I set up my BiOrb tropical aquarium a week ago, filled it with tap water and have had the pump running the whole time so it is the right temperature. However, what I didn't know was that you are supposed to treat and de-chlorinate the water BEFORE you add it to the aquarium (according to some of the bottles of treatment), so do I have to empty the tank and start all over again or is it still safe for the fish if I treat the water in the tank? Also, once treated, how long should I wait to add the fish?
2007-02-28 11:30:31 · 10 answers · asked by Hotpink555 4 in Pets ➔ Fish
It's fine you haven't added the fish yet. Besides it wont bother them. You can add them right away
2007-02-28 11:33:23 · answer #1 · answered by allyalexmch 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As many people have already answered with no fish in the tank this will not be a problem. I actually work for a company that manufactures testing products for aquariums - chlorine will naturally dissipate over a period of time, therefore if the water has been in your tank for a week it will probably have no (or very, very low levels) chlorine left in it.
We tend to do half water changes in our aquarium and fill buckets with water a day or so before we do the change. This means the chlorine will have naturally dissipated and there is no need to use a treatment to get rid of it.
If you want to do a quick water change then treat the water before you put in in the tank if you have fish in there.
We left our aquarium to cycle (basically stabilise and give the filters a chance to get going) for 2 weeks; we had some plants in there but no fish. It is best to add fish gradually too, rather than throwing loads of different types in all in one go as this educes the chances of stress related problems, disease and aggression between different species.
2007-03-01 09:10:44 · answer #2 · answered by Badgrl 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I personally wouldn`t if you have already got fish in the tank i would just leave it because you have had the water in the tank for a week with the filter on so it should be ok
Sorry now i can see you haven't added any fish when i do a water change i treat the water then add it to my aquarium after a few Min's with no problems
Good luck with your tank it will give you years of pleasure
2007-03-01 05:21:20 · answer #3 · answered by Black Orchid 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You're okay since you don't have fish in the tank yet. In the future, though, you should do it before you add the water - I keep a couple of 5 gallon buckets and some gallon jugs for water changes and I add the dechlorinator to these before I pour in the water. The dechlorinator will remove the chlorine/chloramine almost instantly. Just try to match the temperature of the new water to the water in your tank so the fish don't get stressed by a rapid temperature change.
You should cycle your tank before you add fish though - otherwise your water is going to look cloudy and you might get a good bit of ammonia in the tank (it's toxic to fish): http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm, http://www.fishlore.com/CloudyWater.htm
2007-02-28 19:43:06 · answer #4 · answered by copperhead 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
treat the water now, no problem as long as there are no fish in tank..add fish after 24 hours..always treat new water and let it set 24 hours @ room temp. before adding to fish tank.
2007-02-28 19:43:48 · answer #5 · answered by jst4pat 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Treat away you can use this anytime you add new tap water to yr tank ou you could use gallon jugs fill them. Store them with treatment in the bottles until time for use. I do that. And it works I also put Stress zyme in the water.
2007-02-28 19:42:46 · answer #6 · answered by aftertherain24 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
if there are no fish in there yes add the treatment
if there are fish remover half the water but keep it treat it (for the whole tank ) and add it back slowly
dont for get to your water check regularly
this site will be ablr to answer all yourfishie questions
http://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/
2007-02-28 19:46:12 · answer #7 · answered by warmup001 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Put the stuff in and let the filter cycle for about an hour; thats what I did so all of the water will be treated. My fish are smiling now.
2007-02-28 19:43:06 · answer #8 · answered by Kyle 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
With no fish in it that's no problem at all. Onve you have fish in the tank you really should treat before adding water.
MM
2007-02-28 20:16:06 · answer #9 · answered by magicman116 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I boiled the water to make it safe for the fish, but all my fish died. My mom said I should have taken the fish out first. The cat liked the gold ones cos they went white.
2007-02-28 20:37:07 · answer #10 · answered by scratchpole 2 · 1⤊ 2⤋