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| I FINALLY finished the pond today!! Thank you again and again to all the forum ponders who answered my endless questions!
I filled the pond up today and am wondering how long I should wait for the chlorine to dissipate (I have city water) before I add fish. I have 2 koi and 1 shubunkin waiting in a 38 gallon tub beside the pond right now. The pond is about 1200 gallons with 2 pumps running currently. Not sure if I have chloramines in the water but the fish are doing pretty well in the tub which had the water sitting for abot one week before the fish were added. Thanks again in advance for the advice. I will try to get pictures up this week if I can figure out how to add pictures to my post. Jenny |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| Hi Jenny, you can add dechlorinator to the water according to the instructions. You can buy this at most any pet or pond store near you or online. Most will remove chlorine, chloramine and heavy metals that may be in the water. It also helps the fishes slime coat which helps protect them. You can measure out the amount needed and add it to the water near the pump intake which will help disperse it. For me, it was the quickest method because I could hardly wait to add my new pets. Hope that helps. |
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- Posted by nancym1956 (My Page) on Tue, May 25, 10 at 9:23
| Hardin is right. Get some dechlorinator, it's well worth the money. Also, when you do partial water changes or add water due to evaporation, spray the fresh in using a watering wand or something similar. Roughly half the chlorine will dissipate into the air. Add the dechlorinator as usual, but the concentration of chlorine will be less toxic. |
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- Posted by jennyb5149 3b (My Page) on Tue, May 25, 10 at 9:56
| Thanks for the input Hardin and Nancy. It looks like I'll be off to purchase some dechlorinator today. I didn't realize until after I came to the forums last night to search for info on dechlorinization that chloramines can stay in the water for several weeks. So, in the spirit of better safe than sorry, I'm going to go get some chemicals today to make the water safe for my new fishie friends! |
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| chloramines stick around much longer because they are made up of chlorine and ammonia. The chlorine can off-gas, but the ammonia will not. It relys on a good strong bio filter to take care of it. In the mean time, it causes problems for the fish. More and more city water supplies are being treated with chloramines instead of just chlorine. Dechlor will make your fish much happier. Make sure when you buy it that it is one that will handle the ammonia as well as the chlorine. Most modern dechlorinators do, but I am not sure if they all do. So be sure to read the label. |
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- Posted by pondbucket 5 - 6, KS (My Page) on Tue, May 25, 10 at 10:04
| Be careful, the chloramines used in water treatment stays in the water far longer than chlorine... and the practice of adding it is getting more common. Use dechlor but check the product label. I've found that the dry dechlorinators available at the pond stores are good for the chlorine-only treatment, not chloramines. This is confusing (seriously) because this one particular manufacturer of both dry and liquid dechlor has products that look the same (same color & style label) but it's their dry formula that doesn't work on chloramines. |
Here is a link that might be useful: EPA link: see FAQs
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- Posted by jennyb5149 3b (My Page) on Tue, May 25, 10 at 13:14
| So there isn't much around here for pet or pond stores. I do have a Menards nearby but I read a horror story on the forum last night about some guy who bought the Pond Blue?? brand from Menards and it killed all his fish. I know WalMart carries Stress Coat which, if I understand correctly, also dechlorinates and dechloramines the water. Any recommendations for something I can buy from either WalMart, Menards or a farm supply/feed store as those are my pretty limited options around these parts. :-( |
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- Posted by pondbucket 5 - 6, KS (My Page) on Tue, May 25, 10 at 13:39
| I don't like shopping at Wal-mart but the last time I went they had small bottles of dechlor in the tropical fish department. Where are you located? I know that practicalgardenponds.com is in PA but one of their main warehouses is in OK. I got shipments the NEXT day from them before. Great prices / great brands. Online suppliers usually have other shipping methods/options if you need things faster than fast. |
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- Posted by jennyb5149 3b (My Page) on Tue, May 25, 10 at 13:56
| I live in northwestern Wisconsin. The nearest "big" cities are Duluth, MN and Eau Claire, WI both about 1 1/2 hours from my house. Minneapolis/St. Paul is about 2 1/2 hours. I'm afraid I'll have to buy a small amount of something from one of the nearby stores for now in order to get the chloramines out of the water but I plan on ordering something online asap. I would normally wait for an online order to arrive but I'm worried about my koi I purchased on Saturday. They are sitting in a 48 gallon tub I sunk next to the pond. I figured they were safe because the water had been sitting for a week...long enough for the chlorine to dissipate. But, this was BEFORE I knew about the longevity of chloramines. I want to get the water treated and get them into safer water asap! |
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| Jenny, Stress Coat is an excellent product and can be used quite safely at the proper dosage. It will treat the water for all three chlorine, chloramines and ammonia. "Horton" |
Here is a link that might be useful: Stress Coat Information.
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