preferred chloramine neutralizer...

I've always had well water available for supplying my tanks so chloramine was never an issue, now I'm on city water and need to learn about clearing chloramine. Any suggestions?

First you should call your department of water and ask them if they use chlorine or chloramine. You can't just assume they use one or another; you have to ask and find out. For example, I live in Cleveland and they use chlorine, not chloramine.

The product I use is called Dechlor, made by Weco. You add one drop per gallon to remove chlorine and two drops per gallon to remove chloramine. It only costs $2 for a 4 oz bottle. Google product search: http://www.google.co...ved=0CAoQuw0oAQ

Edit: Oh yes, and always dose the water in the container it's in before you add it to the tank. That way if you squeeze the bottle too hard and add 5 gallons instead of 5 drops, you can just toss the water and try again. This is safer than adding dechlorinator directly to the tank, where if you screw up you have to get the siphon out and do an emergency water change. This is a good practice for all dechlorinators, medications, etc.

Edited by EricaWieser, 24 April 2011 - 01:32 PM.

I'm not familiar with Dechlor, but I would highly recommend Prime by Seachem. It is effective against both chlorine and chloramine. It's not quite as cheap as what Erica said, but it's non-toxic to fish in any reasonable dose. I do my water changes (in a garage; don't try this over carpet!) by sticking a garden hose in the tank, running the water just long enough to clear the line of air, then disconnecting it from the tap. Once the siphon has drained the tank to the desired level, I reconnect the hose to the faucet, add some Prime and turn on the water. I've never seen any ill effects from chloramine or the dechlorinator this way, although I did find out that sometimes the recommended temperatures for tropicals are more than a suggestion.

I'm not going to tell you that's the best way to do water changes - it might even be the worst - only that it demonstrates the effectiveness of the product.

As far as I know all dechlorinators are just Sodium Thiosulfate in varying concentrations. Some have a "slime coat enhancer" which is usually aloe vera. Some people who use extreme amounts of city water say that solid NaS2O3 is the most economical way to go about it, but it may not be available in typical retail quantities.

I second the recommendation for Prime. It is a little more expensive, but it goes further. It is concentrated and you only need 2 drops for a gallon of new water. I use a python to change my water. It fills the tank directly from the faucet and I just pour a cap of prime into the water, fish dont seem to mind.

I also carry a small bottle with the droplet top out collecting with me. That can help neutralize the water that you are transporting fish in.

I've used both Dechlor and Prime. Usually I use Dechlor because it's cheap. I treat my water in a stock tub and pump it into my aquariums. I have a water pump that I turn on and off with a remote controlled outlet. When I want to do a water change, I remove the water with a Python and then refill from the stock tub. After I'm done doing water changes, I refill the stock tub and add Dechlor. The tub contains a submersible Whisper filter and an air stone to circulate and oxygenate the water. (I never change the filter in the Whisper, it's just for circulation.) It's all ready for me the next time I want to change some water.

I would recommend using something that will handle chloramines no matter what your water department tells you. My local water treatment plant uses both chlorine and chloramine depending on the water temperature/time of year or something. Even if you check and they tell you they never use chloramines, they might change one day and they won't announce something like that.

Don't know the situation in the US but here the water authorities don't have to give prior warning to the public if they intend to use Chloramine. If I 'phoned and asked, and they replied in the negative they could still start using it the day after and I wouldn't be any the wiser. Result is I cover myself to be on the safe side and use Prime, which in the UK at least is the best value for money I know.

Don't know the situation in the US but here the water authorities don't have to give prior warning to the public if they intend to use Chloramine. If I 'phoned and asked, and they replied in the negative they could still start using it the day after and I wouldn't be any the wiser. Result is I cover myself to be on the safe side and use Prime, which in the UK at least is the best value for money I know.

It's exactly the same here. Apparently they don't have to notify us of anything they put in the water. We get a report occasionally that lists the contaminants they find and remove, but nothing about any additives.

Edited by schambers, 28 April 2011 - 09:51 PM.

Most large public water systems in the USA that use rivers or lakes for raw water supply now use chloramine most of the year, because it's less likely to make trihalomethane by-products (toxic or carcinogenic) than straight chlorine. Once a year for about a month they switch back to straight chlorine (Raleigh does this around March) to clean out the bacterial film in the water distribution pipes, because chlorine is a stronger oxidizer than chloramine. The Raleigh WTP puts an announcement in our water bill insert and in newspapers. Any good chlorine/chloramine neutralizer (I use Prime) should work fine for either kind of water disinfectant. One of our local aquarium society members is a WTP operator and he suggests bumping up the dosage 50% or so during the transition for an extra margin of safety.