Glow light tetra
Aquarium Advice Activist
Attempted a water change on my aquarium, but after I dumped out the old tank water, I found I only had half the water I needed to top it back off 
Any ideas?
Any ideas?
Help! Need to make fresh water fast :(
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Dennisdiscus
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patrickriley2010
Aquarium Advice Addict
Attempted a water change on my aquarium, but after I dumped out the old tank water, I found I only had half the water I needed to top it back off
Any ideas?
Umm tap water and de chlorinator ? What do you normally do?
How can you only find a little water I'm
Confused .
OP
OP
Glow light tetra
Aquarium Advice Activist
My mom probably used used it for her aquarium earlier and forgot to make more
OP
OP
Glow light tetra
Aquarium Advice Activist
Normally I let it sit for a day, according to the directions on my dechlorinator.
patrickriley2010
Aquarium Advice Addict
I've never heard of that. What dechlorinator? Most people shut off filters fill ads dechlorinator for the full size of the tank let it sit a few minutes and then the filters back on. I do it with my dechlorinator works fine
Mebbid
Aquarium Advice Addict
It lets the access gasses in the water escape normalizing the pH of the water. Test the difference between fresh tap water and water that has been sitting out for a day and you will almost certainly see a difference.
90% of the time there isn't a big problem with adding dechlorinated tap water straight to the aquarium. How big is your tank and how much are you short? Also whats the pH differences between aged water and fresh water?
patrickriley2010
Aquarium Advice Addict
My ph difference is about 1.5-2.5 I believe but it's a 20 gallon and I use an aqueon water changer the buckets killed my back . But I have air stones which help balance the PH quicker
I know that was directed towards op but just seeing what you thought
Mebbid
Aquarium Advice Addict
The need to age water really depends on the softness of the water. Harder water will have more buffering capacity against pH changes, so there is really a lot of water chemistry going on during water changes. For example adding 10g of 7pH tap water to 10g of 8pH tap water won't necessarily change the pH of the water to 7.5; in fact it might just change the pH by .1 or .2.
I have the aqueon water changer too but my water is really really well buffered. Even in a highly lit up tank with co2 running in it I barely see any pH changes with the co2 running all night.
patrickriley2010
Aquarium Advice Addict
I go from 7.2 to 8.2 between tap and my tank tank being the 7.2
Mebbid
Aquarium Advice Addict
Your tank itself goes up that much? That's quite a bit for the pH to jump. pH swings are really unhealthy for the fish, it might be a good idea to add some buffering capacity to your water.
OP
OP
Glow light tetra
Aquarium Advice Activist
I'm about 2 gallons short for my little 10 gallon tank, as for ph I can't be 100%, but I know it's between 6.8 and 7.0 I do know the ph of the tap is exactly is 6.1.
Mebbid
Aquarium Advice Addict
I wouldn't worry about it too much. Just hit some water with dechlorinator, temperature match it, and then put it in the tank.
Mumma.of.two
Aquarium Advice Obsessed
For the future, placing an airstone in the bucket of water will help speed up the process.
patrickriley2010
Aquarium Advice Addict
Just put water in the tank and add the dechlorinator for the whole tank volume and be done with it
It's really best to put the dechlorinator into the tap water separate from your tank. Throwing tap water into your tank before using the dechlorinator will kill off some of your beneficial bacteria. That's what chlorine is made to do, and it does it instantly, even if you dose with dechlorinator immediately before or after adding the tap water.
Aerating your water for the 24 hours will allow the chlorine to evaporate naturally. I sometimes will do it that way. Other times, I will put the water in a 5g bucket, put a dose of dechlorinator in, and then allow an airstone to help mix it up as the water levels to room temp. I've read in several places that either way is acceptable.
Aerating your water for the 24 hours will allow the chlorine to evaporate naturally. I sometimes will do it that way. Other times, I will put the water in a 5g bucket, put a dose of dechlorinator in, and then allow an airstone to help mix it up as the water levels to room temp. I've read in several places that either way is acceptable.
patrickriley2010
Aquarium Advice Addict
Ya but most people don't really have the option if they have a big tank. Also if your filters are off the majority of your BB is in there so dose half before you add new water and half after let it sit for about 15 minutes and then start the filters back and it should be a-ok
Darkseid76
Aquarium Advice FINatic
I dump water right from my tap into my tank. Then add prime. I've never had an issue.
Mebbid
Aquarium Advice Addict
That is true. The tap water chlorine does kill BB in the tank. Personally, I have a 55g tank and when I do a 50% water change I use an aqueon water changer instead of messing around with buckets. I do like Patrick does and add a full dose of dechlorinator directly to my tank. I do this method on 3 different tanks and have yet to have any issues with ammonia because of it. Also, chloramines and heavy metals wont leave the water through the airstone method, it might be a good idea to check if you have chloramines added to your water because they are just as harmful to fish and BB as chlorine is.
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