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Post by Carl on Nov 15, 2008 19:17:56 GMT -5
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Post by goldenpuon on Nov 15, 2008 21:43:32 GMT -5
I read this article earlier but I'm still not clear on something. I don't always mix in the dechlorinator, salt, etc. when I do a water change. I sometimes just add it right afterward directly to the tank (sometimes at 1 1/2 times dosage for the dechlroinator since it drips out fast). So, why do my fish show little to no stress when I give them water directly from the tap? I've been doing this ever since I started keeping fish and haven't found any side effects as far as I know.
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Post by Carl on Nov 16, 2008 10:31:04 GMT -5
Renee I think this paragraph answers this question: Chloramine passes through the gills of fish and enters the blood stream. There, it reacts with hemoglobin, forming methemoglobin. In studies of some fish exposed to 1 ppm-Cl of monochloramine, then about 30% of the hemoglobin is converted into methemoglobin. The fish then suffer from anoxia (low oxygen in their tissues) because they have lost some of their hemoglobin, which is responsible for carrying oxygen in the blood. In my experience fish exposed to chloramine suffer immediate and often severe reactions from darting, to gasping, to immediate shock and death! This is NOT the general reaction to exposure to chlorine, as fish generally do not show symptom to exposure to chlorine in normal tap water doses unless exposure is prolonged (& most de-chlorinators remove chlorine instantly/within seconds) See a simple experiment in this article: “Aquarium (& Pond) Water Conditioners” (about three paragraphs down). I might not have been done with the update/revision when you last read this article as I re-read and re-wrote it a few more times during the day yesterday before posting it as an update here. Carl
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Post by goldenpuon on Nov 16, 2008 10:49:08 GMT -5
Oh, sorry, I was reading the article so fast yesterday, I must have missed it. I guess everything is fine as long as I add it rigth after. Thanks!
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