' is there to keep the chlorine in the water longer.

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## Fuzzy

I can't believe that people still do not think that chlorine and chloramine are things you never want to be adding into your aquarium.

A $5.00 bottle of antichlorine/anti-chloramine goes a long way, do not skimp on this. 

If you think its bad to be adding chemicals to your water to remove the chlorine / chloramine, you need to do more research on its effects and the comparatively harrmless chemical reactions involved in removing it.

Age your water whenever possible, IN ADDITION to treating it with anti-chlorine/chloramine. 


For those too lazy to do the reading, in summary:

- Chlorine and chloramine kills stuff that lives in water, including your fauna.
- Chlorine and chloramine will poison your fauna slowly if they do not die immediately.
- Your flora and fauna will do better without chlorine/chloramine in your system.
- Aging and aerating the water is not an effective method of removing chloramine.
- Chemically removing the chlorine / chloramine is better than leaving it in the water.
- Activated carbon filtration is good, but you need to change filters regularly.


Super condensed version:

Chlorine / Chloramine - BAD
Aging Chloraminated water without treatment- BAD

Distilled Water - GOOD 
Anti-Chlorine/Chloramine - GOOD
Carbon Filtration - GOOD

What kind of responsible aquarist doesn't already know all this?
This is not marketing spiel or superstition, this is chemistry, and biology.



More reading if you're so inclined.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chloramine
http://www.h2ou.com/h2wtrqual.htm#Chlorine
http://www.bio-elite.com/chlorine_faq.htm
http://www.petplace.com/fish/chlorin...ity/page1.aspx
http://theaquariumwiki.com/Chloramine

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## Aria

> I can't believe that people still do not think that chlorine and chloramine are things you never want to be adding into your aquarium.
> 
> A $5.00 bottle of antichlorine/anti-chloramine goes a long way, do not skimp on this. 
> 
> If you think its bad to be adding chemicals to your water to remove the chlorine / chloramine, you need to do more research on its effects and the comparatively harrmless chemical reactions involved in removing it.
> 
> Age your water whenever possible, IN ADDITION to treating it with anti-chlorine/chloramine. 
> 
> 
> ...


 
Thanks for the summary. Can't agree with you more  :Grin:

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## XnSdVd

That myth about aerating water to remove chloramine is still around?! I'm guessing you heard that from the LFS guy...

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## ranmaru1987

i definitely use it everytime i do a wc..

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## tinydot

just curious...do you add those anti solutions after adding water inside tank, or add to pails of water before adding to tank?

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## XnSdVd

Tiny, no harm in adding them directly to the tank, but the dosage should be based on the amount of tap water you're adding. The chemical itself evaporates with the chlorine and chloramine or, ends up being broken down by your nitrifying bacteria in the filter. 

And on the topic of "It's safe for fish because I can drink the water" I feel I should point out several flaws in that line of reasoning before either the pet owner or the pet gets killed; 

1) Fish can breathe perfectly well in water that will kill you.

2) Humans can take 20x more Cu in our drinking water than fish and crustaceans can breathe without dying. 

3) Dogs & cats die from eating chocolate, try to apply this logic of being different species to your aquarium.

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## God of tank

> One more thing that have been on my mind, since Chloramine is chlorine + NH3, could this be the reason why some of us is experiencing cloudly water after doing large water change (when we also added anti-chlorine which effectively only remove chlorine and not the NH3)?
> 
> JC


 Thanks for the info , bro

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## eric2010

I cannot imagine myself aging 150 liters of water weekly on my 600litres tank .

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## stormhawk

If you have hardy fishes then using the water conditioner like Seachem Prime should suffice. Note, doing this may cause some of your plants to melt, as different plants react differently to freshly treated water. The problem here is the resulting ammonia after the breakdown of the tap water with these conditioners. However, of late I feel the addition of NEWater to our tap water is having an effect on our livestock. It brings to mind that the concentration of chloramine used to treat our water may have increased, given that NEWater is basically recycled from waste water.

The use of an RO unit as mentioned may be wise but the eventual need to treat the purified water with minerals and additives to make it suitable for use with fishes MAY defeat the purpose.

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## ahhian

For topping up water, not necessary. However, for a 25% water change and above, a high quality water conditioner that removes chlorine, chloramine, and ammonia (breakdown product of chloramine) certainly does more good than harm. People who claimed that their fish is alright after a water change without using water conditioner cannot guarantee that their fish is totally unscathed. It may be still alive, but the adverse affect may not be obvious, until this process is repeated in the long run. They only claim that their fish can take it, but they never revealed when their fish, after months, or even years of torture, finally gave up the will to live under this incorrect husbandry.

