# water changes without water conditioner?



## uncleholmes (May 10, 2010)

I do water changes using the Python "No spill clean and fill." It says on the instructions to not remove more than one third of the water. Then it says, "During the refilling process, the water is being aerated, eliminating some of the chlorine. If you choose to add water conditioners, you may add them into the stream of water as you are refilling the tank."

Usually I change 50-60% of the tank. Then when I refill, I first put the water from the hose into a 5 gallon bucket, add the water conditioner, then pick up the bucket and dump it in the tank. While I'm dumping it in the tank, I have another 5 gallon bucket that's being filled.

My question is if I change only up to a third of the tank, can I just hold the hose over the tank and not have to add water conditioner?


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## wpk22 (Jan 17, 2010)

depends on you water......but i never put conditioner in unless i am doing like 50% water change. usually i change around 25%-33% and never use conditioner. dont take my statement as fact tho


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## dwarfpike (Jan 22, 2008)

It didn't matter if I was changing 1/3 or 9/10's ... I always added the conditioner to the tank water before refilling directly from the python. Never had an issue even with delicate fish like rummynose. Note we don't have chlorimine though.


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## scubasteveRFC (May 28, 2010)

i think it depends on the water in your area, i live in scotland and were fortunate to have some of the best tap water out. theres barely any chlorine in it. my friends and i can pretty much do 90 percent water changes and as long as the temperatures correct no harm ever seems to come to the fish. i wouldnt like to try that in say england where there waters really hard and full of chlorine. i reackon they would die.


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## jchild40 (Mar 20, 2010)

Check to see if your water has chlorine or chloramine in it. I've read that chlorine can dissapate on it's own over 24 hours.

I have not read that the aerater does some (seems logical though) when passing through it on the facet, but even if it does it doesn't remove all the chlorine (simple test: in pouring a cup of water I can still clearly taste/smell the chlorine). So for larger water changes I would always use dechlor. I am planning a drip method (6/gal a day) and may not always use dechlor.

Chloramine is much more stable and I've read that it takes much longer for it to dissapate on its own. I would always use dechlor for this.


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## Bearbear (May 8, 2010)

A lot of municipalities are adding chloramine to the water as well. Would check to see if your water district does, water quality report should be posted online and you can also call them.

Prime is $9 a bottle and that goes a long ways, worth the piece of mind of nothing else.
Just add the amount of needed conditioner into the tank before you refill or during. Stir up the water a little when you add conditioner and you are set.


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## jeaninel (Nov 1, 2009)

I use a Python and I always add conditioner. Yes, chlorine may be dissipated by the time it gets through the hose but chloramines may not. Also, some municipalities vary the amount of chlorine/chloramines in their water at different times of the year. Better to be safe than sorry and use the conditioner.


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## uncleholmes (May 10, 2010)

Thanks for the suggestions. I did a water change last night and changed one third of the tank instead of 50-60%. During refilling I just held the hose over the tank and filled it up. After it was filled I added 3 full capfuls of AquaSafe into the tank. One full capful conditions 20 gallons of water.

My work was cut down in half by changing the water this way. Picking up those 5 gallon buckets and dumping them into the tank is twice as hard. I just hope I don't stress my Red Devil by adding the water first and then adding AquaSafe after it's filled.

The directions says if you choose to add water conditioners, you may add them into the stream of water as you are refilling the tank.

Should I add water conditioner into the stream of water as I'm refilling the tank? Or can I add it after it's filled?


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## jeaninel (Nov 1, 2009)

I add it into the stream of water as I am filling the tank.


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## jchild40 (Mar 20, 2010)

I add it to the tank just before filling it.


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## Bearbear (May 8, 2010)

I add it just before.
The stuff in the bottle is staying in the tank, the bad stuff from the hose isn't.


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## PepoLD (Dec 9, 2009)

jchild40 said:


> I add it to the tank just before filling it.


^same, better safe than sorry


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## uncleholmes (May 10, 2010)

Thanks for the suggestions. I think next time I'll add AquaSafe to the tank before I refill it. Each capful of AquaSafe conditions 20 gallons of water. How many capfuls should I add to the a 75g tank if I take out one third of the water?


