I've never had a chlorine or chloramine tester so I wouldn't be able to
compare the difference.

I do overdose the tank immediately after the refill with Amquel. I'll
usually add a extra dose or two. If the 20% change needed a 20ml dose of
Amquel, I'll most likely add 30ml. Since Amquel is a chemical agent
designed to convert chloramine and chlorine, it will disburse through the
water column until either all the chlorine agents are consumed or all the
Amquel is used. I've even seen an LFS owner put an entire 16oz bottle in a
20 gal (stocked at LFS retail levels) just to see if it is harmful to the
fish. Not a single fish died or showed any adverse reactions even after
several days..

Occasionally, I will even add the Amquel while the Python is filling the
tank. I just add enough Amquel to cover the full water change.
Justin

"Dan White" wrote in message
et...
"Justin Boucher" wrote in message
...
Yes. That's how it works. Just did one day before yesterday in fact.
I
love watching the oxygen stream off the live plants after a good water
change. It's amaizing how fine the bubbles are and they seem to only be
coming off of one particular spot on the leaf.

I only worry about major water changes like 50%. The amount of
chloramine,
pH and temp shock could be a bit too much. I much rather do lots of
smaller
water changes over a short period of time. Keep in mind that my system
is
still running while I'm doing the changes. I don't need to shut down
the
pumps or the heater, so the new tap water doesn't pool in one spot. It
quickly gets disbursed and dissolved among the tank water.

Justin

One last thing, Justin. When you add Amquel, you are using a dose
appropriate for the 20% of fresh water (or a little more than needed)
after
it has mixed with the rest of the tank. Does the Amquel work well enough
in
such a dilute state to be able to get at all the chlorine/chloramines?
Have
you ever tested your tank water before and after adding Amquel to see what
happens to the chlorine levels?

dwhite




"Dan White" wrote in message
et...
"Justin Boucher" wrote in message
news Your question about water changes can almost be summed up with one
word:
Python.
I used the bucket/siphon/wet carpet method for my 20, 40 and 100
freshwater
tanks for years before I got a Python for my birthday.
Doing a 20% water change directly to the tank and then treating
chemically
for a de-chlorination (I use Amquel) right after the tank has worked
well
for me. I do lean to add just a bit more Amquel than needed through
just
to
capture any major fluxuations my tap may have.


I'll have to check into that Python. Are you saying that you dump tap
water
straight from the tap into your tank, and then dechlorinate the whole
thank
with Amquel? That's pretty amazing if that's what you are doing. I
wouldn't have guessed you could get away with that!

Thanks to the others who responded.

dwhite