I have tried listening to those who claim that water conditioner after water change is not necessary, and I paid dearly for that mistake. Even using a water conditioner that does not remove ammonia is not recommended, bacause our tap water contains chloramine. I can totally see the effect when I switched to water conditioners that removes ammonia other than chlorine and chloramine, at 30% water change, on my rams and corydoras. They are life-savers.

Yes, they are that sensitive. Even when they do not show, it does not mean that it is alright. If you truly wants the best for your fish, do the right thing.

ahhian

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## ahhian

Some things in life just cannot be skimped on. A good quality water conditioner is one of them, and comes a long way.

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## edw7636

well, if you have a 3ft tank and below. Doing 10 to 20% daily is not that much at all  :Smile:  The most 1 and a half pail of water only  :Smile: 

Many expert worldwide has been reporting 10 to 20% wc dont have to use anti clorine as it will not effect much on the fish ( provided your tank has matured enough ).

But if your fish experincing erratic behaviour then a slight dose is recommended. And if your are really serious about the chlorine dosage . You might wanna check with town council or similar dept to check when they will be dosing the chlorine every weekly. For mine, its at every thurs,so if im doing wc ,i would skip that day and wait a few days before any major wc.

And also if you are living in HDB flats like most of us. first floor to 5 floor,the water flows from below the pipe and 6th to 10th floor and above and from the top. Determine the concentrated amt and judge for yourself  :Smile: 

Leaving the water overnight might reduce chlorine but chloromine is more deadly . So if you are doing major wc like 50% or more. Better to use dechlorinated solution to be safe  :Smile:

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## newlife

> Just based on my casual observation, y618 don't seem to be using antichlorine and the fish seem to be fine so it may be true it depends on area. I do use antichlorine though, just to play safe.


Ya...they does direct top up or wc with direct tap...but they add some stuff like crystal salt (like rock sugar)...don't know what's that...into the tank before adding in water.

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## stormhawk

The stuff in question could just be sodium thiosulfate in crystal form, which is basically what is contained in anti-chlorine solution.

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## icefire

> I know this has been discussed a number of times before. But recently I had a discussion with an experienced hobbist who highlighted that anti-chlorine and chloramine is not necessary depending on where you stay. The hobbist even proudly proclaimed that his collection of fishes is doing well.
> 
> I hope that this poll will shed some light on the use of anti-chlorine and chloramine practised by the forum users and the reason for using it. Secondly, I do hope that current and future hobbist do understand why they are treating the water if the discussions in this thread is fruitful.
> 
> Other comments and discussion is more than welcome.


 for monster keepers, some of them have been training fishes to be used to the chlorine/chloramine since day 1. for my area in jurong, water pH and chlorine is not that strong enough for 20% change in water to add anti-chlorine. however more water is to be change then i will add in some antichlorine as its better to be safe then sorry.

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## morning breakfast eat

I use ocean free anti chlorine. One dollar only  :Very Happy:

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## icefire

be careful with dosing that. heard of people having fatalities when using that for their monster fishes...

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## morning breakfast eat

Monster fish is big fish?

Anyone here has bad exp with oceanfree anti chlorine? share please

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## stormhawk

Monster fish usually applies to big predatory fishes like stingrays etc.

Ocean Free Anti Chlorine only removes chlorine I think. Nothing on the packaging states anything about ammonia, at least the last time I used it. I believe it only contains a solution of sodium thiosulfate, and nothing else, though going by a post in AF, you need to use a higher dosage as compared to some other brands, since it's probably quite diluted.

In any case, I stopped using OF stuff a long time ago.

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## opt1c8n

I could never keep my otos alive until I started using Prime

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## icefire

> I could never keep my otos alive until I started using Prime


 did you overdose it? we normally dose by adding in prime/antichlorine before adding in the new water.. did you do it the other way?  :Wink:

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## Ron

For me- Seachem Prime :Well done:

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## stormhawk

I tested Seachem Prime today with a sample of my tap water with before and after readings. Strange thing was, before I applied Seachem Prime, chlorine test came up negative. After application, same result. I did a second round of tests and still the same result. Tested for ammonia also before and after application, 0ppm on both tests.

I should do a test tomorrow just to be sure.

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## icefire

what about chloramines? is there any tests to find out how much is present? highly suspects that chlorine is not use anymore but instead chloramines used instead as it is more stable..

