# cleaning



## apple (Jan 30, 2006)

When I need to add more water to the tank or when I do a water change I will be using the syphon hose now do I just add new water to the tank and then add water treatment? Can I keep the fish in the tank while I do this?


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Always add the water conditioner before the water. Use the dose that matches the container you are mixing it in. So if you are adding water to a 10 gallon, then you put water conditioner for 10 gallons in the tank, even if you are only adding 2 gallons. If you are using a 2 gallon bucket, you can dose for 2 gallons.


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## jones57742 (Sep 8, 2007)

apple said:


> When I need to add more water to the tank or when I do a water change I will be using the syphon hose now do I just add new water to the tank and then add water treatment?


ap:

Add the dechlorinate to the tank and then add the water.




apple said:


> Can I keep the fish in the tank while I do this?


Yes.

TR


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## apple (Jan 30, 2006)

And I can just pour straight from the faucet to the tank?


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

You can. Its important to get the temperature right and that it is easier with a bucket. But tiny tanks can go in the sink and large tanks can be filled with a "python" or other hose with faucet adapter. Letting the water sit for a few days is safer, but going straight from the tap is so convenient that is what most of us do. The chlorine should be neutralized as soon as it hit the dechlor in your tank's water. The exposure of the fish to chlorine was described to me as like going outside and then putting your coat on. Slightly stressful, but not like being locked out with no coat (going without dechlor).


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## apple (Jan 30, 2006)

Emc7 thanks for the explanation very helpful and understanding


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

ok..somebody forgive my stupidity ; but..............................
lets say you have a 20 gallon tank and are going to do a 50% water change.when you put the 10 gallons of tap water in the tank;you are immediately reducing the chlorine content of it by half..so now you only have the actual amount of chlorine concentration a 5 gallon tank..but adding enough dechlorinating agent for 20 gallons would be over treating the tank.and why would you want to do that?
now, to be honest about it ; i normally don't dechlorinate unless i am doing more than a 30% change..and when i do ; i just add a little squirt to the tank as i am filling it...i really don't measure.and usually i am not adding the amount to treat what i am putting in.
i know that you can pretty much overtreat a tank safely ; but why?


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Because its a concentration reaction, not a quantity reaction. No matter how little chlorine you use, if your dechlor concentration is too small, it won't work. At least thats what I understand. Weird, since in chem class you always cared about total mols.


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## PaulLamb (Nov 15, 2009)

lohachata said:


> lets say you have a 20 gallon tank and are going to do a 50% water change.when you put the 10 gallons of tap water in the tank;you are immediately reducing the chlorine content of it by half..so now you only have the actual amount of chlorine concentration a 5 gallon tank


I thought I would point out a slight flaw in your calculation, assuming for a second that it is a quantity reaction, rather than a concentration reaction as emc7 indicated. You are correct that when you place 10 gallons of chlorinated water into 10 gallons of unchlorinated water, then the concentration of chlorine is cut in half. In your calculation, you did this:

*0.5 * 10 gallons = 5 gallons*

However, you forgot to take into account that the volume of water doubled. In other words, you now have 20 gallons of half-chlorinated water, not 10 gallons. The calculation should look like this instead:

*0.5 * (10 gallons * 2) = 10 gallons*

So you would want to treat for 10 gallons, not 5 (again, assuming it were a quantity reaction). Only a minor error, but I tend to notice little things like that.


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