Is it possible to OD on dechlor?

[paris]

when i sterlize my equipment with bleach i rinse as much as possible but i worry i havent gotten it all. i was told good advice at IAD - that you can use dechlor in the rinse water to help this. my old method of 'testing' the effectivenesss of my rinsing was to actually take a sip of the water to see if i could taste for chlorine. i am wondering though how much to use-the 1 drop per gallon that the bottle reccomends is geared for tap water -right?-so what ratio to use for perhaps a 5% mixture. i try now to rinse once then rinse again and use the dechlor in that rinse. i am still of the mindset to taste the water to make sure(i know its unorthodox-but it works). but i worry- the dechlor is also a chemical-is its residue dangerous? for this situation is it better to use the plain old dechlor or one of those mixtures that have slime coat stuff and aloe in them? i worry that i may not use enough or use too much....

 

[garrison]

Well, I'm not sure how much you should use but I'd guess if you're worried about leaving a residue then the slime coat stuff would be bad since it is more likely to leave one than a product without it(assuming doing so is a bad thing). I was under the impression that it wasn't good to use the slime coat dechlorinator with caudates anyway.

What I do, whether it's dumb or not, is simply put extra dechlorinater in a container with with something recently bleached. Either way you do it, I've never heard of putting too much dechlorinator in the water producing negative effects(am I sheltered?) I guess I've never confirmed whether dechlorinater affects bleach or not either, but I do this anyway

.

 

[kellee]

I've heard the only thing that decholr does is cut down on bacteria that is beneficial to aquariums, delaying the time it takes for it to grow back. My two cents

 

[jeff]

My declor drops say 10 per one gallon, I hate putting anything in that tank that is a chemical. I wonder if putting the tap water in the sun would do the same thing, and UV just dystoys clorine, even low ammounts of bleach.

 

[edward]

Paris,
After treating with the dechlorinator, if you rinse well then there shouldn't be any concern( and smelling it for bleach should be more effective than trying to taste it......)

Ed

 

[paris]

not with my nose, ive drunk bad milk before cause i couldnt tell it had gone off...my nose seems to work sporadically -thats why i turn to taste, also when cleaning with bleach my nose gets desesitized to the smell, the whole house smells of bleach-i know im unorthodox but i trust my tastebuds more in this critical situation. i dont recommend it to others though....

 

[jennifer]

You could buy a chlorine test kit. They are sold anywhere that sells chemicals for pools/spas. I have used a kit to determine that letting my tap water sit for 2 days in a jug does NOT get rid of all the chlorine. (And, no, I don't have chloramine.)

Regarding dechlor, I have heard that it is somewhat toxic to invertebrates, although I don't know how toxic. I do not use it in the water I use for daphnia or for rinsing blackworms.

 

[edward]

A pet store I used to work for wiped out 50% of the fish stocks one day by adding too much chlorine remover to the sump.

Ed

 

[pamela]

Hi Paris,

I have always had the same concerns (I am a bleach freak). So after I obsessively rinse my tanks, and other items, I fill again w/water, and squirt in a bunch of AQUASAFE", or Wardley's CHLOROUT. Bunch doesn't say much, except I know that it is more than the required dose needed to dechlor. After letting it sit awhile, I then again rinse, rinse, ahhh.. rinse. (Also, I make sure to pay attention underneath the tank rims.)