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## stormhawk

It is supposedly able to measure chloramines too but upon reading some very old threads from the past, the kit is not very accurate. I will try again with a weak solution of bleach. Hopefully the reagent reacts or it's a waste of money. In any event, I still add Prime each time I top up or change water.

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## Adam_80

Chlorine can be dissipate through bubbling. However, the bonding between chloramine are much stronger and hence require the treatment by commercial product, anti-chlorine. The water from pub already has been treated with chemical hence swearing by the old method of going natural is therefore irrelevant in this scenario. Why sAve that few dollars and risk casualties?

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## stormhawk

The concentration of chloramine present in the water is not constant on a day to day basis, thus making dosage a bit tricky. Not all dechlorinators are made the same, with some having a higher or lower concentration of sodium thiosulfate, and some without the other chemicals needed to break down chloramine into chlorine and ammonia. So it's not a matter of saving money, but rather which product is worth your money.

In any event, running the water through a carbon and zeolite filter in a circulating system away from the actual aquarium before being used for water changes is best if one is fearful of the presence of chloramines, or just rely on remineralised RO/DI water for sensitive critters.

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## Navanod

> I tested Seachem Prime today with a sample of my tap water with before and after readings. Strange thing was, before I applied Seachem Prime, chlorine test came up negative. After application, same result. I did a second round of tests and still the same result. Tested for ammonia also before and after application, 0ppm on both tests.
> 
> I should do a test tomorrow just to be sure.


It's strange that the kit did not pick up the chlorine but I may have a hypothesis why the ammonia did not show up in your after tests.
Seachem Prime is supposed to lock up ammonia as well. The active ingredient is likely to be sodium hydroxymethanesulfonate (HOCH2SO3Na) and this reacts with ammonia:

NH3 + HOCH2SO3Na ↔ H2NCH2SO3Na + H2O

Resulting in harmless aminomethanesulfonate (H2NCH2SO3Na) and water.

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## stormhawk

Don, I did another test on my tank water 2 days after setup and detected faint traces of chlorine. The following day it was not traceable.

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## Navanod

Very strange indeed...the chlorine off-gased?

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## stormhawk

I'm puzzled myself. I did not expect to detect anything because I thought Seachem Prime would deal with the chlorine and ammonia from the chloramine. Didn't take long for the chlorine to dissipate though.

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## Sgguppylover

Chlorine is an acidic gas which is present in most water drawn from the tap. With the addition of anti-chlorine and chloramine , my ph will go up a little .I would normally go for anti-chlorine and chloramine instead of just anti-chlorine as chlorine is known to react with ammonia to form chloramine which is so stable that it is unable to be removed by just anti-chlorine.

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## darylets

> I can't believe that people still do not think that chlorine and chloramine are things you never want to be adding into your aquarium.
> 
> A $5.00 bottle of antichlorine/anti-chloramine goes a long way, do not skimp on this. 
> 
> If you think its bad to be adding chemicals to your water to remove the chlorine / chloramine, you need to do more research on its effects and the comparatively harrmless chemical reactions involved in removing it.
> 
> Age your water whenever possible, IN ADDITION to treating it with anti-chlorine/chloramine. 
> 
> 
> ...



Completely agree with you on that. Keeping fauna and other pets alike requires responsibility. Reading up on how to improve the life of your fishes and ensuring you know what you are getting into is very important. Just doing whatever is to your convenience is not advisable, i would say if you cannot commit or put in minimal effort in aging your water and treating it, then its best you dont keep any fauna. For many fishes its not instantly lethal, but over time, they get sick and die off, that is really sad, not to mention that i cannot understand how some hobbyist's thoughts, rather than treating your water and aging it, isnt it more expensive to buy back the fishes you lose?

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## kotaaro

hi der any good anti-chlorine solutions to reco?

I'm using this $1 Ocean Free AC solution and i seriously don't think its good...

Pls do state and price and where can i get my hands on them.

I live in yishun btw.

Thanks!

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## SirBest

You can go for Aqua Plus by Nutrafin or Prime by Seachem. Both products are what I have used before that reap good results for me. However you should not be restricted to just two of what I have recommended.

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## kotaaro

thnx for the reply  :Smile:  i think i will go with Seachem Prime then.

any idea where sells the cheapest? This brand i heard is not cheap to begin with?

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## SirBest

Kotaaro: The price is relatively fixed unless you are able to buy in bulk to enjoy wholesale price. I can provide you with places that are cheap, but factor in your transport costs, would just even out on the whole deal.

