# Prefiltering tap water instead of using a dechlorinator in tank



## Greystoke (Jul 24, 2010)

Yes, that works, and I have been doing this all my hobby-life. 
I use an in-line carbon filter, which I replace every 3 month.
But it was not without mishap.
One day, about five tears ago, my prize male guppy collection got the effect of a mistake in the water works resulting in a huge chloride overdose in the tap water. They all pegged before I could do anything.
With Discus, you should have an extra check in the system to avoid such disasters.


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## Bushkill (Feb 15, 2012)

I've asked myself that question many times. I breed angels and have similar needs. The only thing that kept me from using a pre-filter, of any sort, is the need to test their efficiency as they age. You can buy chlorine tests cheaply from pool supply stores here in the U.S., but chloramines would be out of the reach of just about all of us. Then there is the question of naturally occurring nitrates and other organic compounds. As a "all-in-one" solution,I used Novaqua for years and then switched to Prime. As my needs grew, so did my awareness of Prime's cost. I've since switched to Seachem Safe. It's really nothing more than granular Prime and SO much more economical. The only issue with Safe that I and others have is the instructions. With time limitations in my everyday schedule, I simply came upon a dosage that seems to work well and stick with it. If you have access to Prime, you most likely have access to Safe as well.

Honestly, the answer to your question lies in the composition of your water supply as well as determining if that composition is stable throughout the year. As an example, I don't have to test my water to be able to tell that chlorine has been recently injected in the water supply. So the solution will differ quite a bit from region to region in this country and most likely yours as well.

At some point, when my schedule eases (spelled retirement) and I can monitor things more extensively, I think I'll be installing a simple carbon block in my incoming water supply and monitor its' lifespan, in addition to using Safe.


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## Mmdiscus (Nov 30, 2013)

Thank you guys.
I eventually will buy Prime, folks here go to US from time to time, and i order my needs through them

But i dont want to rely on prime only. My three stage filter is already inplace, i have been using it forever along with Prime. Now i think i will be just changing its media more often, its very cheap about 10 bucks for all three filters. Once i get Prime, i will be using it in smaller proportions too, just as a safe net.

I was in LFS today, of course they know nothing about prime, its not sold here, but they have TEtra Aquasafe- 250ml, which is good for 500 liters, is 15$! Its crazy. My tank is about 400 liters, so i would use entire bottle for one water change only... Inbought Sera Aquatan instead, i got 500ml bottle for about 20$, and its good for about 2000liters.. 

Maybe they are goood for people who use buckets, buts since of the volume of my WC, i pour directly into tank, so using aquasafe or sera aquatan, for a long run is very expensive compared for Prime, where 10ml i used for 100 gallon.

Btw, this is what i meant by three stage inline filter, i got a random image from google, mine looks like that too - http://i01.i.aliimg.com/photo/v1/383974835/european_style_three_stage_water_filter.jpg


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## Mmdiscus (Nov 30, 2013)

Greystoke said:


> Yes, that works, and I have been doing this all my hobby-life.
> I use an in-line carbon filter, which I replace every 3 month.
> But it was not without mishap.
> One day, about five tears ago, my prize male guppy collection got the effect of a mistake in the water works resulting in a huge chloride overdose in the tap water. They all pegged before I could do anything.
> With Discus, you should have an extra check in the system to avoid such disasters.



Greystoke, when u say inline carbon filter, do u mean all carbon only filter, or there are other cartidges along? How many stages, and microns, and filter cartidges you have please. And whats your tank params. Thank you.


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## PlantedRich (Jul 21, 2010)

Have you found that it is chlorine only and not chloramine? For letting chlorine gas off, I might look at using a reserve water supply. A plastic barrel at the end of the tank, with a small pump to transfer to the tank after a day or so? Cover the whole thing to look like a table and call it art? It makes water changes much nicer as it also lets the water come to room temperature as well.


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## Jack Gilvey (Jun 16, 2008)

I filter instead of dechlorinator. A good carbon filter will remove chlorine but not chloramine, really, (despite what sites may say) as it will leave the liberated ammonia behind (hence Rich's question above). I just posted my setup and the way I use my filter here:

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showpost.php?p=5105682&postcount=32

I still let the water sit overnight to degas (especially in winter) and heat.


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## Nu2Plants (Jun 22, 2013)

Go to thefilterguys.biz. They make a 3 stage filter that does remove chlorine and chloramine. I use it and it does work. It's a micron filter and then 2 carbon block filters. However you still have to monitor the water that comes out. Chlorine is easy to remove. Chloramine is a bit harder, and reduces the life of your filter. You have to monitor for chlorine, and also ammonia. When the chloramine bonds are ruptured you get chlorine and ammonia. I use the filter, but I also use Safe(powder form of Prime) just to be extra sure I'm ok.


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## Mmdiscus (Nov 30, 2013)

I will try to find if we have chloramine, clorine is for sure. 

As for aging water thats out of question, if i could age water, i would have. I live in apartment, donte snt to have barrels around. Plus its a 100 gallon tank, i would have to get a big container to age water, because of my frequent water changes.


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## Mmdiscus (Nov 30, 2013)

Jack Gilvey said:


> I filter instead of dechlorinator. A good carbon filter will remove chlorine but not chloramine, really, (despite what sites may say) as it will leave the liberated ammonia behind (hence Rich's question above). I just posted my setup and the way I use my filter here:
> 
> http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showpost.php?p=5105682&postcount=32
> 
> I still let the water sit overnight to degas (especially in winter) and heat.



Jack your setup is RO unit, i have an expensive 7 stage RO unit in kitchen for drinking water. I dont want to use it for aquarium, because i would have to have tubing all over the apartment, i tried once- worked awesome, but didnt like tubing all overt the palce, hence removed it.


