Really dumb dechlorinator question

[mekkha]

I'm a little embarrassed to be asking this... Since it is my first time setting up an aquarium I hadn't thought of a dechlorinator until someone here mentioned it. I read Prime was the best so I went out and got some.

I have had my tank set up for months now. It is fully cycled and waiting for an axie. I have changed the water a few times, but never added dechlorinator.

My question is... do I add some dechlorinator to my tank? I know once I have an axie in there and am doing water changes that the new water needs to be dechlorinated before being added to the tank. I just kind of forgot about the water already in there

*feels really really dumb*

ETA: I even spelled it wrong in the title... good lord. -_-;

 

[carsona246]

Re: Really dumb decholrinator question

did your tank cycle without using dechlorinator? Chlorine will evaporate after a day or so, so you probably don't need to add any dechlorinator now unless you have chloramines in your tap water. Just so you know chlorine can kill beneficial bacteria, but I've read that the bacteria can be pretty hardy and survive chlorine sometimes

 

[mekkha]

Re: Really dumb decholrinator question

Yes my tank cycled without the use of it. I'm not sure what my tap water has in it, but I thought I had read on here it was best to use a dechlorinator just to be on the safe side. So you're saying I don't need one at all? Even when putting "new" water in the tank?

 

[Kaysie]

Re: Really dumb decholrinator question

It depends on what chemical your local water supply uses in the water.

If they use chlorine, then probably not. It will just evaporate over time.

If they use chloramine, yes, you definitely need a dechlorinator.

There's no harm in using a dechlorinator on chlorinated water. It just means you can use it immediately versus waiting a few days for the chlorine to evaporate.

 

[mekkha]

Thank you Kaysie. That is how I understood it at first, but then got confused by a few other posts I read. I'm so worried to do something wrong I'm turning into one of those overbearing paranoid parents ha!