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## tetrakid

I never use any chemicals in my fish tanks, although there are hundreds of types of chemicals available. To me, the less chemicals I add, the better for my fish. As for chlorine and chloramine, a 20% water change means only minimal concentration, which the fish may not even be adversely affected. Bear in mind that humans can also drink the water straight from the tap without ill-effects due to the low concentration. In any case, activated carbon should be sufficient to remove any harmful traces of chemicals.

The only chemicals I use are when any fish needs treatment due to early onset of disease, for example ich or fin rot. But there again, I always do the treatment in a separate tank. All said, it is much better to prevent fish disease than to cure them afterwards. There's only a slim chance for a fish to recover once disease has taken hold.



> I could never keep my otos alive until I started using Prime

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## cheetf

> I never use any chemicals in my fish tanks, although there are hundreds of types of chemicals available. To me, the less chemicals I add, the better for my fish. As for chlorine and chloramine, a 20% water change means only minimal concentration, which the fish may not even be adversely affected. Bear in mind that humans can also drink the water straight from the tap without ill-effects due to the low concentration. In any case, activated carbon should be sufficient to remove any harmful traces of chemicals.
> 
> The only chemicals I use are when any fish needs treatment due to early onset of disease, for example ich or fin rot. But there again, I always do the treatment in a separate tank. All said, it is much better to prevent fish disease than to cure them afterwards. There's only a slim chance for a fish to recover once disease has taken hold.


Bro tetrakid is a seasoned fish keeper which have found his way to manage his water conditions. I strongly discourage newbies to use untreated tap water as chloramines can and do kill lifestock.

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## felix_fx2

Water conditions do differ with where the hobbyist is staying.

Example even in the same estate, a retired hobbyist I know. MUST age or treat the water pior to use. And he stays 2 minutes drive from my place.

Having said that, if the new hobbyist does not know. It will be safer to treat or age water. Then learning the hard way.

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## tetrakid

I prefer ageing the water anytime than using any chemical. Using chemicals is prone to create many maybe unkown side-effects to the water body.

But generous use of activated carbon is great for removing traces of harmful chemicals too.

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## cheetf

Do you test your water for chlorine/chloramines after ageing?

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## bernie

> Do you test your water for chlorine/chloramines after ageing?


chlorine/chloramines is difficult/expensive to test by hobbists. Off the shelf test kits are not easily available.

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## cheetf

Not sure if there are any chloramine test kits but chlorine test kits I think are reasonable.

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## aquarius

I've done a comparison many yrs back on a few reputable Anti-chlorine brands before and found that Seachem's Prime is the *Best and Most worth it (value for money)*. Why i say this is because if you compare just the chlorine & chloramine removal properties alone, which is the main reason why we use Anti-chlorine, it beats all the other brands hands down because it can treat much more amount of water for each ml of Prime as compared to the other brands. And if you were to add in the extras like the treatment of Ammonia, detoxification of Nitrite & Nitrate and providing Slime Coat for fishes, there's no comparisons at all. 

Actually you don't need to age the water for a few days before introducing it into the tank cos even if you got rid of the chlorine, the chloramine is still in the water. In the end, it's better to just add tap water and the Anti-chlorine together into the tank instead of going through the hassle of aging it for a few days.

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## Ecalyte

> I prefer ageing the water anytime than using any chemical. Using chemicals is prone to create many maybe unkown side-effects to the water body.
> 
> But generous use of activated carbon is great for removing traces of harmful chemicals too.


You can't age the chloramine that's in our tap water...

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## tetrakid

I alway use activated charcoal for the monochoramine. Very good to buy in bulk.



> You can't age the chloramine that's in our tap water...

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## Bieffe

> You can go for Aqua Plus by Nutrafin or Prime by Seachem. Both products are what I have used before that reap good results for me. However you should not be restricted to just two of what I have recommended.


i"m currently using some ah Beng brand of anti chlorine by LFS. I guess that maybe my problem of 
dying fishes. So got a bottle of aqua plus by nutrafin from seaview $6.20 for 250ml.
Can't see seachem brand there. They donts sell? Their stuff is all over man.

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## Bieffe

A point to note is the bottle of ah Beng liquid is actually labelled as water stable. Behind write will remove heavy metals, chlorine, ammonia and all other harmful substance of water. Like wonder drug. So I guess it's just not so strong. The label says 10ml for 100L. But the LFS told me just pour 3 capful for my 40L tank. That's way over recommendation.

