Chlorine and Loaches

[lillymart]

While cleaning my tank recently, I managed to kill two of my loaches. I use the python hose attached to my sink. I have been using this hose for about 8 months and have not had any problems. The two fish strarted darting erratically around the tank and then just flipped over and stopped moving. After about an hour I noticed a third loach not moving when I went to remove him he moved slightly so I left him alone. After a few hours he was fine and has been eating a moving normally since. My question (after this long winded notice) is how can I prevent, in the future, the chlorine shock the loaches went into. I did put in the chemicals to rid the chlorine and I use a tablespoon of aquarium salt, with every water change.

[Mark in Vancouver]

Cut the aquarium salt out of your loach tank. Loaches do not experience salt in their environment, so don't put it in your tank. You can find products to increase water hardness, but salt is inappropriate for loaches.

Use the python to remove water, but get yourself a bucket of some size and add the dechlorinator to the water BEFORE it goes in the tank. Make sure the temperature of the incoming water is not higher or lower than the tank temperature because this can cause further shock to the fish.

[chefkeith]

I also add water from my python straight to the tank.
If you treated the tank for chlorine, then chlorine couldn't have killed your fish.

I suspect that your water company added chloramines to your water. Make sure your dechlor chemical is for chloramines also. What kind of dechlor chemical do you use to treat the water?

[lillymart]

I am currently using ProQuatics Water Conditioner and according to the packaging, it fights the chloramine.

The day I did the water change there was an unusally high amount of chlorine in the water and I noticed it immediately.

I want to thank you both for your suggestions, , and will, from now on, use the python only to remove the water and go back to the back breaking use of the bucket.

My tank is nowhere as impressive (it is only 12 gal.) as the ones I have been reading about on this website, but some day, when I move from a tiny apartment that is.

Thanks again.

[lunasmile]

well, besides the water problems, your tank is way too small for clown loaches. how many more you have? they will get really big, so you might want to start thinking on getting a bigger tank, I have a 40 gallon with 4 loaches, and that is still small tank for them, \i will be moving very soon to a new house so, I am gonna get a 150 gallon. ok, good luck with your fishies.