# Water conditioner to use on non-chlorinated water?



## Livyding (Feb 6, 2013)

I live in Clearbrook, Abbotsford, which I recently learned does not add any chlorine to the water. For the past year I've lived here, I have been very confused as to why my fish all seem stressed every time I add water (I have been using Prime mostly). 

The plecos especially do not like it. After a bigger water change (more than about 10%) they would dart to the surface and gulp air, like corydoras, and their gills would be moving very quickly. One time after doing a 50% water change in one of my tanks, some of my corydoras actually started swimming upside down at the surface, gulping air continuously. 

When I looked up all these symptoms online, one of the first things that came up was Prime overdose. I checked and double checked to make sure I hadn't used more than the directions told me to, but the fish still got stressed out, even at 1/10 of a dose. I could not figure out what was going on, until recently a friend of mine mentioned that our water has no chlorine. Which is true, since we tested the water to make sure. I can't believe I didn't think to do that before. 

So apparently Prime is not a good thing to use when your water hasn't got any chlorine. So moving on, what should I be using as a water conditioner now, if anything? Don't I still need something to bind heavy metals and such, and if so, what can I use without making my fish sick again? 

Thanks in advance!


George


----------



## mrbob (Aug 9, 2012)

That's weird when I go to abbotsford and drink the water all I can smell is Chlorine? when I used to be on well water I always used prime even thou I did not have chlorine! As far as I know it shouldn't matter! I always use it when introducing new fish to quarantine tank to help with stress etc.


----------



## mrbob (Aug 9, 2012)

Oh I see west of Abbotsford in Clearbrook don't use Chlorine here is a news article I found Clearbrook water best in world - Abbotsford News


----------



## Livyding (Feb 6, 2013)

Yeah I know, I actually read an article a few years ago when they started adding chlorine to the water in Abbotsford, that's why I was so surprised that we haven't got it here.


----------



## Steve (Mar 27, 2013)

Have you tested the pH of the water before putting it into the tank vs the water in the tank? Sometimes there's a major pH crash which causes gill burns


----------



## So_lil (Feb 12, 2014)

Low oxygen in your tap water maybe, try an air stone for an hr before you add to your tank.


----------



## mrbob (Aug 9, 2012)

I use discus Ricks way, I use nozzle on end and hold above water when filling that way I get lots of oxygen never a issue...


----------



## Momobobo (Sep 28, 2010)

Prime overdose is very rare and is probably a non-issue. You can dose a butt-load for mitigating high ammonia with no ill symptoms.


----------



## Vman (Jan 20, 2011)

You could use API® Stress Zyme Aquarium Water ConditionerI've used it before and the fish were healthy. But as others say Prime is hard to overdose on. I use 2-3 caps on my 125 gallon for every 50% water change.


----------



## Livyding (Feb 6, 2013)

No, I always am careful with adjusting PH, and the tap I use to fill my water buckets has a ton of oxygen since it is very high pressure. Yes, I know Prime overdose is rare.. The thing is, on the bottle it says to use a half dose when your water is low-chlorine, and I was unknowingly using it with water that had zero chlorine, which is why I was getting symptoms of Prime overdose I think. 

I'm asking, what can I use as a water conditioner that is not intended for removing chlorine, just for binding heavy metals? Does anybody here use well water? Do you all use water conditioners at all? Any problems with heavy metal poisoning if not?


----------



## davefrombc (Apr 21, 2010)

There are no heavy metals in Clearbrook water that are at levels requiring any water treatment to bind them.. If you do not need to remove chlorine, you do not need any water treatment additives. Use the tap water as it is.
Unless you have fish that require very alkaline water, and I saw none on your list, you also do not need to "adjust" the pH of your water change water either. The fewer chemicals you dump in your tanks needlessly , the better.


----------



## Livyding (Feb 6, 2013)

davefrombc said:


> There are no heavy metals in Clearbrook water that are at levels requiring any water treatment to bind them.. If you do not need to remove chlorine, you do not need any water treatment additives. Use the tap water as it is.
> Unless you have fish that require very alkaline water, and I saw none on your list, you also do not need to "adjust" the pH of your water change water either. The fewer chemicals you dump in your tanks needlessly , the better.


Thanks a lot Dave.. That's good to know.. Yes, except for the Sulawesi snails which need about PH 8 I don't bother messing around with the PH when it comes to my tanks, other than adding coral to the filters to buffer in some cases.


----------