Never follow him I just followed label for 40L that's abt 6-7ml. So now change and try. Will do 25% water change and monitor.

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## felix_fx2

> i"m currently using some ah Beng brand of anti chlorine by LFS. I guess that maybe my problem of 
> dying fishes. So got a bottle of aqua plus by nutrafin from seaview $6.20 for 250ml.
> Can't see seachem brand there. They donts sell? Their stuff is all over man.


Lfs which one. Unheard brand?
I have seen prime before there

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## Bieffe

Ok I got from LFS Heisenberg called Aqua Stable 500ml for abt $18
The label says is made in Taiwan.
10ml per cap
5ml for 40L every 7-10 days add once or twice
-remove chemical poisons
-buffers pH unbalance
-care for fish & surface membranes
-does not affect the aqua water salinity &hardness
-no anesthetic or bleaching agent
As newbie I was told this will make tap water save. What u experts think leh?

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## bernie

> Ok I got from LFS Heisenberg called Aqua Stable 500ml for abt $18
> The label says is made in Taiwan.
> 10ml per cap
> 5ml for 40L every 7-10 days add once or twice
> -remove chemical poisons
> -buffers pH unbalance
> -care for fish & surface membranes
> -does not affect the aqua water salinity &hardness
> -no anesthetic or bleaching agent
> As newbie I was told this will make tap water save. What u experts think leh?


Where is LFS Heisenberg ? Does it sell alot of German aquarium stuff?
Aqua Stable needs to be added every 7-10days? Abit dodgy isn't it, usually only need to use Anti Chlorine & Chloramine when treating tap water. I am not expert, I am just another Seachem Prime user.

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## Bieffe

> Where is LFS Heisenberg ? Does it sell alot of German aquarium stuff?
> Aqua Stable needs to be added every 7-10days? Abit dodgy isn't it, usually only need to use Anti Chlorine & Chloramine when treating tap water. I am not expert, I am just another Seachem Prime user.


That's what I figured. So I guess this maybe killing my fishes.
Didn't do too much home work b4 buying cos meant for children's education cum hobby end up I like quite a lot too. So took what he said wholesale.
Maybe liquid does work but not to the extend it's stated on the label. I took whole sale bcos the shop had almost all big fishes like Arowana and lor Han. Also may bottles big and small all there.
This shop is at serangoon the pet street. I guess it got its name from Germany.
But service was good so I paid. Later realized I actually paid quite a lot more. Suck thumb LL.

So many here use sea chem I should have look harder maybe seaview does have it.
Anyone that goes there see can post here let me know. I want small bottle like 250ml will do. Just wanna test b4 buying big bottle.

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## allblacks

Has anyone used "BIG BOY" brand of anti-chlorine before ?

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## Fendi

Change from Nutrafin to China "w_ale_ing" wipe out all my L201 and L91c.

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## tetrakid

Fish can be wiped out with shock changes when the water chemistry is changed abruptly.

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## tongyang

Chlorine kills beneficial bacteria even though fish may survive.

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## hughredcanary

Hi
chloramine does not evaporate away over time like chlorine 
Ive been using stress coat it the past 2 years on my killifish with no problems London tap water has a high use of chlorine and chloramine, Immediately removes chlorine and chloramine
 reduce stress in fish and neutralises heavy metals
Hugh
 London uk

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## David

I use it because I don't want to KO my bacteria especially with large water changes. In the past, I used to go straight from tap to tank as my tap water comes from a roof tank. This is before NewWater? On my new tank, it seems that every time I do a large water change, I get a bacteria bloom....always.

After using an AC, the bloom stopped. As for just topping off evaporation, I don't really bother with ACs.

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## tikopek

I'm using SeaChem Prime for my Discus and L46s. I think they work pretty well, no more chlorine burn etc.

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## CoryDorus

Just curious. Will filter from Brita (water filer for consumption) helps remove chlorine and chloramine ?

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## David

Don't think so, I think chorine and cloromine has to be removed by chemical reaction.

Chorine is not so bad as can leave the water overtime for it to evaporate...choromine is another story.

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## CoryDorus

Officially from their website, chlorine can be removed (not sure how much). Chloramine is not stated. Since it has activated carbon so i think it will help some. Maybe good enough for my small tank use.

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## David

If there is carbon and or Zeolite, for chlorine yes, chloromine it's a no.

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## CoryDorus

sorry for going this through again because the more i investigate the more excited i am that i may not need to buy "chemicals" to remove chloramine possibilities.

