Water conditioner ratio

[Pooneil]

I've had quick look for the answer to this, but can't seem to find a simple answer... so here goes:

If the instructions say 'To make tap water safe: Add 5ml per 40l', does that mean per 40l being added at that time or per 40l in total in the tank?

I've always assumed the first -- 5ml per volume being added -- but a friend says he adds 32ml to his 260l tank regardless of how much water he's adding. This doesn't sound right to me; it can't mean you add the same quantity of conditioner whether you're filling a whole tank or topping up a little bit of evaporation... can it?

Now I think about it, and looking at similar questions around the web, the instructions don't seem that clear.


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[Fishanatic]

You add the ammount that you re add into the water. If I were doing it for a 50 liter and i changed 40 liters, I would put 5 ml.

 

[jrc0528]

There are people in both camps on this one... Some say when doing a water change dose the tank, others say dose the replacement. I think to some degree it can depend on how much you're adding and also how you add it. If you use one of the vacuum & refill systems connected to a sink many recommend you dose the tank volume since you're adding the water initially untreated.

I either fill a 5G bucket and dose as it's filling or for bigger WCs I use a 25G storage tote. When using the tote, I fill it, dose it, and add a heater and powerhead. I let this run while I'm cleaning the gravel and draining the old water. Once all the maintenance is complete I just use a pump to transfer the water to the display tank.

 

[aqua_holic]

The reason there is no simple answer is because there is no "right" answer. There are a number of different ways people do it, most of which arent any better than any other way. There are ways that are theoretically better, but from a practical standpoint that doesn't always amount to much.

I usually change most of the water in the tank, so I dose for the whole volume of the tank, applied directly to it once it has started refilling. However, if I do a 50% or less change I only dose that volume, plus a little. Seems like quite a waste to dose the whole tank when only say 25% is changed. Not to those with small tanks I'm sure, since the dosage is so small to begin with.

One thing to consider about water conditioners is this - the dosage is not based on the volume of water, but rather how much stuff is in the water. There is enough active ingredient in each dose to handle a specific amount of ammonia/nitrite/chlorine/etc. That amount is high enough to take care of the vast majority of concentrations that are likely to be found in ones water supply. So if the water has more of those things in it than a standard dose can handle, more product is required. Likewise, if there are less then less product is required. I think it's logical to expect the range of concentrations to follow a bell curve, which would mean that most people have lower concentrations than that which the product is made to handle with a standard dose, as the product is no doubt made to handle the heavier (but not heaviest) concentrations.

Those values for prime can be found on the website. IIRC it used to be on the bottle too, but I have a new label bottle.

 

[mrvincent]

Depends if you add the unthreatened water directly to the tank. In thise case I would say add more conditioner.

If you threat 40L of new water, then only add 5ml. The effect is instant (remember this don't adjust the temperature hehe).