Janice1979
- #1
Sorry this is a bit of long story; but I think it requires a little background…
My aquarium has been cycled and running stably for a probably 3 yrs now. My issues are with my TAP water. It frequently changes parameters. Usually, it’s a minor change in ammonia, nitrate, or nitrite…but not usually significant enough to cause problems with water changes. At times, though the chloramine level is apparently quite high. I don’t have a test kit, but by smell and flavor I would say that it is probably at the top of what is safe for human consumption at times. I know that the Seachem Prime that I use to conditioner the water will clear up the chloramine, but since I usually treat the whole tank volume and then slowly add the water directly from the faucet, I generally dose extra when it seems like the chloramine is high to make sure I protect my fish. I have even just waited out the change in chloramine when it seemed super high like it is now. I’m always nervous about the high chloramine and the khulis. I had some in the past that I lost due to insufficient amount/type of conditioner back in the days before I used Prime. (Yes, I know directly from the faucet isn’t the safest, but I can’t haul buckets very much…usually just the couple that I remove is all I can manage. So, I use a garden house attached to the faucet and just trickle it in.
Current issues: The chloramine has been really high lately, (and I’ve personally been sick), so I have been trying to wait out doing a water change. I tested both my tank and the tap today. There are some big differences.
TAP— ph 7.4, ammonia between .25 and .5, nitrite 0, nitrate 0, gh 14, kh 9
TANK—ph 7.4, ammonia between 0 and .25, nitrite 0, nitrate 40, gh 11, kh 5
I almost forgot to list inhabitants:
2 SAE, 3 honey gourami, 7 Khuli loaches, and a few nerite snails
Question 1: Should I use more Prime since the chloramine seems so high?
Question 2: The kh and gh are quite different this time as well. How dangerous is that going to be to my fish? I mean, I know not to just do a sudden change and shock them….but how slowly do I need to do the change? Will a slow change that takes an hour or so to refill 50% be efficient, followed by a second in a day or two to get the nitrate all the way down? Or do I need to do several smaller ones over a couple of days to acclimate them?
My aquarium has been cycled and running stably for a probably 3 yrs now. My issues are with my TAP water. It frequently changes parameters. Usually, it’s a minor change in ammonia, nitrate, or nitrite…but not usually significant enough to cause problems with water changes. At times, though the chloramine level is apparently quite high. I don’t have a test kit, but by smell and flavor I would say that it is probably at the top of what is safe for human consumption at times. I know that the Seachem Prime that I use to conditioner the water will clear up the chloramine, but since I usually treat the whole tank volume and then slowly add the water directly from the faucet, I generally dose extra when it seems like the chloramine is high to make sure I protect my fish. I have even just waited out the change in chloramine when it seemed super high like it is now. I’m always nervous about the high chloramine and the khulis. I had some in the past that I lost due to insufficient amount/type of conditioner back in the days before I used Prime. (Yes, I know directly from the faucet isn’t the safest, but I can’t haul buckets very much…usually just the couple that I remove is all I can manage. So, I use a garden house attached to the faucet and just trickle it in.
Current issues: The chloramine has been really high lately, (and I’ve personally been sick), so I have been trying to wait out doing a water change. I tested both my tank and the tap today. There are some big differences.
TAP— ph 7.4, ammonia between .25 and .5, nitrite 0, nitrate 0, gh 14, kh 9
TANK—ph 7.4, ammonia between 0 and .25, nitrite 0, nitrate 40, gh 11, kh 5
I almost forgot to list inhabitants:
2 SAE, 3 honey gourami, 7 Khuli loaches, and a few nerite snails
Question 1: Should I use more Prime since the chloramine seems so high?
Question 2: The kh and gh are quite different this time as well. How dangerous is that going to be to my fish? I mean, I know not to just do a sudden change and shock them….but how slowly do I need to do the change? Will a slow change that takes an hour or so to refill 50% be efficient, followed by a second in a day or two to get the nitrate all the way down? Or do I need to do several smaller ones over a couple of days to acclimate them?
