I need help understanding water parameters.

[Merbeast]

Aging water is done typically to allow the chlorine to evaporate. It is not the best way to neutralize chlorinamine, but if you wait long enough, the chloramine will break down, too. If your tap water has chlorine in it, usually it is all gone in 24 hours (provided it is circulated). Chloramine takes considerably longer, but I can't give you an estimate on how long. I would stick with dechlorinaters (prime, stress coat or dechlor).

I think the other poster was suggesting you age the water to give yourself a chance to adjust the tap water to meet the parameters in your aquarium and prevent shocking the fish or crashing the pH, etc. If that is the use to which you would put "aging" the water, then you only need to "age" it to the point it matches the tank water.

 

[pilau]

Aging water is done typically to allow the chlorine to evaporate. It is not the best way to neutralize chlorinamine, but if you wait long enough, the chloramine will break down, too. If your tap water has chlorine in it, usually it is all gone in 24 hours (provided it is circulated). Chloramine takes considerably longer, but I can't give you an estimate on how long. I would stick with dechlorinaters (prime, stress coat or dechlor).

I think the other poster was suggesting you age the water to give yourself a chance to adjust the tap water to meet the parameters in your aquarium and prevent shocking the fish or crashing the pH, etc. If that is the use to which you would put "aging" the water, then you only need to "age" it to the point it matches the tank water.

Oh okay I see. My water has no chlorine in it but how do you know if you have chloramine? Thanks again everyone for the help!!!

 

[dmopar74]

your using rain water correct? if so there will be no chloramine in it.

 

[pilau]

your using rain water correct? if so there will be no chloramine in it.

Awesome! Thank you!!!

Is it really bad to add water to the tank and then buffer it once it is topped off? I am running 25 tanks on rain water and that is a lot of water changes and I am trying to figure out the safest way to do these W/C without harming the fish. Thanks again for the advise thus far!!!

 

[delight537]

Nitrites should be at 0ppm in an established aquarium. Otherwise, he is mostly right.

not nessisarally , nitrite is always present eating ammonia, a .5 is fine and harmless

 

[tank125]

Yeah, you should age it. Get a garbage pail, an air pump, and a heater, some crushed coral or dolomite. Age the water for a day or so with the air pump bubbling the water. You need to gas off all that CO2. The heater is just to keep the water at temp so it is useable, and the crushed coral is to increase the kH and thus increase the buffering capacity of the water so that your pH is more stable.