Well it has been one of those weeks, I have 3 tanks at home, 1x4ft with
gold
fish 1x4ft with angels and guppies and 1 x 6ft with 5 silver sharks, 2
Salmon Catfish, 5 tiger barb (These 3 groups were around 2 years old), 4
angels and 1 clown loach
I also have a small 2ft tank on my desk at work with a 14month old yabby
and
5 adult guppy's and around 13 4week old fry.
I cleaned my work tank on saturday and my 6ft tank sunday. I took about
20%
out of my home tank. I added the water ager and some stress coat for the
salmons.
Monday morning one of the salmons were sluggish, thought nothing of it, i
got to work and all the guppys were huddled together.
Tuesday at work all the fry at work had disappeared and 2 adults were
floating. I got home tuesday night and the salmons were covered in a
white
slime, I put in some more stress coat and some ich away.
Wedensdasy morning I had lost the salmons, 4 barbs, 1 angel and clown
but
the silver sharks were fine. The water still had a strong chlorine smell.
I took the sharks and the remaining angels and barb out and put them in a
hospital tank. They are fine now.
I got to work that morning and all my guppys at work were dead, i changed
the water and the bucket of new water smelled like when you walk into an
indoor pool centre.
I am sure it was the chlorine as all levels in all the tanks were right.
I asked if Hunter water had added any more chlorine after the rain of last
week. I just got the reply at the bottom of this page. I am not buying
a
rainwater tank to collect water from the roof as it won't have the added
chemicals.
Steve
"Drinking water supplied by Hunter Water contains chlorine to maintain
microbiological quality. Chlorine at high concentrations is toxic to fish;
at lower concentrations, it stresses fish by damaging their gills.
Concentrations of as little as 0.2-0.3 ppm kill most fish fairly rapidly.
To
prevent stress, concentrations as low as 0.003 ppm may be required.
Chlorine
can easily be removed from water by the chemical sodium thiosulfate,
readily
available at fish stores under various brands. Sodium thiosulfate
neutralizes chlorine instantly. Chlorine can also be removed with a
granular
activated carbon (GAC) water filter.
There has been no change to the chlorine dose rate in water supplied by
Hunter Water. However, due to dissipation within the system, chlorine at a
given point within the distribution system will vary over time. The extent
to which chlorine will dissipate depends on travel time of the water and
water temperature. So, water that you take from you tap does not have a
constant level of chlorine, but can vary from day to day, or even at
different times within a day.
Some people may be concerned that water harmful to fish might not be safe
for them to drink. This concern is not necessary. Humans and fish use
water
in very different ways. When humans drink water, the chlorine is
neutralized
by our digestive system before it enters our bloodstream. When fish
"breathe" water, any chlorine present enters their bloodstream directly.
This interferes with the fish's ability to take oxygen from the water and
can cause the fish to suffocate. To further illustrate this point,
consider
orange juice. People are urged to drink orange juice for its health
benefits. However, if a fish were placed in a bowl of orange juice it
would
suffer a swift and unpleasant death.
Some fish, particularly tropical fish and koi, are also sensitive to rapid
changes in the temperature and pH of the water- even small changes. If you
are going to change the water in an aquarium or pond, or add a significant
amount of new water, consult an experienced fish care expert for tips on
how
to accomplish this without shocking or killing your fish.
The pH of drinking water can vary within the distribution system, due to a
slight leaching of lime from cement-lined mains. The pH of water to be
used
for fish should be tested and adjusted each time water is added. "
I hope this helps to answer your query.
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