bottom line, don't follow the directions and dose only the water you are changing, if your fish don't die you are good otherwise you know you have to dose the total system volume next time 
The right way to add anti-chlorine ?
- Thread starter y26tan18
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not really, because if you add dechlor to the old tank water prior, when you add the new water the neutralization is virtually instantaneous as it mixes almost instantly. adding water with a python here is even better as the dechlor is in excess as you slowly add the new water etc.
even if it weren't virtually instantaneous, the contact time is not long enough to do damage.
chlorine is a great disinfectant, but it takes time to work.
for example, in Ontario, the standard contact time for chlorine at the water treatment plant is 20 mins (mainly worried about E. Coli and crypto/giardia kill here though).
this is also why it is safe to rinse filter media quickly under the tap with no ill effects. letting it soak for a while is another story
obviously, the higher the concentration the less the contact time required.
however, in tap water, free chlorine concentrations are quite low. usually on the order of 0.05 mg/L free chlorine residual.
but its enough to keep our tap water safe from contamination in the distribution system (the pipes from the plant to your house)
anyway folks, its been a great discussion, but Im off on holiday for christmas
happy holidays everyone!
To be safe about it, I always follow the instructions on the prime bottle. When I use prime, I actually dose more in what the label says. It is better to be safe than sorry. Nothing might not happen to the fishes when you under dose with prime but it is probably the immune system that is helping the fishes stay alive.
this is also why it is safe to rinse filter media quickly under the tap with no ill effects. letting it soak for a while is another story
this is interesting, its a little off topic, but you're saying its okay to do a quick rinse and squeeze using tap water, and that wouldn't affect the good bacteria on it ?
How long exactly does chlorine, chlorimaine take to react with the environment around them ?
From what I've understand from reading most 'guides' is that the only good way is to use, the tank water to do the rinsing...
Doesn't matter. I did all of the methods before with no fish dying. IMO, you only need to dose the amount of dechlorinator required for the amount of water you change and not the entire tank volume unless you are filling the tank for the first time. My reason is that the water in your fish tank should not have any chlorine in it at all, so any chlorine introduced would be coming from the water you are adding into the aquarium during water changes.
If you are doing small water changes such as 20-30%, it would be ok to add just enough dechlorinator for the amount you are changing. If you do large water changes > 70% which is not really recommended for reasons which have been discussed in other threads, then I would recommend adding dechlorinator for the entire tank volume.
If you are doing small water changes such as 20-30%, it would be ok to add just enough dechlorinator for the amount you are changing. If you do large water changes > 70% which is not really recommended for reasons which have been discussed in other threads, then I would recommend adding dechlorinator for the entire tank volume.
