Paulcha11 Posted September 24, 2016 Share Posted September 24, 2016 Hi guys, Probably a silly question but a friend of mine did a 30% water change the other day in his tank and forgot to add his dechlorinator. The next day all his fish were dead. He is under the assumption that the chlorine in the water killed his fish but I'm not to sure. I wouldn't have thought that the small amount would have killed the fish? Would anyone else have any thoughts on this? The tank holds about 700 litres. Cheers Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjoconr Posted September 24, 2016 Share Posted September 24, 2016 Generally not, but if the local water has high chlorine it could. Its more likely that he does not have enough filtration which holds the bacteria as a result most of the bacteria was killed by the chlorine causing an ammonia spike. If there is enough bio filtration a change of 30% would not have caused the death of enough bacteria to cause a major problem. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LithoMan Posted September 25, 2016 Share Posted September 25, 2016 find out if he cleaned filter same times as water change ? And also depends on tank size the effect is greater Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
none Posted September 25, 2016 Share Posted September 25, 2016 30% is most certainly MORE THAN enough to kill fish. Chlorine / Chloramine even in small amounts can be lethal to fish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krellious Posted September 25, 2016 Share Posted September 25, 2016 I have had similar happen to me when i forgot to add dechlor. Lost 2 tanks of fish and was about the same amount of water changed but in a 3 and 4 foot tanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ageofaquariums Posted September 27, 2016 Share Posted September 27, 2016 More than 5% is likely to = death. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcsongei Posted September 29, 2016 Share Posted September 29, 2016 Generally not, but if the local water has high chlorine it could. Its more likely that he does not have enough filtration which holds the bacteria as a result most of the bacteria was killed by the chlorine causing an ammonia spike. If there is enough bio filtration a change of 30% would not have caused the death of enough bacteria to cause a major problem. Mike Yes all depends on how much is used in your supply. I rarely use dechlorinator. My water only smells like chlorine if filling a whole tank from scratch, and in that case I age it until it doesn't smell. Sudden drop in KH or gh could be the issue if adding plain tap water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ageofaquariums Posted September 29, 2016 Share Posted September 29, 2016 Water with low levels of chlorine, often smells stronger than water with medium levels of chlorine. Going off smell is a trap, and not using dechlorinator eventually ends in tears. Not having a go! But case in point, all our locals who brag about not needing dechlorinator lost their fish in last 3 weeks when the water board changed supply. Was brutal as. But what can you say when someone loses thousands of $ worth of fish just because they water changed with tap water and didnt use dechlorinator? Aside from "I am sorry to hear that" and "well that sucks". I mean this isnt some crazy obscure little trick that gurus have up their sleeves! Its the most basic thing you learn in the hobby. Day 1! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjoconr Posted September 29, 2016 Share Posted September 29, 2016 Yep, should always be used but in general one water change should not kill things if forgotten but don't do it on purpose. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Posted September 30, 2016 Share Posted September 30, 2016 I'm not sure why people run the gauntlet with not using dechlorinator, it is just an added unnecessary risk to live stock. I'm sure some people have had success (eg no deaths yet), but it is just a ticking time bomb. The cost of dechlorinator is so minor in the long run. Not only are you running the risk of killing fish, it is also running the risk of killing beneficial bacteria. It is a no brainer really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ageofaquariums Posted September 30, 2016 Share Posted September 30, 2016 Yep chlorine is very very very good at killing bacteria. That is why they use it in tap water to kill bacteria! Even if you don't burn your fishes eyes and gills enough to kill them, you will usually simulate cleaning your bio filter in tap water. Which is another thing people do over and over, and then get shocked when they lose their fish. Like being surprised the pistol fires when you are playing Russian Roulette. Just because you spin once and get away with it, doesn't mean its always gonna play out the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
none Posted October 1, 2016 Share Posted October 1, 2016 On 29/09/2016 at 8:55 AM, mjoconr said: Yep, should always be used but in general one water change should not kill things if forgotten but don't do it on purpose. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Absolute rubbish. One water change is all it takes. If you understand what chlorine actually does to fish you'd then understand why it kills and why it kills so rapidly. That would hands down be the most misleading statement I have heard in the industry in a long, long time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlecoSam Posted October 1, 2016 Share Posted October 1, 2016 Hands down or pants down? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulcha11 Posted October 5, 2016 Author Share Posted October 5, 2016 Thanks everyone for your replies. Yep it does sound like chlorine, his ph was ok so guessing the later. Suprised the small change did such damage, but guess he won't forget next time! Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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