# Use tap water directly ?



## eminor (26 Sep 2021)

Hello, for months I have been using tap water without any products (prime) and so far not a single problem, I just let it sit for a few days in the open air in a jerrycan, it would be much more convenient to use a pump and a hose for water changes, but I have always read that chlorine would kill wildlife, is this true? thx

here are the tests of the water of my city concerning the chlorine

Free chlorine * 0.11 mg(Cl2)/L        
Total chlorine * 0.13 mg(Cl2)/L


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## MichaelJ (26 Sep 2021)

eminor said:


> Hello, for months I have been using tap water without any products (prime) and so far not a single problem, I just let it sit for a few days in the open air in a jerrycan, it would be much more convenient to use a pump and a hose for water changes, but I have always read that chlorine would kill wildlife, is this true? thx
> 
> here are the tests of the water of my city concerning the chlorine
> 
> ...


Hi @eminor Any particular reason why you don"t just add a bit of Prime? ... as for letting the water age for a couple of days.. Yes, the chlorine will evaporate..(that what I used to do when I was a kid...) works fine, but I don't really see a reason why anyone would do that in this day and age (unless for some particular puritanical reason, which is fine by me btw.). And yes, chlorine, even in small doses, is bad for your fish. I do not know what the limits are, and I dont have to worry about it, as I always add Prime to my WC water (even the RO water part).

Cheers,
Michael


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## Jaseon (26 Sep 2021)

What about the chloramine which reacts to ammonia? How do you know that all the chlorine has evaporated, and how much of that incrementally builds up in the fishes blood stream? Maybe both of us will learn something here today lol.


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## eminor (26 Sep 2021)

MichaelJ said:


> Hi @eminor Any particular reason why you don"t just add a bit of Prime? ... as for letting the water age for a couple of days.. Yes, the chlorine will evaporate..(that what I used to do when I was a kid...) works fine, but I don't really see a reason why anyone would do that in this day and age (unless for some particular puritanical reason, which is fine by me btw.). And yes, chlorine, even in small doses, is bad for your fish. I do not know what the limits are, and I dont have to worry about it, as I always add Prime to my WC water (even the RO water part).
> 
> Cheers,
> Michael



When my father started 20 years ago he never used it, later he was told to absolutely use it for the safety of the fish, so i never used it, still no death but i'm more concerned about the bacteria


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## eminor (26 Sep 2021)

Jaceree said:


> What about the chloramine which reacts to ammonia? How do you know that all the chlorine has evaporated, and how much of that incrementally builds up in the fishes blood stream? Maybe both of us will learn something here today lol.


i don't know i just used to let it rest at least 24 hours


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## MichaelJ (26 Sep 2021)

Jaceree said:


> What about the chloramine which reacts to ammonia? How do you know that all the chlorine has evaporated, and how much of that incrementally builds up in the fishes blood stream? Maybe both of us will learn something here today lol.


Right, you can't tell if its all gone, almost gone etc... that's another good reason just to do some sort of dechlorination and stop worrying about it (it don't have to be a particular brand btw.) 

For me a  $15 500 ML bottle of prime lasts for well over two years, and I do a +40% WC weekly in both my 150L tanks. 

Cheers,
Michael


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## X3NiTH (27 Sep 2021)

eminor said:


> i don't know i just used to let it rest at least 24 hours



A long while ago I used to do this until I learned that the reason my fish were suffocating at waterchange was that chloramine poisoning acts like carbon monoxide poisoning. High doses are immediately fatal (the length of time it takes a fish gasping at the surface from a bad waterchange to suffocate), regular Low doses constantly weaken fish over time so that they may become more susceptible to disease.

Major roadworks were happening outside my home and the water supply and sewer systems were being worked on, the workmen were adding Ammonia upstream locally of works to bind with the free chlorine in the water supply and forming chloramine, the same can happen if you waterchange a tank because of the presence of ammonia with chlorinated water. 

You’re dodging a bullet discounting chloramine presence in your water supply and relying on a 24hr off gas for free chlorine.


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## Jaseon (27 Sep 2021)

eminor said:


> i don't know i just used to let it rest at least 24 hours


Im not trying to shame you in anyway as my comment that we might both learn something today was because of the fact i dont know the exact numbers involved so was waiting for someone in the know to pop up, and confirm what i said. For me if you dont know err on the side of caution just to be safe, and using a de-chlorinator will give you that peace of mind.


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## Aqua360 (30 Sep 2021)

I can guarantee a lot of LFS' do not add dechlorinator to water being changed in their systems, rightly or wrongly. 

I also used to let water sit overnight and never encountered any obvious issues, but I always add a conditioner now, for safety's sake.


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