Advertisements
Aquatic Avenue Banner Tropica Shop Banner Fishy Business Banner
Results 1 to 12 of 12

Thread: question for locals about chloramine

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Posts
    17
    Feedback Score
    0
    Country
    Singapore

    question for locals about chloramine

    Advertisements
    Fresh n Marine aQuarium Banner

    Advertise here

    Advertise here
    Hi all,
    Sorry, 2 simple questions.

    When treating fresh tap water here in Singapore for your planted aquarium, do you actually de-chloramine also. I've been dosing with Aquasafe conditioner at a heavier dosage so as to include chloramine removal. Is it really necessary?
    Instructions on bottle says lower dosage (about half) for chlorine removal only)

    Do U also add "PH down"?. I've noticed tap water here are extremely high, sometimes ph8.0+, and worst, it's not consistent.

    Thanks,
    Nelson

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Location
    Bukit Batok
    Posts
    8,790
    Feedback Score
    0
    Images
    9
    Country
    Singapore
    I treat my tap water with Nutrafin Aquaplus. Used to use Tetra Aquasafe until I found the Aquaplus to be more cheaper. It is necessary if you don't go with aged water for your water changes. Note however that it does not immediately work in the water. How good these products are I do not know.

    Yes the tap water locally is very alkaline. pH values and chloramine concentrations differ from town to town I think. I get pH 7.4 from my taps here and have not had any problems with my fish so far. I don't add pH Down or any of those products. I only use peat when I need to lower the pH.
    Fish.. Simply Irresistable
    Back to Killies... slowly.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Nov 2002
    Location
    Singapore
    Posts
    1,229
    Feedback Score
    0
    Images
    38
    Country
    Singapore
    Nelson,

    Personally, I do not use any chemicals, except floculants under helpless situation.

    IMO, anti-chlorine/chloramine is not necessary as long as you do not do large water change. I had done 50% many times without problem but I always practice 30%. I am into minimum water change for many months. That is, I only change water when I do heavy uprooting/pruning. My last water change was Aug 04.

    Do not be concern about the water PH under normal circumstances. Put away the chemicals.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Posts
    17
    Feedback Score
    0
    Country
    Singapore
    Ah... now I remembered.
    This whole thing about Aquaplus (sorry, I mistaken that for Aquasafe earlier on) started back then when I started keeping guppies, no plants yet.
    Hopefully someone with guppies in planted aquariums could enlighten me further :wink:
    Anyway thanks fc & stormhawk. BTW stormhawk, how's lowering of ph done with peat, do you put it into filter, and if so, how do we gauge the quantity to use?

    Thanks in advance,
    Cheers,
    Nelson

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    east
    Posts
    280
    Feedback Score
    0
    Guppy can tolerant high PH. It should be fine for them in 8+ PH.
    My guppy planted tank PH is usually at 5.8.

    You can add Sera Peat in a water container and let it soaks in there for 2-3 days then measure the PH.

    Get another container with the water from you main tank mix both of them together and measure the PH again. From there slowly adjust you PH down.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Location
    East-central California
    Posts
    926
    Feedback Score
    0
    Quote Originally Posted by fc
    Nelson,

    Personally, I do not use any chemicals, except floculants under helpless situation.

    IMO, anti-chlorine/chloramine is not necessary as long as you do not do large water change. I had done 50% many times without problem but I always practice 30%. I am into minimum water change for many months. That is, I only change water when I do heavy uprooting/pruning. My last water change was Aug 04.

    Do not be concern about the water PH under normal circumstances. Put away the chemicals.
    I agree strongly with that last statement. The chemical "soup" caused by adjusting pH is usually much more harmful than the pH itself. I know of no killifish species that will not survive and grow in pH of 8 (tho eggs may be another matter). Peat tea is a cheap and easy way to lower the pH of very soft water, for raising wild Bettas, etc. Not many killies seem to need it.

    Anti chloramine treatment is vital, even when water % changes are tiny, if your water actually contains chloramine. It will build up in the tank, and concentrations will increase, for it has a half-life of about 5 weeks. Folks who do weekly, or more often, water changes will gradually kill their fish when the water dept. starts adding chloramines. Those doing less-frequent changes will cause gill burns and make their fish much more likely to get diseases. The results are not obvious, but we had to learn to deal with this problem some years ago, and the solutions are both simple and clear.

    Saying you do X% changes without problems doesn't mean a thing to me. What was the concentratioon of chlorine you read from your test kit when doing them? Will it still be zero the next time?

    I like lots of infusoria for my baby fish, so I don't use chemicals to remove chloramine (when I lived in an area using it). Slow carbon-block filtering (taste and odor cartridge) maybe lowers a few good trace elements, but it does grab chlorine/chloramine and renders water safe for both fish and inverts.

    Chlorine test solution is less than a buck (<US$1), here, and lasts for years. You don't really need the color chart, as any slight yellowing says "Yes, there is chlorine/chloramine here." If still there after 24 hours of vigorous aeration, it now says "It's chloramine." Even if you don't buy the solution from the pool and spa folks, and pay the $10 or so the LFS gets for a smaller amount of the same thing, there is simply no excuse for not having this fundamental test as part of your fishkeeping practice.

    When the damage can be so slow and subtle, and the test is so easy, no amount of other observations will do what a quick chlorine test will do in a few seconds.

