Chlorine exposure

[Cjbear087]

Just done a wc, forgot to dechlorinate and as I was pumping in new (chlorinated) water I panicked so I quickly added prime for the entire tanks volume (double dosed) and then pumped in the rest of the water. The tank was probably exposed to chlorine for about 2 minutes ish - will my fish and bacteria be okay? And to be sure how long do I have to wait before assuming they are fine? Thanks

[Whitecloud09]

The bacteria will be fine, the fish should be too. I know some people to put in conditioner after new water, which I don’t recommend but yeah. Just keep a eye on them. But it could be a bad thing too. But I believe you caught it in time. This is what I read.

Generally speaking, most species of freshwater fish won't live long if the tap water isn't treated. Untreated tap water can quickly kill fish in just a matter of hours.

Not my opinion but what i read. Idk if this is right. 

 

Edited July 1 by Whitecloud09

[mynameisnobody]

You’re good. 

[Tony s]

On 7/1/2024 at 12:34 PM, Cjbear087 said:

The tank was probably exposed to chlorine for about 2 minutes ish - will my fish and bacteria be okay

No reason to worry at all. With the levels of chlorine in tap water it takes hours to kill simple bacteria. Longer for fish. Adding dechlorinater before, during, or after a water change is just fine. as long as it gets done. That's why the whole rinsing sponges and filters in tank only thing is a myth. Tap water for cleaning sponges works great. as long as it's done quickly it has little effect on your beneficial bacteria. If you leave your sponges soaking in tap that's a different story. so, no, just ordinary exposure won't do anything at all.

[Cjbear087]

On 7/1/2024 at 5:56 PM, Tony s said:

No reason to worry at all. With the levels of chlorine in tap water it takes hours to kill simple bacteria. Longer for fish. Adding dechlorinater before, during, or after a water change is just fine. as long as it gets done. That's why the whole rinsing sponges and filters in tank only thing is a myth. Tap water for cleaning sponges works great. as long as it's done quickly it has little effect on your beneficial bacteria. If you leave your sponges soaking in tap that's a different story. so, no, just ordinary exposure won't do anything at all.

Thank you for easing my mind. For future reference, is it safe to dose dechlorinator as the entire tanks volume as opposed to just the new water in case this ever happens again?

[Tony s]

It’s much easier to do it for the whole tank’s volume. Easier to do and remember the amount. Just for consistency 

[Cjbear087]

On 7/1/2024 at 6:27 PM, Tony s said:

It’s much easier to do it for the whole tank’s volume. Easier to do and remember the amount. Just for consistency 

Ok thank you. So basically tomorrow if everythings fine then theres nothing to worry about?

[Tony s]

On 7/1/2024 at 1:27 PM, Cjbear087 said:

So basically tomorrow

Yeah. You can stop worrying now. You’re good 

[Whitecloud09]

Yes the bacteria is a hard thing to kill, and killing it with untreated water will take aa long time. Your fish should have no problems. I know several fellow fish keepers that add conditioner after, and that is a longer span than 2 mins. So yes, you can breath easier and have a good nights sleep tonight 😄

On 7/1/2024 at 1:33 PM, Tony s said:

Yeah. You can stop worrying now. You’re good 

Yep.

[Rube_Goldfish]

In this video, microbiologist Jason from Primetime Aquatics explains that bacteria can survive brief exposure to chloramines, starting at the 2:35 mark:

The way I've always thought of it is, if I handled raw chicken, I wouldn't just rinse my hands in tap water and say, "well, that took care of the salmonella!". So if I can't rely on the tap water won't kill salmonella, I can probably rely on it not immediately killing my beneficial bacteria, too.

[jwcarlson]

I always rinse media in chlorinated tap water, never had an issue.

In my experience, the chlorine/chloramine can be pretty rough on fish, but it seems to take several minutes before it really becomes an issue.  A couple minutes I've never noticed a problem.  Even 15 minutes I've not noticed any bad reactions.  But 45 minutes later they'll all be gasping at the surface and trying to get their gills out of the water.  It's sad to see, you'd absolutely notice it.