Water changer

[Kaia]

So, I've been doing the old fashioned vacuum/bucket deal since I started and finally bought a water changer! Holy happiness. Question is, even though I only do partial water changes I've been treating all the water with the de-chlorinator. Is this the proper way to be doing it? Like in my 60 gallon I treat the whole tank even though I'm only adding 15 gallons of new water? This is going to cause me to go through a lot of de-chlorinator? Is that the trade off for the convenience? Or should I only be adding a cap full enough to treat 15 gallons?

[jcunningham0295]

I have always just treated the new water amount when I was using a water changer.  You are adding 15 gallons to a 60 gallon tank you should be fine with just treating the 15 gallons.  In my tanks upstairs before I fill them with the hose I put in my salt and declor for how much I took out and then fill it back up.

[Kaia]

This hooks right up to the faucet? So there's no way to treat it before adding the water to the tank?

[danielratti]

Sure there is you put it in before you start to refill it.

[African cichlid Keeper]

This hooks right up to the faucet? So there's no way to treat it before adding the water to the tank?

Because mine sink in the bathroom is too small I use the bathtub to do water changes. I use a Submersible Utility Pump that I hook up my water changer too then pump out the water in the bathtub then fill the bathtub and then pump the water back in the tank from the bathtub.

[Kaia]

That's what I'm saying... I've been pourin in enough for 60 gallons right in the tank then adding water straight to the tank. So I only have to put in enough to treat 15 or as much as I took out? I wasn't sure if the old water in the tank would soak up any of the declorinator and make it not as effective on what I'm adding.

[danielratti]

Well what I use a cap full treats up to 60 gallons and i generally do 1 cap full in all the other tanks but my 200 then i do 2 cap fulls. But really I don't have chlorine in my water so I use it to just be on the safe side unless there is something else in it. Sure you can add enough to treat what you took out but do what you feel comfortable with.

[TrailerParkFishTanks]

i say just treat the water you change, not the whole tank. plus all that dechlorinator and stress coat and this and that adds up quick. i would just treat the 15 gallons-ish. even if you under do it a little the chlorine will evaporate out faster than the water will.

[Marty]

You shouldn't have to put too much dechlorinator in your tank if you're only doing a 25% water change.  If the water is coming out at high pressure, the agitation tends to dissipate the chlorine right away anyhow. 

You want to ensure you treat your water before putting it in the tank is when there is a water main break in your area (the water dept. tends to put higher levels of chlorine in the water) or you can smell chlorine as it's coming out of the tap.