adding chemistry

[Sesos]

ok, another newbie question:

During my partial water changes I've been confused by the instructions on a bottle of AquaSafe from Tetra Aqua. The directions say: "Add 5ml of AquaSafe for every 10 gallons of water." I have a 10 gallon tank but my partials are 2.5 gallons. My thought is that since I'm only treating the new 2.5 gallons that will be going in, I only need 1.25ml. Then I over analyze it and think that I should add enough for the entire tank and then I think "oh, maybe I'll just post it on AA and get the real scoop"! So, whaddya think?

 

[justDIY]

just go with however much you feel is right ... those chems are hard to overdose

also, chems like that will interfere with your cycle and should be avoided if you are just setting up a new tank

 

[Sesos]

but they are ok to add with partials, yes?

 

[azn dreamer]

um....aquasafe is to treat the tap water for chlorine right....if it is then i would say that they are ok to add with the partial water changes. I don't think they'll slow down the process of cycling because it only treats chlorine and chloramine.

 

[Allivymar]

I forget exactly what I'm using atm LOL But I generally change between 2-5 gallons (depends on the tank). Since I use plastic milk gallons for the change, I put in about 5 drops (1 tsp per 10g is the measurement the recommend). Works fine for me.

 

[jokerfac]

My bottle of Aquasafe on the back says that it also reduces ammonia, so it probably will slow down your cycle. I added it to a tank that was in fishless cycle. The tanks ammonia levels stayed high for two weeks with no nitrites. After reading the back of the bottle, I realized my mistake. The tank cycled a lot faster when I redid the tank and added the tap water conditioner by Aquarium Pharam which does not reduce ammonia.

 

[Sesos]

Man, this whole system balancing thing can get confusing for a rookie! I'm gonna get it though, you'll see

Thanks for the help everyone, it's much appreciated.

 

[tkos]

Since the water in the tank already has the chlorine gone you really just need to treat the water going in. So if you add 2 gallons then add enough to dechlorinate the 2 gallons. A little more probably will not harm the tank.

 

[Sesos]

thanks tkos