Dechlorinator overdose

boldtogether

Polypterus
MFK Member
Sep 25, 2008
2,698
344
92
53
chino hills, california
I'll definitely do a small change of 30% later today, if anything it'll help me bust some creeping nitrates.

Poor dude was on the bottom with his main body white, rest of him was untouched so I can only guess he was super sensitive to the conditioner; or the melafix i dosed with for some fin damage i'd noticed on my barbs.

Hope I've not created some noxious soup by the existence of the melafix already.
Melafix is such a small solution, you could dump the whole bottle in and not hurt any fish.....trust me....been there..
BTW....speaking of Melafix, I buy the pond Melafix....same price but like triple the concentration. ...
 
  • Like
Reactions: convict360

convict360

Potamotrygon
MFK Member
Dec 9, 2013
4,499
1,875
164
Scotland
Melafix is such a small solution, you could dump the whole bottle in and not hurt any fish.....trust me....been there..
BTW....speaking of Melafix, I buy the pond Melafix....same price but like triple the concentration. ...
that's reassuring :)

I can only surmise that the bulldog/rubbernose was more sensitive than my other fish, nothing else to account for his death given that he was healthy otherwise in a stable tank.
 

Warborg

Goliath Tigerfish
MFK Member
Sep 2, 2009
3,337
2,154
179
Austin, Texas
IMO, rubbernose plecos are very sensitive. I would not recommend them to the average fishkeeper.

They need:
1) Cool water(70-75)
2) Fast moving water
3) Lots of oxygen
4) Clean water(free of chemicals(as it was in your case))
 

duanes

MFK Moderators
Staff member
Moderator
MFK Member
Jun 7, 2007
21,078
26,476
2,910
Isla Taboga Panama via Milwaukee
Most dechlorinaters use sodium or calcium thiosulfate as active ingredients, and if overdosed are usually not a problem, and will often oxidize other minerals/chemicals in the water, when the chlorine/chloramine is neutralized. Some other "made for aquarium" products contain other things which can cause a bacterial bloom, or other additives which can cause oxygen depletion. Adding an extra powerhead, or simply turning it up (with venturi) or even adding an airstone can help.
I'm not quite sure why it is recommended to add enough for the entire tanks volume, I always err on the side of caution, and knowing my tap waters chlorine concentration, only add enough dechlorinator for the amount of tap water I change.
Sometimes the tap water chlorine residual is so low the dechorinator recommended dose is way overkill. Most water companies can provide their average Cl2 dosage, but if you live in an area the fluctuates, there are Cl2 test strips available at most big box home care/hardware stores, or pool supply companies for you buy and to check for yourself.
If you test your tank water after a water change, and experiment, you may find a half recommended dose (or even less) is sufficient.
 

convict360

Potamotrygon
MFK Member
Dec 9, 2013
4,499
1,875
164
Scotland
Most dechlorinaters use sodium or calcium thiosulfate as active ingredients, and if overdosed are usually not a problem, and will often oxidize other minerals/chemicals in the water, when the chlorine/chloramine is neutralized. Some other "made for aquarium" products contain other things which can cause a bacterial bloom, or other additives which can cause oxygen depletion. Adding an extra powerhead, or simply turning it up (with venturi) or even adding an airstone can help.
I'm not quite sure why it is recommended to add enough for the entire tanks volume, I always err on the side of caution, and knowing my tap waters chlorine concentration, only add enough dechlorinator for the amount of tap water I change.
Sometimes the tap water chlorine residual is so low the dechorinator recommended dose is way overkill. Most water companies can provide their average Cl2 dosage, but if you live in an area the fluctuates, there are Cl2 test strips available at most big box home care/hardware stores, or pool supply companies for you buy and to check for yourself.
If you test your tank water after a water change, and experiment, you may find a half recommended dose (or even less) is sufficient.
Yeah I follow this thinking, my tank is 350 litres, I only ever dose for what I replace; in this case was supposed to be 100 litres but I was distracted :(
 

RD.

Gold Tier VIP
MFK Member
May 9, 2007
13,186
12,554
3,360
65
Northwest Canada
Duane - the reason for treating the entire tank volume that I was told by Dr. Greg Morin, lead chemist and CEO of Seachem, was to ensure an instantaneous mix of their product, and tap water, when mixing in a tank full of fish, plants, coral, at various temps etc. There is no one size fits ALL when it comes to aquariums, and water changes. Way too many variables involved, right down to the size of the water change. So erring on the side of caution is exactly what they recommend. Very few people in this hobby actually test their set ups, or have any idea what chlorine/ammonia levels are at before, during, or after a water change.

Ironically, for the very reason that reducing agents such as Seachem Prime and Safe will begin reducing 02 levels the moment the chlorine/chloramine has been reduced, Seachem has recently lowered their recommended dosage rate across the board. There is a VERY real risk of 02 depletion when using their products, and I have seen the results first hand in local tanks. Some very nice, expensive, dead fish.
 
  • Like
Reactions: jcarson

jaws7777

Probation Member
Probation Member
Mar 1, 2014
17,773
20,943
740
White house 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington
Bit of a bummer, as boldtogether boldtogether pointed out; the tank probably wasn't best suited to him already, he never really looked "comfortable" if that makes sense.
How are the rest of the fish ? Ok i hope
 
  • Like
Reactions: convict360
zoomed.com
hikariusa.com
aqaimports.com
Store