# Aging water for changes



## jondoefb (Jul 12, 2011)

Hey All,

I usually draw 5 gallons of water from the tap into a bucket and let it sit for a few days. My question is: How long do you guys let your water sit before adding to tank, and do you keep the new water covered?

Thanks!


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## Rufus' Mom (Jan 2, 2012)

I do not age my water. From the hose into the bucket with the required amount of dechlorinator, and then into the aquarium.


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## jshiloh13 (Dec 12, 2010)

yea i dont age it either, just add a water conditioner. be careful if you are not going to add a water conditioner, there are other chemicals to worry about other than just chlorine.


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## jondoefb (Jul 12, 2011)

I add Nutrafin Aqua Plus tap water conditioner, 5ML per 5 gallons.


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## jshiloh13 (Dec 12, 2010)

then there should be no reason to age it. i mean all your doing when you age it is removing the chlorine, and your water conditioner will do that.


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## jondoefb (Jul 12, 2011)

When I had an aquarium years ago I lived in he city which had municipal water, maybe that's where I got the idea that you have to age it (I'm on a private well now)


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## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

jondoefb said:


> Hey All,
> 
> I usually draw 5 gallons of water from the tap into a bucket and let it sit for a few days. My question is: How long do you guys let your water sit before adding to tank, and do you keep the new water covered?
> 
> Thanks!


I just replace evaporative water with untreated tap water from a commonly used cold water faucet.


my .02


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## RonB (Nov 7, 2011)

I fill up 5 gal buckets in the tub in the morning an ad declorinator. When I get home from work I do my water changes. That soulld have gave the water long enough to get to room temp.


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## dalfed (Apr 8, 2012)

If you are on a private well should not have to add anything to your water, unless you shock your well.


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## jshiloh13 (Dec 12, 2010)

even without the chlorine it would probably be safer to add the water conditioner it will remove the heavy metals that may be in the water. just not worth taking a chance when the stuff is so cheap. also make sure if you have a water softener that you get the water before it goes through it, the salt in the exchange is no good for most fresh water fish.


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## zero (Mar 27, 2012)

i fill the buckets while adding conditioner and add to the tank! i use my hand thermometer to test the temp. cant be having loads of buckets laying around waiting for a water change!!! id need like 20 buckets!!!


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## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

jshiloh13 said:


> even without the chlorine it would probably be safer to add the water conditioner it will remove the heavy metals that may be in the water. just not worth taking a chance when the stuff is so cheap. also make sure if you have a water softener that you get the water before it goes through it, the salt in the exchange is no good for most fresh water fish.


FWIW Most aquarium water conditioners are actually toxic to fish because the irritate the gills, and lock up oxygen which can suffocate the fish.

Sure the dosage is low enough on the instructions to preven that but still any overdose can actuall kill the fish.

Additionally the ammonia locks, a common water conditioner component, does lock up ammonia making it safer. But most ammonia test kits do not distinguish between the free (dangerous) and locked (safer) ammonia so you still test positive for ammonia. So the very real danger is you can treat, still test ammonia, treat some more, still test positive, etc etc etc. Meanwhile locking the oxygen when all the while the initial dose fully locked up the ammonia and not further dosing was required.


Sure under emergency conditions like when some toxin has been accidently introduced, then use the chemicals. Per instructions and measure both free and total ammonia with a test kit the measures both.

But under any other conditions like normal setup and running I just let the tank itself take care of all that. By letting the tank and plants condition the water for a week, adding fish slowly, feeding lightly, and just replaceing evaporative water. 

But then that is just what I do.

worth at most .02


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## zero (Mar 27, 2012)

beaslbob said:


> FWIW Most aquarium water conditioners are actually toxic to fish because the irritate the gills, and lock up oxygen which can suffocate the fish.
> 
> Sure the dosage is low enough on the instructions to preven that but still any overdose can actuall kill the fish.
> 
> ...


ive never heard of anyone dosing more water conditioner because there testing positive for ammonia!!! it wouldnt even cross my mind to do so if im honest!

you do come out with some funny things bob! but i like to read them jsut the same


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## Nereus7 (Jun 13, 2012)

I could see someone thinking they need more prime because they test positive for ammonia. I'm sure it's happened more than once.

