Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Raising Forage and Bait FHM Spawning In Tank

Hey there. If you don't have any external filtration yet you'll want to get some. Here is a link on how to make one. http://www.skippysstuff.com/biofiltr.htm

Also whenever you see nitrites and nitrates spiking STOP feeding. Do a 50% water change. And add water conditioner.

Is this cost effective vs. a biofilter?

i'd avoid water conditioners if you plan for any of these fish to get into your food chain
a good filtration system will alow you to avoid water changes, and can be as simple as a pumping the water through buckets of gravel that you can throw some seeds in

The water conditioner is to remove chlorine. If you are topping off with city water. If you don't use it you may kill off the beneficial bacteria that convert ammonia to nitrites and nitrates. Then you will be worse off.

Note, this is for tanks and small ponds less than 500 gallons.

if you're "topping off" with city water, i've had no problems adding 30% chlorinated water to my tank..
the only time i had a problem was when i left the hose on filling the tank, i'm sure i did a complete water change, and only lost a couple fish..
chloramines are another matter entirely

We have chloramines now, thanks to the city, I can not stand the water now.

What about the conditioners are bad that you would not want to eat the fish? How much of the conditioner do you think gets into the fish?

Do you really think it is any worse than any other contaminants in our rivers or any other nautural water source?

Thanks

those products don't really "remove" chloramines, they cause them to unbind into chlorine and ammonium ions, which reassociate into salt NaCl - oxidizing reactions that can affect DO levels and pH

the main ingrediant is Sodium Thiosulphite, from what i've read on that, i'd avoid it until i knew much more..

vitamin C has been used to remove both chlorine and chloramine, but i'll have to search for quantities