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## Mmdiscus (Nov 30, 2013)

Nu2Plants said:


> Go to thefilterguys.biz. They make a 3 stage filter that does remove chlorine and chloramine. I use it and it does work. It's a micron filter and then 2 carbon block filters. However you still have to monitor the water that comes out. Chlorine is easy to remove. Chloramine is a bit harder, and reduces the life of your filter. You have to monitor for chlorine, and also ammonia. When the chloramine bonds are ruptured you get chlorine and ammonia. I use the filter, but I also use Safe(powder form of Prime) just to be extra sure I'm ok.



Thats interesting, although i cant order from there, i could assemble my own here. Mine currntly is 5micron, then GAC, then carbon.. I am planning maybe to add two carbons more.. So total 5 cartridges.. Just to be safe.


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## Nu2Plants (Jun 22, 2013)

If you are keeping discus, and you are doing the frequent huge water change thing(and you should) you actually probably have to age your water. You have to try to match your parameters in the tank water to your replacement water, or you'll be making drastic changes to the water very quickly. The fish won't be able to adapt and will get stressed and sick.

Buy a big garbage can from brute, something like the 44 gallon can. Put it into a closet or under a table, really anywhere it will fit. Then use the filter attached to your tap, get a long hose and fill the brute garbage can where ever it is. Heat the water and circulate with a pump over night, right before you add the water add prime to condition the water. Then check your parameters, to make sure they are the same as your tank water. Then attach a hose to the pump in the brute can, and run the water into your tank.

Running water directly from the tap into your tank is not a good idea, especially if you are doing the huge water changes discus need. You'll never be able to get the parameters close enough. The temp will fluctuate as you add water for a start. Also tap water usually has CO2 dissolved into it. The CO2 will degas over time, so unless you age the water, which degases the CO2 your PH will change as the CO2 leaves. On top of that, if you want to use the filter to remove chlorine and chloramine, it takes a long time. The water has to run slowly through the filter, to allow it enough time to be in contact with the carbon for it to work. To give you an idea, to fill the 44 gallon brute can, it takes me about 7 hours. For me, I can't be filling a tank for basically the whole day. Plus I think that's too stressful for the fish to be dealing with it all day.

I age the age water over night. I pull off almost the water in my tank I leave enough water so the fish don't have to be flat on the bottom of the tank. So I leave about 2-3 inches of water. Then I re-fill the tank from the brute can using a pump. It takes about 10 mins to refill the tank. My tank is 60 gallons.


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## Mark Allred (May 3, 2013)

If you cannot age water, and you find your tap water has chlorine, and not chloramines, 
sodium thiosulphate is very economical to use.

Sodium Thiosulfate Crystals
USE: Dechlorinates water. Does not remove chloramines.

DOSAGE: Mix 4 ounces of crystals per 1 gallon of water. Then use 1 drop per gallon. Cost is $15.86 USD

http://www.nationalfishpharm.com/products4.html


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## Mmdiscus (Nov 30, 2013)

Nu2plants,

My tap is very hard and pH 7.4 , kH gH off the charts. Before water goes into tank, it also goes through an inline water heater, so temp is not a peoblem. My water doesnt experience any pH flactuations, maybe because its hard, good buffer.

Reading your post, are yous saying everyone ages water? I've read plenty on this forum and SD forum where people dont age, and aging is needed mostly when u have pH swings. 

My concern here is that i cant use barrels in my apartment, i do undeerstand how its more convenient. But unfortunately i have to go another route.


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## Nu2Plants (Jun 22, 2013)

Aging your water allows you to do a few things. While yes, aging your water lets you degas the CO2 so your ph is more stable, it also does a few other things. The inline heater is nice in that it warms the water. But does it let you get the temp to within a degree of your tank? Also does it let you keep the same temp, the whole time you're adding the water? Does does it bounce up and down while you're filling. Having the water in your garbage can allows you to keep the whole mass of water you're going to add in one batch. So you can then test the parameters. You can also add your conditioner to it as well.

There's more than one way to do it. This is only one way. You can add directly from the tap. But it's not as controlled. If it works for you, than that's really all that matters. What works for one person, might not work for someone else. I'm coming from a saltwater background, so for me, I'm used to prepping my water before I add it. Even in fresh water, I could never get it just right directly from the tap. For me, it's too difficult to balance everything. I'd have the temp all over the place. I don't like the idea of adding the conditioner to the tank, and then adding chlorinated water. I don't know, to me it's just not a refined enough way of doing things. But as I said, there's more then one way of getting things done. This is just the way I do it.


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## Jack Gilvey (Jun 16, 2008)

Nu2Plants said:


> I don't like the idea of adding the conditioner to the tank, and then adding chlorinated water. I don't know, to me it's just not a refined enough way of doing things. But as I said, there's more then one way of getting things done. This is just the way I do it.


 Me too. I have to have the water ready, then it goes in.


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## Greystoke (Jul 24, 2010)

Mmdiscus said:


> Greystoke, when u say inline carbon filter, do u mean all carbon only filter, or there are other cartidges along? . . .


This is what it looks like:







A very simple unit that contains one commercial pack (≈ 500mL) of activated charcoal.


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## Mmdiscus (Nov 30, 2013)

Any methods/ units that could remove nitrate from tap? My tap is about 40ppm 


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## Mmdiscus (Nov 30, 2013)

How many gallons per hour a flow should be through a three stage filter, with carbon block etc, for it to effectivelly removes chlorine and stuff? Sime say it should be slow flow, some stay otherwise.. Any ideas?


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## Matt568 (Jun 14, 2018)

Chlorine and chloramine can both be removed with a carbon block filter with pore sizes less than 0.5 micron. Since you need to treat the hardness as well, I would go with an under sink reverse osmosis system.


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