    You cannot smell or taste the change, when it happens. If you are lucky, like me, and have water engineers who understand and will issue warnings, great. Nevertheless, a quick test from time to time can save your whole fishroom. Two Betta Grand Champions in the US once expressed exactly the same views you are, Freddy. Both lost tens of thousands of dollars worth of fish when the chloramine started and their fishrooms were totally wiped out.

    Wright
    01 760 872-3995
    805 Valley West Circle
    Bishop, CA 93514 USA

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Location
    Singapore
    Posts
    4,088
    Feedback Score
    0
    Country
    Singapore
    Quote Originally Posted by Nelson
    Do U also add "PH down"?. I've noticed tap water here are extremely high, sometimes ph8.0+, and worst, it's not consistent.
    Its a planted tank? CO2 or non-CO2? Most critters are fine with the pH that you mentioned as long as you take time to acclimatise them to the "new" water. Plants on the other hand, do not really care for the pH unless you go to the extremes and only do so for the CO2 which can be determined by pH/KH readings. Want CO2, add CO2 and not pH lowering stuff.

    Regards
    Peter Gwee :wink:

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jun 2002
    Location
    Singapore
    Posts
    363
    Feedback Score
    0
    Images
    15
    Country
    Singapore
    Quote Originally Posted by fc
    That is, I only change water when I do heavy uprooting/pruning. My last water change was Aug 04.
    A question for Freddy...
    How often then do you wash your filter media?
    Every 2-3 mths? Without your flow-rate being compromised?

    To me, changing water is not so much as a hassle as washing the filter media.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Nov 2002
    Location
    Singapore
    Posts
    1,229
    Feedback Score
    0
    Images
    38
    Country
    Singapore
    Hi Mike,

    I wash the filter every 3 to 6 months, averaged 4, and I intended to keep it at about 5 in future. For me, it depends on the water conditions rather than the filter flow rate change because I hardly notice a reduction in that. That said, I feed the fishes sparingly but sufficient to keep them healthy and active. I wish to acheive a balanced tank water condition where the plants, fishes, feedings, snails, bacterias are in as complete a food chain cycle as possible.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jun 2002
    Location
    Singapore
    Posts
    363
    Feedback Score
    0
    Images
    15
    Country
    Singapore
    Quote Originally Posted by fc
    Hi Mike,

    I wash the filter every 3 to 6 months, averaged 4, and I intended to keep it at about 5 in future. For me, it depends on the water conditions rather than the filter flow rate change because I hardly notice a reduction in that. That said, I feed the fishes sparingly but sufficient to keep them healthy and active. I wish to acheive a balanced tank water condition where the plants, fishes, feedings, snails, bacterias are in as complete a food chain cycle as possible.
    They say when it comes to fishkeeping, you can't have your cake and eat it too. But Freddy, you are one hobbyist who've defied that logic!

  11. #11
    Join Date
    May 2002
    Location
    Singapore
    Posts
    2,702
    Feedback Score
    0
    Country
    Singapore
    Quote Originally Posted by elMichael
    How often then do you wash your filter media?
    Every 2-3 mths? Without your flow-rate being compromised?
    Mike,

    Long ago, my good friend, Edward Yow told me we never have to wash the filter. I never quite believe him until I realised he meant "the filter media". I wash my filter every now and then by taking out the parts and giving them a good scrub with a brush but I don't wash the ceramic rings, substrate, bio-balls and filter wool. For the wool, I simply dump the whole piece and replace it with a new one. For the hoses, I remove the scum found on the insides by pushing a piece of wool through using water.

    That said, I do clean out the scum from the filter media by giving it a good shake when it's connected to the fish tank. I let the scum flow out to my balcony floor and connect it back to the tank after it's cleaned. I have always wanted to show you all how I do it with pictures but never got round to it. Maybe one day..........

    Loh K L

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Jun 2002
    Location
    Singapore
    Posts
    363
    Feedback Score
    0
    Images
    15
    Country
    Singapore
    Quote Originally Posted by timebomb
    Quote Originally Posted by elMichael
    How often then do you wash your filter media?
    Every 2-3 mths? Without your flow-rate being compromised?
    Mike,

    Long ago, my good friend, Edward Yow told me we never have to wash the filter. I never quite believe him until I realised he meant "the filter media". I wash my filter every now and then by taking out the parts and giving them a good scrub with a brush but I don't wash the ceramic rings, substrate, bio-balls and filter wool.
    KL
    I agree that bioballs and ceramic rings need no washing, even forever. With large enough spaces between them, there’s no risk of clogging and flow-rate compromise.
    Unfortunately, I’m stuck with the Juwel filtration system, which consists of an upper compartment of fine blue media and a lower compartment of coarser grade media. Of course, there is the front-line wool/ felt on top to trap debris/ particles, which I would discard when enough dirt has collected. However, the blue sponge media cannot be left unwashed forever. In fact, Juwel’s recommended maintenance is to wash the fine media once in 2-3 mths and the coarse media once in 5-6 mths. I alternate the washing of the fine and the coarse media, and this works out to be something like once every 2 months. I need to shove my hands into the filter housing to fish out the media, and things can get quite drippy. Definitely something I don't look forward to!

    I’m aware of the possibility of converting the Juwel filtration system to one that is as versatile as Eihem’s. But this would entail fabricating boxes that would fit into the filter housing. Not a difficult task, but just something that requires enough initiative, which I do not have for the moment.

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •