# tank breakdown



## jupitermadcat (Jan 11, 2009)

For 3-4 years i had a fish maintenance guy come by once a month to service my 55 gallon tank until i let him go. he would do a tank breakdown every year usually in January it's now February I would like to do it this weekend any help would be greatly appreciated. thanks *c/p*


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## Rob72 (Apr 2, 2011)

what do you mean tankbreakdown once a year


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## SuckMyCichlids (Nov 5, 2011)

Yea I don't really understand what you want from this post


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## Rob72 (Apr 2, 2011)

if you talking about emptying your tank and taken everthing out, you dont have to do that, you loose alot of good bacteria that you have in it, and have to cycle again if you do that


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## dante322 (Jan 15, 2012)

The closest thing I do to a "breakdown" is taking all of the decorations out of the tank. I do this every 6 months or so. One side on one week, the other side on the next. This is done in conjunction with a water change. I do this so I can get any gunck from under rocks and decorations. when I'm done everything goes back in right where it was. its also a good time to rebury any plants that have been dislodged. Keep anything you take out wet until it goes back in. Smaller decorations can just be moved to the other side of the tank temporarily.

Other than that the only thing that needs to be done is water changes, gravel vaccuming and any other miscellaneous repair / maintenance.


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## jupitermadcat (Jan 11, 2009)

dante322 said:


> The closest thing I do to a "breakdown" is taking all of the decorations out of the tank. I do this every 6 months or so. One side on one week, the other side on the next. This is done in conjunction with a water change. I do this so I can get any gunck from under rocks and decorations. when I'm done everything goes back in right where it was. its also a good time to rebury any plants that have been dislodged. Keep anything you take out wet until it goes back in. Smaller decorations can just be moved to the other side of the tank temporarily.
> 
> Other than that the only thing that needs to be done is water changes, gravel vaccuming and any other miscellaneous repair / maintenance.


Well all i know is what this guy did he replaced the gravel and the plants if they got too bad. Ok then i really need i water change and to clean the tank but i need help in doing so.


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## jupitermadcat (Jan 11, 2009)

Rob72 said:


> if you talking about emptying your tank and taken everthing out, you dont have to do that, you loose alot of good bacteria that you have in it, and have to cycle again if you do that


Oh ok Thank you.


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## jupitermadcat (Jan 11, 2009)

Rob72 said:


> what do you mean tankbreakdown once a year


All i know is what this Fish service guy has been telling me. It means taking the plants out to clean them if possible replacing the gravel and rocks if needed vacuuming change the water.


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## dante322 (Jan 15, 2012)

> *Well all i know is what this guy did he replaced the gravel and the plants if they got too bad.* Ok then i really need i water change and to clean the tank but i need help in doing so.


yikes! shouldnt be any reason to replace gravel. and the only plants that need to be removed are dead ones.

water changes are easy. In a 55 gallon I would do a 25% water change every week or so depending on what it is stocked with. all you need are a couple buckets and a grvel vaccum. The vaccum is just a piece of hose with a large tube attached to one end. Put the tube in the water, and the other end of the hose in a bucket. get some suction going and the water will syphon itself out into the bucket. you can run the tube through the gravel as well and suck out any fish poop and uneaten food as well. once you have about 15 gallons out, replace it with water that is the same temperature.

You should read the sticky about the nitrogen cycle to better understand why replacing gravel is not a good idea.


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## jupitermadcat (Jan 11, 2009)

dante322 said:


> yikes! shouldnt be any reason to replace gravel. and the only plants that need to be removed are dead ones.
> 
> water changes are easy. In a 55 gallon I would do a 25% water change every week or so depending on what it is stocked with. all you need are a couple buckets and a grvel vaccum. The vaccum is just a piece of hose with a large tube attached to one end. Put the tube in the water, and the other end of the hose in a bucket. get some suction going and the water will syphon itself out into the bucket. you can run the tube through the gravel as well and suck out any fish poop and uneaten food as well. once you have about 15 gallons out, replace it with water that is the same temperature.
> 
> You should read the sticky about the nitrogen cycle to better understand why replacing gravel is not a good idea.



The plants are not real plus when he replaced the water during the changes he swore that using bottled Spring water was the best way so that's whats been used in my tank.


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

Man that guy was taking you for a ride.


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## jupitermadcat (Jan 11, 2009)

Ok now i know, But now i want to clean my tank Can anyone help me?


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## Reefing Madness (Aug 12, 2011)

Aquarium maintenance part1 : How to clean your gravel(with a tetrateck gc50 vaccuum) - YouTube

fish tank water change (aquarium) fish care: Part 1 - YouTube


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## Reefing Madness (Aug 12, 2011)

Aquarium maintenance part3 : How to clean your aquarium glass without scratching it - YouTube

How To Test Your Freshwater Aquarium With A Freshwater Master Test Kit - YouTube


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Wow I guess he felt he had to do something major once a year.

To be completly honest the best thing maintenance wise you can do is to do weekly waterchanges.It keeps all the params in order.Ive never had to tear a tank down once a year,it messes things up way too bad.


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## jupitermadcat (Jan 11, 2009)

Well I'm in deep doo doo this tank has not been changed since September except filter changes and cleaning the algae off the glass.


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## Reefing Madness (Aug 12, 2011)

a 50% water change would not hurt anything.


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## jupitermadcat (Jan 11, 2009)

Reefing Madness said:


> a 50% water change would not hurt anything.


can the fish stay in the tank? and do i have to replace the gravel?
\


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## jupitermadcat (Jan 11, 2009)

Reefing Madness said:


> a 50% water change would not hurt anything.


50% So half the tank and refill with tap but first check for chlorine?


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## Reefing Madness (Aug 12, 2011)

Yes, the fish and all you rdecorations can stay. You can take out and clean up the fake plants if you'd like. And yes, 1/2 the tank with new water, checking for chlorine first.


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

If you have chlorine in your tap,add the appropriate amount of dechlor to the tank,then add the water.


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## jupitermadcat (Jan 11, 2009)

Reefing Madness said:


> Yes, the fish and all you rdecorations can stay. You can take out and clean up the fake plants if you'd like. And yes, 1/2 the tank with new water, checking for chlorine first.


And vacuum the gravel i have a Python but the vacuum head is not very long should i get a longer one?


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## jupitermadcat (Jan 11, 2009)

do i need to get a chlorine tester? all i have is a API MASTER TEST KIT


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## jupitermadcat (Jan 11, 2009)

How do i check for Chlorine?


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## Reefing Madness (Aug 12, 2011)

jupitermadcat said:


> And vacuum the gravel i have a Python but the vacuum head is not very long should i get a longer one?


Na, it doesn't matter how long the head is, the longer ones are for deeper tanks. You vacuum the gravel and remove the water at the same time.


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## Reefing Madness (Aug 12, 2011)

jupitermadcat said:


> How do i check for Chlorine?


freshwater chlorine test kit: compare prices and read reviews - Bing Shopping


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## jupitermadcat (Jan 11, 2009)

Do i take the water out first and then vacuum?


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## Fishaholic (Jan 16, 2012)

1. Take out plants and scrub off algae.

2. Use gravel vac to vacuum debris out. I would suggest only doing half of the gravel, then the other half a week or more later because good bacteria lives in the gravel and you dont want to remove too much. So move all decorations to one side and vacuum the empty side, next week doing the opposite.

3. Continue siphoning out water until the tank is half full. The fish can stay in, just try to be gentle . They will probably just be hiding over on the side where the decorations are. Or if they're like my fish they'll be trying to bite the vac lol.

4. *What type of filter do you have, and what type of material is in it?* (sponges, ceramic, etc.) Gently rinse half your filter material in a bucket of dirty tank water. If you want, and if its really gunky, you can replace ONLY HALF of it, or rinse the other half next week when you vacuum the other half of the gravel.

5. Refill the tank with dechlorinated water, and try to make sure the new water temp is as close to your tank temp as possible . Prime is a popular dechlorinator, but there are lots of types to choose from. If you are adding the water to the tank with a hose instead of by the bucketfull, add the dechlorinator to the tank before putting the water in, and add enough for the total volume of the tank according to the directions on the bottle, even though you are only replacing half the water. If you are using buckets, just add enough dechlor for the size of each bucket full. I add it to the bucket first so it gets stirred up when you put water in the bucket.

6. Put the plants and decorations back where you want them.

From then on you can do small weekly water changes, and maybe vacuum a bit of gravel bi-weekly or monthly, rotating which areas you vacuum. How much water you change will depend on how many fish you have and what your nitrate levels are. Keep them under 50 ppm definetely. Live plants are good for helping with this too, but some fish will rip them up, and some plants need special lighting or fertilizers. 

I think that's about it. Hope this helps!


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## Fishaholic (Jan 16, 2012)

Vacuum first. Water will be removed while you vacuum. Once you've done the area of gravel you want, then continue removing water until the tank is half full.


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## Fishaholic (Jan 16, 2012)

Oh one more thing, you really dont need to replace your filter material unless its falling apart. It contains the good bacteria that keeps your tank healthy and breaks down fish waste. If there is carbon in your filter then you will want to throw that out because it's only good for about a month at the most. But with sponges and other stuff, just give it a gentle rinse in dirty tank water (not in the tank). Swish it around but dont squeeze it out hard if its a sponge.


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## jupitermadcat (Jan 11, 2009)

Reefing Madness said:


> Na, it doesn't matter how long the head is, the longer ones are for deeper tanks. You vacuum the gravel and remove the water at the same time.


Mine is 55 gal


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## snail (Aug 6, 2010)

If it's tap water it has chlorine, no need to test for it, just use a dechlorinater like Prime. I occasionally do a bit of a bigger clean, but usually it's more because I want to redecorate the tank anyway. No need to ever replace gravel. Do you have live plants, or plastic ones?


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## jupitermadcat (Jan 11, 2009)

snail said:


> If it's tap water it has chlorine, no need to test for it, just use a dechlorinater like Prime. I occasionally do a bit of a bigger clean, but usually it's more because I want to redecorate the tank anyway. No need to ever replace gravel. Do you have live plants, or plastic ones?



Plastic Plants


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## dante322 (Jan 15, 2012)

> Do i take the water out first and then vacuum?


the vaccum removes the water.



> Gently rinse half your filter material in a bucket of *dirty tank water.*


very important. do not use tap water. Most municipal water supplies add chlorine which will kill the bacteria in the filter. dirty tank water has no chlorine in it and wont disturb the bacteria much. be gaentle. no need to try to get the filter CLEAN. just get any large chunks of debris off and thats that.



> Mine is 55 gal


I dont have a long syphon for my 55 gallon, just means you will get your hands wet. My fish dont mind my hand in the tank. my neighbors oscars will actually let me touch them while i'm changing water in her tank. make sure to wash your hands first, especially if you have recently handled any type of chemical, gasoline, or oil.


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## snail (Aug 6, 2010)

jupitermadcat said:


> Plastic Plants


Most people on here when talking about plants are thinking of live ones. Plastic plants might need taking out to clean the algae off once in a while, the algae doesn't do any harm but might not look so nice. You can replace them if you feel they need it too of course.


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## jupitermadcat (Jan 11, 2009)

I have a Aqua tech power filter


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## SuckMyCichlids (Nov 5, 2011)

As snail stated if your using tap water then you have chlorine/ chloramine so you should just get some sort of water conditioner and at dante, most people use tap water so to tell someone flat out not use it kinda confusing especially to someone who doesn't really know what to do, tap water is just fine if you add water conditioner.

Edit- sorry dante I thought you were referring about the water changes, for rinsing off filter media dirty tank water just seems to work best lol


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## dante322 (Jan 15, 2012)

> Edit- sorry dante I thought you were referring about the water changes, for rinsing off filter media dirty tank water just seems to work best lol


no problem.

I dont like to clean my filter media at all. I will look at them during water changes and at most just kinda swish them around in the bucket of dirty water. If one is worn out I will just slide another one in behind it for a couple months or so.


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## SuckMyCichlids (Nov 5, 2011)

About once a month ill take a brush to the filter boxes and intake tubes and rinse em off in the old water, that's about it other than weekly water changes


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

You can use fresh clean tap water in a bucket to rinse out your filter sponges, you just need to treat the water first. Also if you don't sqeeze and wring it out really good, why do it? It doesn't hurt anything.

I didn't see it in any of your posts whether or not there are fish in the tank. If there are, it doesn't matter how long it has been trying to do too many of the suggested things at once will likely throw your tank into a mini-cycle. With fish you have to separate the work some. Things like vacuum half the gravel one week and then the other half the next and only do this if needed - it is not needed every week. Rinse out filter media on weeks you are not doing a gravel vacuum. Your gravel and filter house most of your beneficial bacteria...any major changes to either or both areas at once should be done with caution.

And just so you know...you nearly never have to break a tank completely down, IMO. Most of time when people do it it is an over-reaction to something.


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## King James (Jan 30, 2012)

Don't do anything to the gravel except vacuum it good, leave it in as close a shape as possible the way it is. Vacuuming each time you do water change with the syphon will keep it good, but only do half one time and other half the next time you do weekly water change. Water changes are easy and without a doubt the best thing you can do for your fish! I never go more than a week unless something kind of drastic comes up and then 10 days maximum and a lot of weeks I may change water several times that week on some tanks.


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## snail (Aug 6, 2010)

In Lightly stocked tanks I only change water every 2 or three weeks but I think every week is even better.


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## jupitermadcat (Jan 11, 2009)

Ok cleaning the tank today i want to make sure i have everything i need and everything i need to do.*c/p*

I have a Python but it tells me to attach it to my faucet which can't anyway because i have a spray handle but i want to clean the tank so maybe i can run the end of the hose outside to my patio to drain?


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## jupitermadcat (Jan 11, 2009)

If i get a longer hose i could run it to the Laundry room sink.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Draining you can use any hose, it just requires you to start the siphon. I usually just stick my hose out the door. The python really shines when it comes to refilling the tank.


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## jupitermadcat (Jan 11, 2009)

jrman83 said:


> Draining you can use any hose, it just requires you to start the siphon. I usually just stick my hose out the door. The python really shines when it comes to refilling the tank.


so how do i get it started? suck the other end?


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## jupitermadcat (Jan 11, 2009)

Help?


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

yes


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## jupitermadcat (Jan 11, 2009)

jrman83 said:


> yes


Well i did it i cleaned my tank the fish seem to be still alive i vacuumed one side of the tank sooo much crap and still more i will do the other side next week i sure hope i did things alright.


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## dante322 (Jan 15, 2012)

> Well i did it i cleaned my tank the fish seem to be still alive i vacuumed one side of the tank sooo much crap and still more i will do the other side next week i sure hope i did things alright.


wasnt hard at all was it? easy, peesy, peice-o-cheesy.

In the summertime I Run the hose for the python to my garden. the plants like fishpoop.


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## jupitermadcat (Jan 11, 2009)

dante322 said:


> wasnt hard at all was it? easy, peesy, peice-o-cheesy.
> 
> In the summertime I Run the hose for the python to my garden. the plants like fishpoop.


No it wasn't that bad at all!

What water conditions should i check for and maintain?

I checked the Ph this morning and it was 7.6 :fish10:


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

jupitermadcat said:


> No it wasn't that bad at all!
> 
> What water conditions should i check for and maintain?
> 
> I checked the Ph this morning and it was 7.6 :fish10:


Sort of makes you wonder why people just don't clean their tanks, doesn't it? Just too easy!!

Ph is a good thing to check until you fully understand what you water does over time. I would recommend taking a sample of water from your tap and tesing it, and then taking some and set it aside for 24hrs and then test it. Many people will experience different values after the water has sat for a while. It is always good to know exactly what your water does. Doesn't signify anything bad necessarily, just info that you are aware of.

The only thing that I really ever check is my nitrate levels, but only do it on occasion. The only time I do this is the day of my water changes. I want to know what my nitrate levels just prior to draining water because it tells me how mch water I need to drain. For example, if I wanted to get below 20ppm and when I tested it was 40ppm then I know that I have to do about a 50-60% water change. Nitrates will go down by about how much water you remove. So if you tested and it was 100ppm, a 50% water change will get them to 50ppm - approximately. You may also want to test your tap for nitrates as well.

Tap testing can never hurt and although I mentioned it above, I would test your tap for ammonia, ph (using the above method), and nitrates. It will help you understand your tank readings if you know if your tap has a positive value for ammonia and nitrates.


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## jupitermadcat (Jan 11, 2009)

jrman83 said:


> Sort of makes you wonder why people just don't clean their tanks, doesn't it? Just too easy!!
> 
> Ph is a good thing to check until you fully understand what you water does over time. I would recommend taking a sample of water from your tap and tesing it, and then taking some and set it aside for 24hrs and then test it. Many people will experience different values after the water has sat for a while. It is always good to know exactly what your water does. Doesn't signify anything bad necessarily, just info that you are aware of.
> 
> ...


How do i go and test my tap water?


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Just take the 5ml sample directly from your faucet instead of your tank. I would let the water run for about 30 seconds before I did it.


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## jupitermadcat (Jan 11, 2009)

jrman83 said:


> Just take the 5ml sample directly from your faucet instead of your tank. I would let the water run for about 30 seconds before I did it.


and use what to test it with? yes i'm a novice and i'm asking very stupid questions probably..


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Okay, not sure where we are disconnecting.....

What do you use to test your tank with right now?


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## jupitermadcat (Jan 11, 2009)

jrman83 said:


> Okay, not sure where we are disconnecting.....
> 
> What do you use to test your tank with right now?



I have a API test kit it's the first time i have used it.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Okay...so for that test kit you take 5ml samples of the tank water and add the solution that goes with whatever you are testing for (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, etc..), put the cap on, shake, wait 5min, and the compare colors on the chart to give you the value.

The only difference for testing your tap is the source of the water. Instead of taking it from your tank, you would just open up your faucet and take the 5ml of water from there.

Understand?


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## jupitermadcat (Jan 11, 2009)

Ok i understand now thanks.


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## dante322 (Jan 15, 2012)

> I have a API test kit it's the first time i have used it.


There should be a booklet with instructions in the kit.



> Okay...so for that test kit you take 5ml samples of the tank water and add the solution that goes with whatever you are testing for (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, etc..), put the cap on, shake, wait 5min, and the compare colors on the chart to give you the value.


the test tubes in the kit will have marks on them at 5 ml., about 2/3 up. Each test requires a different number of drops, and the test for ammonia and nitrate are two parts. Read the directions and you will do fine.


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## jupitermadcat (Jan 11, 2009)

dante322 said:


> There should be a booklet with instructions in the kit.
> 
> 
> 
> the test tubes in the kit will have marks on them at 5 ml., about 2/3 up. Each test requires a different number of drops, and the test for ammonia and nitrate are two parts. Read the directions and you will do fine.


How do i check for Chlorine content in my tap water?


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Personally, I see no reason why you would need to. If you are on city water and you know they use chlorine or chloramine, use conditioner.


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## jupitermadcat (Jan 11, 2009)

Ok thank you.


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## snail (Aug 6, 2010)

I agree, not really any need to. Pretty much any tap water will need to be treated anyway.


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