# Cheap Tap Water Conditioner - Sodium Thiosulphate ?



## nagukush (Mar 13, 2008)

Hi Friends,

Just wanted to request for some guidance here.

I'm using API Amolock to neutralize Chlorine from the Tap water and make it safe for my fish but I guess its very expensive, specially because I change about 50% Water every week in all my tanks. Just wanted to request you to kindly guide me if there's any cheaper alternative to this. I've heard people use Sodium Thiosulphate for this but I'm not sure if this works and if it does, then how much should be added to the tank etc

It will be a great help if you can kindly guide me here...
Thanks and Regards
Kush


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## Seattle_Aquarist (Mar 7, 2008)

Hi nagukush,

Sodium thiosulphate which was, and maybe still is, used in photo developing does remove chlorine. It was the active ingredient in Water-Rite which was used for years and years in the hobby as a de-chlorinator. It may have some effect on your PH.


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## Anafranil (Mar 15, 2005)

I have asked the same thing a while ago here but did not get an answear,I was wondering if it is the active ingriedient in all those water conditioners in the market.But is it this that neutralises heavy metals, I don't know..I think that you could use pond dechlorinators which are a lot more concentrated than aquarium ones.They must be the same thing..


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## Supercoley1 (May 28, 2007)

I was going to suggest the same thing. I change 50% a week and use pond dechlors. Sodium thiosulphate is AN ingredient of both aquarium and pond dechlor.

I don't know why people warble on about getting this cheaper. Pond Dechlor as stated above is much more concentrated and lasts ages. a £10 ($15) bottle lasts me a year.

AC


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## TAB (Feb 7, 2009)

I have never used "tap water conditioner"

I just draw off the water a few days before I need it, toss a air stone and a heater in it. Infact when I was a kid I worked for a Local fish breeder, it was always the same, just draw it off and let it sit. he did mostly discus and angels. 

Now when it came to my reefs I alway used RODI, but thats something drasticly diffrent.


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## Supercoley1 (May 28, 2007)

That was when Chlorine was the worry and chlorine will 'gas off' over 24 hours. Now they use Chloramines as well this doesn't work!!! The Chlorine still gasses off but the Chloramines remain!!!

AC


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## marrow (Mar 4, 2007)

In the U.S. Chloramines are not that widely used or rather it varies a great deal by region of the country. You may want to check with your regional water authority to see if it is used and under what conditions.


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## davemill (May 3, 2004)

marrow said:


> In the U.S. Chloramines are not that widely used or rather it varies a great deal by region of the country. You may want to check with your regional water authority to see if it is used and under what conditions.


I believe this is incorrect. Drinking water standards are such that most municipal water supplies have switched to chloramines over the last few years. There was a big change over in multiple districts in Northern California about 5-6 years ago.

What you need to understand is that Sodium Thiosulphate neutralizes chlorine only. If you use Sodium Thiosulphate on water treated with Chloramine, it will release ammonia into the water. After the change from chlorine to chloramines, a breeder friend of mine who used bulk Sodium Thiosulphate kept noticing ammonia spikes on his little warning stickers whenever he did a water change, and didn't understand why until I explained it to him.

Chloramines do not outgass like Chlorine does, and do not dissipate for weeks. The simple, safe answer is to use Prime or Amquel and be done with it. Buy a big bottle, it lasts forever.

Here is some reading:

My county: http://www.valleywater.org/water/water_quality/How_we_clean_your_water/Chloramine/index.shtm
Some local concerned citizens: http://www.chloramine.org/
Google search: http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en-us&q=chloramine+district


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## Diana K (Dec 20, 2007)

I use a product called Chloramine Buster by Clear Pond. 
It is a pond water dechlorinator. 
It breaks the chlorine-ammonia bond that makes up chloramine, then locks up the ammonia and chlorine. 
For the same price it treats almost 10 times the amount of water as Amquel sold for aquarium use. Measure it out with an eyedropper that is marked down to 10ths of a ml. 

If you have heavy metals in your water this will not do anything for them. Look for a specific product that locks them up. It will likely be a chelator such as EDTA. 

If you have excess ammonia or nitrite (still cycling) then you may want a product that locks up the nitrite as well. Prime and Amquel Plus will do this. 

I do not use any products the offer vitamins, electrolytes or slime coat enhancers with water changes. 
These are often added ingredients that the fish do not need, but that raise the cost of declorinators. 

If your water is still prepared with chlorine then it will indeed out gas in just a day or so. Adding a heater and circulation will make this go a lot faster.

Dechlorinator for ponds is also available dry (and cheaper even than the one I use) but make certain of what you are getting: The dry products might not properly deal with chloramines.


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