What does chlorine and chloramine do in fish?

Death03 · Jul 27, 2014

I plan to direct water in the faucet to the tank when doing water changes cause I always get really exhausted when doing water changes in my 4 tanks. I have a like 20 gallon+ water jug that I mix with the dechlorinator but it's not enough to fill all of my tanks so I have to fill it up again and again and it's really exhausting. I've been doing this for almost a year now and now that I am busier with my studies I have a small time with my hobby, i love the hobby but the water changes really take a toll on my body sometimes. When I use a pump it's not strong enough to pump the water to my room so I have to really take a 5 gallon bucket and fill it up again and again.

Additional question:
Can I just directly put tap water to the tank?

duanes · Jul 27, 2014

Chlorine and chloramine are oxidizers, the have the ability to instantaneously destroy bacteria and some protozoa upon contact, and can injure sensitive gill tissue in fish, straight chlorine gas can do the same to human lungs and tissue.
Chlorine is a quick killer, but short half life. Choramine not quite as immediately lethal but has the ability to hold a disinfection residual, thus remain longer in the system to do its job.
That being said, most water providers add just enough to kill microscopic pathogens, but not enough to harm higher animals, usually a dose of 1-2ppm.
Prolonged exposure to lower levels though, is dangerous to fish.
I run water from my tap directly to my sumps, and add enough dechlorinator to detoxify the chloramine by dumping small amounts of a sodium thiosulfate, or calcium thiosulfate mixture in, as water enters the sump. When chlorine or chloramine combines with either thiosulfate, the detoxifying chemical reaction is immediate.

Death03 · Jul 27, 2014

I see. Thank you for the informative reply, so it's a no go, right? I don't have a sump in any of my tanks and I think I will really need to do this the hard way, because I use a cheap dechlorinator and upon mixing with water I let it sit for like an hour before I put it in the tank to be safe.

Drstrangelove · Jul 27, 2014

Three things.

1) It sounds like the biggest issue is getting water to the tank. I realize you have probably looked at this and did not have a solution, but I suggest that you try again to find an easier less physical method. Hoses are much easier than buckets from my own personal experience of doing each for years.

2) Look again for a cheap but different dechlorinator. Most are nearly instant and do not require waiting for an hour. Indeed, the ones I used I added directly to the tank before adding the water. Even if I was doing a 60-75% water change, I put as much as I needed in the tank, then gradually added the water. Extra dechlorinator stays in the tank a long time and should not harm the fish. Even if it's something you have to mix, I would think that you can mix enough for lets say 75 gallons in a 1-2 gallon container and then dump it in before putting in tap water.

3) Yes. If you put enough dechlorinator in the tank water first after you remove some old water and before you add fresh water, you can simply add tap water directly to your tank. I always did it that way and I know lots of other people do it that way as well. The dechlorinator will mix in the tank water and react as soon as the chlorine enters the tank. Chloramine reducers will work as well if they are already in the tank. At least, over the years, that's how all of ones I used worked.

Hopefully you can find some solutions.

Allan01230 · Jul 27, 2014

Add enough drops to match tank water you are taking out..then declorinate (i use Prime) add tap water right to the tank. I have been doing this 40 plus years without any issues to aquatic life.

Death03 · Jul 27, 2014

Drstrangelove said:
3) Yes. If you put enough dechlorinator in the tank water first after you remove some old water and before you add fresh water, you can simply add tap water directly to your tank. I always did it that way and I know lots of other people do it that way as well. The dechlorinator will mix in the tank water and react as soon as the chlorine enters the tank. Chloramine reducers will work as well if they are already in the tank. At least, over the years, that's how all of ones I used worked.

Hopefully you can find some solutions.

That's just perfect! I use dechlorinator called Aqua Gold, it's a cheap dechlorinator here, do you know it?
Here's some questions
1.) Will chloramine be an issue if you will just add dechlorinator? because it didn't say in the label that it also removes chloramine.

2.) If I put dechlorinator in the tank before I put tap water directly, for example in 50 gal if I remove 30 gal of water, will I put dechlorinator for 50 gal or just for the 30 gal that I will put?

Sorry for so many questions, I just wanted to be sure

reptilerescued · Jul 27, 2014

Chloramines/clorine destroy RBC (red blood cells) when in direct contact with blood.
IE: a fish gets damaged somehow and bleeds the chloramines will destroy the blood cells causing the animal to die.
So as another suggested, use a neutralizer.

That said I use tap water even though I have direct access to RO water.
I'm a hemodialysis tech for a living and just don't feel like transporting the RO water so I treat my tap water.

Buckets suck too, a hose set to the proper flow rate keeps things from getting stirred up so bad.
I do get the majority of my test strips from work. HEY if it's safe for humans it's good to go on the fish.

Activated charcoal is great to remove chlorine, one tea spoon has the surface area of a football field.

Also the chlorine used in tap water is a gas so you can let it sit 24 hours and the chlorine will vapor off.
Check it straight out of the rap then retest in 24 hours you will see what I mean.

Death03 · Jul 27, 2014

Allan01230 said:
Add enough drops to match tank water you are taking out..then declorinate (i use Prime) add tap water right to the tank. I have been doing this 40 plus years without any issues to aquatic life.

I don't use prime, will it just work even if it's not prime?

Death03 · Jul 27, 2014

reptilerescued said:
Chloramines/clorine destroy RBC (red blood cells) when in direct contact with blood.
IE: a fish gets damaged somehow and bleeds the chloramines will destroy the blood cells causing the animal to die.
So as another suggested, use a neutralizer.

That said I use tap water even though I have direct access to RO water.
I'm a hemodialysis tech for a living and just don't feel like transporting the RO water so I treat my tap water.

Buckets suck too, a hose set to the proper flow rate keeps things from getting stirred up so bad.
I do get the majority of my test strips from work. HEY if it's safe for humans it's good to go on the fish.

Activated charcoal is great to remove chlorine, one tea spoon has the surface area of a football field.

Also the chlorine used in tap water is a gas so you can let it sit 24 hours and the chlorine will vapor off.
Check it straight out of the rap then retest in 24 hours you will see what I mean.

Thanks for the info, but I don't have the things to test the water for chlorine. If I use activated charcoal to make sure that the chlorine is gone (I will use the way in the comments above), can I store it somewhere dry and reuse it after a week?

deeda · Jul 27, 2014

Where do you get your water from, a company that provides it to your home or do you have a private water system, if so, do you treat it in any way before you drink it? I'm not familiar with the water supply in the Philippines.


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What does chlorine and chloramine do in fish?

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