Here the official link from Water Quality Association

Abstracts as follow,

"While chloramines are not a drinking water health concern to humans generally, their removal 
improves the taste and odor of drinking water."

"The most 
effective nonchemical method for removing chloramines is by activated carbon (C*)"

Cheers
Cory

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## rainbowdarter

Any tester to detect the present of Chloramines in our water after treatment?



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free

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## erwinx

just a tip - don't buy overpriced water filters like Brita in Singapore. You can get a 3M water filter system via amazon.com for US$35. Lasts 6 months and replacements are US$20. If you order DVDs/books and the order exceeds US$120, postage is free! To install, DIY or get a plumber to do it for you. I have used one for more than 2 years (i.e. changed cartridges 4 times already).

The filter removes chlorine as you can taste it. It also removes rust from the water if you are staying in an old home...

(search "3m Filtrete water filtration system")

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## erwinx

By the way, may I know what brand of anti-chlorine/chloramine people are using. I currently have Qian Hu/Ocean Free "Super Fish guard" because it was advertised to remove chlorine/chloramine and protect fish. But after reading the Purigen Faq (ordered but not installed it yet), it seems that such products may affect Purigen and I will need to buy a pure anti-chlorine/chloramine product with additional chemicals?

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## memzsa

hi all,

Anyone tried this brand before ?Genesis
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1389284621.483698.jpg

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## GHD97

Hi all :Smile:  I use Bio Stress Guard. Brand less apparently...
It: Reduces heavy metals
Help fish form slime coat
Removes chlorine and chloramines
500ml treats 4000litres

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## GHD97

> hi all,
> 
> Anyone tried this brand before ?Genesis
> ImageUploadedByTapatalk1389284621.483698.jpg


Wow...this looks mighty powerful...one drop treats one gallon?! Mine one cap treats 10gallons...maybe I should change to some other brand^^

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## sqwerc

Genesis is an old school anticholrine. Don't remember the bottle looking like that though.. Used to use it way back. Now cannot find already.

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## tubularistical

> Wow...this looks mighty powerful...one drop treats one gallon?! Mine one cap treats 10gallons...maybe I should change to some other brand^^


I've realised that it's actually quite a pain to have such "powerful" chemicals! I switched from some generic liquid from Nanyang to Seachem Safe powder for my ~125L tank. After a whole lot of calculation, dilution etc I STILL have trouble getting the right amount each water change  :Crying:  Plus it means that I always have to hunt for my syringe whenever I use it because the label warns not to overdose. Waiting to use it up so I can go back to a measure-by-capful product  :Grin:

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## tetrakid

> This might be of interest to someone: Vitamin C is sometimes used to break chloramines apart, so the chlorine can evaporate and the ammonia can be filtered. Conveniently, algae produces Vitamin C. So, by growing algae on purpose, you can process the chloramines naturally, depending of course on how much chloramine is added to the tank, how much algae is grown, and how sensitive the inhabitants are. Algae of course also consume ammonia.


That's why I love algae a lot. To me, algae is an indicator of a healthy tank.

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## GHD97

> I've realised that it's actually quite a pain to have such "powerful" chemicals! I switched from some generic liquid from Nanyang to Seachem Safe powder for my ~125L tank. After a whole lot of calculation, dilution etc I STILL have trouble getting the right amount each water change  Plus it means that I always have to hunt for my syringe whenever I use it because the label warns not to overdose. Waiting to use it up so I can go back to a measure-by-capful product


Hahaha I see :Very Happy:  cost effectiveness and convenience of usage...the two things we worry about^^ haha Bio stress Guard should be okay to overdose cause it says use 1cap per 10gallon for normal use and 2cap per 10gallon to help improve fish slime coat :Smile:  didn't test its effects on pH though... Just realized I was dosing 4times the required amount(Math fail thats why^^) but none of my fish had any problems :Smile:  lovely colour all around^^

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## shadoweave

Seachem safe for me!

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## icefire

old thread but anyone using WIZZ here? i tried and works very good as 100% water change the fishes are eating straight after the water change.

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## MrKimKor

> old thread but anyone using WIZZ here? i tried and works very good as 100% water change the fishes are eating straight after the water change.


What fish u keeping?

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## Goalkeeper

I find Baxter (powder form) economical and good. Been using this for years.

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## MCE

I have great experiences with Baxter products ....they are strong in corporate customers. 


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## dkwb

in my whole life, I have been storing tap water in bottles and leaving it to settle before using it for water cycle, adding in anti-chlorine as well. don't know whether this is good.

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