Tropical Fish Forum

Tropical Fish Keeping Help and Advice => New Fishkeepers => Topic started by: pollydoodle on July 07, 2018, 02:18:23 PM

Title: First water change de-chlorinating a small amount
Post by: pollydoodle on July 07, 2018, 02:18:23 PM
I need to do my first water change and only have a 10 litre food safe (wine making) bucket to use to fill up with as I am unable to handle anything bigger, until I come up with a different way of doing things  :)
I am worried about how much declorinator to use.  I have Seachem prime and it says 5ml per 200 litres.  If I break it down, it seems a miniscule amount per 10 litres

As usual,  advice please  ::) ::)
Title: Re: First water change de-chlorinating a small amount
Post by: Sue on July 07, 2018, 02:43:19 PM
If you are about to do your water change, you'll have to try to guess I'm afraid. Or if you have time first, go to a chemist and buy a 1 ml babies' medicine dosing syringe. This will be marked in 1/100's of a ml so it will be easy to measure 0.25 ml which is how much you'll need for 10 litres.


Then buy a pack of syringes in various sizes from Amazon/Ebay  :)





Put the Prime in the bottom of the container and run the water on top of it at full speed. This will mix the Prime in more efficiently. You will need to warm the water to roughly the same as the tank - testing with your hand is good enough. If you have a combi boiler, use hot tap water to warm the new water; if you have an airing cupboard with a cylinder and a header tank in the loft, boil a kettle of water. I find I need 1.25 litres boiling water per 9.5 litre bucket to get the right temp in the current weather conditions (tap water not nearly as cold as in the middle of winter)
Title: Re: First water change de-chlorinating a small amount
Post by: pollydoodle on July 07, 2018, 02:59:39 PM
Thank you Sue, what would I do without you  ;D  :fishy1:

The help & support on this site has been unbelievable.  I can't thank everyone enough xx
Title: Re: First water change de-chlorinating a small amount
Post by: Hampalong on July 07, 2018, 06:20:10 PM
You could even just add a couple of drops, or a ml, or whatever. Easily enough for the bucket, and then it will mix with the whole tank which will be an 'underdose'.
Title: Re: First water change de-chlorinating a small amount
Post by: pollydoodle on July 07, 2018, 07:35:40 PM
Can I overdose and cause a problem?

I've just done a water change, 25% or thereabouts.  I cant believe how much muck was sucked up the pipe  :yikes:
Title: Re: First water change de-chlorinating a small amount
Post by: Sue on July 07, 2018, 07:53:31 PM
It is better not to overdose dechlorinator but Seachem say it is safe to use 5 times the normal dose if there is ammonia in the water. If you can get something to accurately measure the amount per bucket, it is safer for the fish because everything we add to the water ends up inside the fish.
Title: Re: First water change de-chlorinating a small amount
Post by: pollydoodle on July 07, 2018, 08:17:09 PM
I was more worried about accidently overdosing rather than deliberate. I do have a 5ml syringe, but 0.25 is such a tiny amount!
Title: Re: First water change de-chlorinating a small amount
Post by: Littlefish on July 08, 2018, 09:11:37 AM
You could always dilute the dechlorinator with an equal volume of water prior to use, if you want to measure out larger volumes.