Things I've heard:

1)I have it on pretty good word that you can't do the "just evap the chlorine" method anymore. They (at least here) have added a new chemical to keep it from doing that.

2)I've read it is advisable to age tap/well water a few days to let it gas out, and if any ph changes are going to occur, it's better in the bucket than in the tank.

3)Heavy metals are pretty high in well water, meaning you would have to add something to bind them, or add something to your filter to absorb them. My thoughts are chemicals upon chemicals are not good, and if you use the filter absorbtion it's still in your tank until it get's fully absorbed.

4)Another thing about well water. If you're in farm land the fertilizers etc will leach into your well. 1 guy in particular that worked at a local fish spot kept losing all his fish about once a year and couldn't figure out why. So he'd get it started, established, and lose everything, multiple times. Come to find out, it was in corelation to the fert schedules around his place.

So, the moral of my story, RO/DI is the only way to go. No chemicals upon chemicals, everything gets stripped out, and everything that goes in is by your hand. A little expensive at start up, but so is an aquarium with living beings in it. Good luck - N


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## zero (Mar 27, 2012)

so glad i dont have well water! id cry if i lost my oscar!!!

and to the people using more prime to combat ammonia...well there just dumb!


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## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

Nereus7 said:


> I could see someone thinking they need more prime because they test positive for ammonia. I'm sure it's happened more than once.
> 
> Things I've heard:
> 
> ...


Water authorities are now using chlorine gas and chloramine which is a liquid. My particular water authority uses chloramines because being a liquid it is much safer and easier to handle.

both kill bacteria while the water is being stored (water tanks/towers) or during transit to you house (pipes). Both dissipate after leaving the closed plumbing environment. Chlorine gas (with any circulation)- very rapidily like minutes or hours. Chloramines much slower like in some conditions a 1/2 life in the order of days/weeks. Some water authorities report that even with that a large portion of the chlorimines have broken down before arriving at your tap.

Chlorimines break down to chlorine gas and ammonia. Any ammonia missed by the bacteria in my tanks is almost immediately consumed by the plants. And in mature tanks by bacteria. Chlorine gas dissipates rapidily as before.

So the bottom line on my tanks is to start the tank fully planted. Then let it sit a week. Then just replace evaporative water. With that method I have never used chemicals and never seen any signs of stress to the fish or in my marine systems, the corals. *old dude

Still just my

.02


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## roland0 (Mar 6, 2012)

I just add the conditioner to the tank right before I pour the new water in. When I lived in a place where they used chlorine in the water, I would let it sit for 2 days then pour it in, this was without using a water conditioner.


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## Puppylove (Jun 10, 2012)

For the past six months I have been doing 4 times the regular dose of Prime for ammonia. I was told to do this by a manager at Petco (who I didn't really trust) so I emailed the head of the fish society I'm in. She told me the same thing, to "keep adding Prime" along with 75% water changes every three days. I hope I didn't hurt my fish.


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## navigator black (Jan 3, 2012)

I don't have chloramine, just old fashioned chlorine. I pour directly from the hose to the tank, making certain the surface of the water is agitated. Fish often breed the next day, and there are no signs of any harm. 
If I go above 30% on my weekly change, I add dechlorinator. Below that, I find the chlorine dissipates so quickly there are no problems.
If I had chloramines, I would treat religiously, but since I don't, I don't.


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## jshiloh13 (Dec 12, 2010)

so i was doing some research, and i found out that it is bad to put the water conditioner in your water (which i only do when im putting new water in) if you have a planted tank. because the plants need the heavy metals that the conditioner locks up. learn something new everyday 

so if it is a non-planted tank the active charcoal will remove the heavy metals right?


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

If you have no real need to age the water you really don't need to if you already add a conditioner anyway. Chloramines don't dissipate like chlorine, so a conditioner may be needed.

If you use Prime, can't speak for anything else, you can dose 2, 3, 4, 5 times or more than the recommended dose and it won't do anything to your tank in regards to depleting oxygen. It may lock some up, but as long as you have filters or surface movement in your water, your water is gaining oxygen much faster than Prime is locking it up. Prime also is gone and out of your tank in less than 24hrs, as their website states. The most I could ever see anyone doing is a double dose. That definitely isn't going to do anything. Plus, anything that may possibly be harmful to fish contained in Prime....it will be much less so than the chloramines that you leave in the water not using it.


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