Mini-cycle switching from gravel to sand

More woe today, another .25 ammonia test. I sense another water change in my future. Boy am I glad I got the python now.

I did feed them this morning though, because I'm a sucker. Very small amount, though!

my issue with python style water changes is you can't treat the water before it goes into the tank leaving you with chlorine in the water to kill your bacteria when you change the water.

 

my issue with python style water changes is you can't treat the water before it goes into the tank leaving you with chlorine in the water to kill your bacteria when you change the water.

I have a python. You have to add the declorinator to the water in the tank before you start to add the water. You have to add enough to dose the entire tank, not just the amount of water you are replacing. Hope this helps.

 

But if you pre treat there is still chlorine exposure and it would still kill bacteria just not all I suppose. This is one of the reasons I have been thinking of a sump for water changes I was planning on making one from a tidy cat 5 gallon square bucket.

 

But if you pre treat there is still chlorine exposure and it would still kill bacteria just not all I suppose.

There are a couple of factors working together to protect your bacteria, I think. First, you're adding the chlorinated water to a usually larger volume of already treated water in the tank, thus diluting the amount of chlorine by volume quite a bit. Second, since you're dosing for the entire volume of water you're actually overdosing for the amount of chlorine you're adding to the tank. Third, by the time the water you just added gets into your filter it's had plenty of time to be treated if your water flow is vigorous.

 

Dechlorinators are supposed to work instantaniously, but even if they didn't, chlorine will not kill your bacteria on contact, it takes some amount of time.

Many people use a Python with no ill effects to their cycle at all. So I think so long as you add the dechlorinator, then the water you're golden.