How do I top off the pond with city water?

[bettasngoldfish]

I wonder if treating an aquarium is different than a pond though due to the smaller volume of water

You do bring a good point, I don't know the answer but personally I would rather be safe than sorry.

Remember though I have a smaller pond/amount of water than a lot of ponders here.

 

[Lisak1]

Any idea why I will need to dose for the entire pond every time I add water?

I just checked my bottle and it only tells me "one pump treats 500 gallons" but it doesn't tell me which volume of water I'm to be concerned with. Personally I'll stick with treating the new water that's going in the pond. Until I find out I'm wrong. Which happens more often that I care to admit!

 

[Lisak1]

Remember though I have a smaller pond/amount of water than a lot of ponders here

Which I think is a good point. A "top off" on a small pond could amount to a much greater overall volume than a larger pond. Whatever works for you!

 

[Mmathis]

So since my curiosity is up I did a little search on the directions/instructions for Prime from their own site at Seachem http://www.seachem.com/Products/product_pages/Prime.html

They state in the bottom paragraph under Directions If adding directly to aquarium base dose on aquarium volume

So, what's the difference? If you mix [dilute] it in water, you use dose based on the amt. you're replacing. If you add it directly to the water, you dose based on total volume. I'm confused as to why...... And actually, I think I've skipped over that part in the past.

 

[tbendl]

Which I think is a good point. A "top off" on a small pond could amount to a much greater overall volume than a larger pond. Whatever works for you!

Especially if you do t-math hehe

 

[Meyer Jordan]

The only time that I use a dechlorinator is when filling a pond for the first time or when refilling after a complete clean-out. Since I don't advocate water changes, that scenario is never presented. There are several reasons that I follow this practice-
-Chlorine dissipates quite rapidly when exposed to sunlight. (difference between a pond and an aquarium).
-Most municipal water suppliers use different levels of Chlorine depending on need. These levels are normally considerably below the LC50 toxicity levels for Carp and Goldfish. These suppliers will at times "Shock' the system with very high doses but this is usually done in the wee hours of the morning to minimize human contact.
-No where can it be found exactly what concentration of Chlorine a dechlorinator is effective on. As a result, even the recommended dosage found on the label is a 'shot in the dark' as to effectiveness.
-Any Chlorine that is added to the pond, while already in dilution, will be diluted even moreso, greatly reducing the mg/L readings and toxicity.
-There has been some evidence presented that Sodium Thiosulfate, the usual compound used in dechlorinators, can be an irritant to fish resulting in overproduction of mucous.

 

[Lisak1]

@Meyer Jordan for the win! Great information! And the overproduction of mucous - could that be the "aids in enhancing the natural slime coat" they speak of?

 

[tbendl]

From the mouth of tadpole! Thank you Meyer. I always look forward to your posts. I'm going to add some water now while it's still sunny then.

 

[HARO]

From the mouth of tadpole! Thank you Meyer. I always look forward to your posts. I'm going to add some water now while it's still sunny then.

Just fall in! The water level will rise!!
John

 

[tbendl]

You sound like the hubby, he keeps saying something about me "swimming with the fishes".

 

[bettasngoldfish]

@Mmathis There is no difference. If you use a five gallon bucket and treat with dechlor you treat for the total volume of water in the container which is five gallons.

So if you are adding water directly to the pond you add enough dechlor for the total volume of the tank or pond.

I wanna say if you add dechlor to the tank or pond and only use enough for the amount of water you are replacing it basically dilutes it and isn't working on the new water like it should. I'm sure there is a more technical way to explain this but this is the best I can do.

 

[HARO]

You sound like the hubby, he keeps saying something about me "swimming with the fishes".

As long as he's not using the term "sleep with the fishes", you should be OK.
John
BTW, Is he Italian by any chance? Sicilian?

 

[bettasngoldfish]

Also, Who here rinses their filters in tap water to clean them?

I bet most don't as they don't want to kill off the good bacteria with the chlorine found in the tap water.

If your adding water to your pond from the tap without dechlor are you not risking your biofilter that way?

 

[Lisak1]

If your adding water to your pond from the tap without dechlor are you not risking your biofilter that way?

Not me... but I don't have any filter media, so don't go by me! I think it's all about concentration.

 

[Tula]

Also, Who here rinses their filters in tap water to clean them?

I bet most don't as they don't want to kill off the good bacteria with the chlorine found in the tap water.

If your adding water to your pond from the tap without dechlor are you not risking your biofilter that way?

I admit to cleaning my filters with water straight from my hose....guilty as charged! LOL