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## uncleholmes (May 10, 2010)

Thanks for the suggestions. I think next time I'll add AquaSafe to the tank before I refill it. Each capful of AquaSafe conditions 20 gallons of water. How many capfuls should I add to a 75g tank if I take out one third of the water?


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## chrispyweld (Dec 20, 2005)

I would keep doing a 50% change and just add the Prime to the flow as you fill like you did.

I personally never add anything to my tank unless I am doing a 75% or larger change and have had no issues. I use it when I fill a new tank if I am adding fish immediately.


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## Notrevo (May 2, 2005)

Agreed...better safe than sorry is a good doctrine and adding the conditioner and new water simultaneously...that is what I try to practice.


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## kmuda (Nov 27, 2009)

uncleholmes said:


> Thanks for the suggestions. I think next time I'll add AquaSafe to the tank before I refill it. Each capful of AquaSafe conditions 20 gallons of water. How many capfuls should I add to the a 75g tank if I take out one third of the water?


You dose for the full volume of the tank, not just for the volume of replacement water. There is actually a scientific principle (diffusion) in play. If you dose for only the amount of replacement water, there is not enough of the dechlorinator for the molecules to spread through the water column to come into contact with the chlorine. You have to dose for the full volume of the tank to achieve this.


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## uncleholmes (May 10, 2010)

It seems like I would use a lot of AquaSafe if I were to add it to the stream of water as I'm refilling because it comes in capfuls and not in drops. If I were to add conditioner to the stream as I'm refilling, would conditioners that come in droplets be better?


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## chrispyweld (Dec 20, 2005)

There should be no difference.


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## kmuda (Nov 27, 2009)

You gain nothing by adding as refilling. The correct procedure is to drain, add dechlorinator (for the total volume of the tank), stir up the water a tad, wait a minute (allowing the dechlorinator to spread through the water column), and then refill.

If you dose for the total volume of the tank and you allow for the dechlorinator to spread through the water column, chlorine will be removed within seconds of being introduced.


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## uncleholmes (May 10, 2010)

kmuda said:


> You gain nothing by adding as refilling. The correct procedure is to drain, add dechlorinator (for the total volume of the tank), stir up the water a tad, wait a minute (allowing the dechlorinator to spread through the water column), and then refill.
> 
> If you dose for the total volume of the tank and you allow for the dechlorinator to spread through the water column, chlorine will be removed within seconds of being introduced.


Thanks for sharing that. That seems like the most convenient and efficient way to go for me. I think I'll try it that way.

Can I drain and refill up to 50% of the tank doing it this way?

And what's the longest time I can wait to refill after I add AquaSafe to the tank?


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## kmuda (Nov 27, 2009)

I regularly (weekly) do 80% water changes using that process, on multiple tanks. In my house, 50% is considered a "small water change". 

Another "trick" is to have the outflow of the python under pressure (think thumb over the end of a garden hose). My python has a ball valve on the outflow, I just turn the ball-valve to partially close the flow, and bingo.... the outflow is released under pressure. This causes more chlorine to escape before it even gets into the water column of the tank. I also angle the outflow to flow across the front of the glass, which will release additional chlorine before it makes it into the water column.


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## uncleholmes (May 10, 2010)

kmuda said:


> I regularly (weekly) do 80% water changes using that process, on multiple tanks. In my house, 50% is considered a "small water change".
> 
> Another "trick" is to have the outflow of the python under pressure (think thumb over the end of a garden hose). My python has a ball valve on the outflow, I just turn the ball-valve to partially close the flow, and bingo.... the outflow is released under pressure. This causes more chlorine to escape before it even gets into the water column of the tank. I also angle the outflow to flow across the front of the glass, which will release additional chlorine before it makes it into the water column.


So if one capful of AquaSafe neutralizes chlorine and chloramines in 20 gallons of water, would I be ok adding four capfuls to a 75g tank prior to refilling? Or should I add more just to be safe? How many capfuls of AquaSafe should I add to a 75g prior to refilling?


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