Guest Author - Jilly Florio

If you are using tap water, which I recommend over distilled or bottled water for your tank, you will need to use a dechlorinator each time you add or change water in your fish tank.

If you don't have dechlorinator, you can just let your water sit out overnight to allow chlorine fumes to disperse. But it's just so much easier to use a water conditioner/dechlorinator that everyone should have a bottle in their fish kit.

If you have chloramines in your municipal water (ask your local fish shop to be sure), you will also need to use a product that breaks apart the bonds of chloramines. Some dechlorinators have this feature, and some do not. My reviews will be helpful to you in this regard.

Ideally, you should use a dechlorinator that also promotes the growth of a healthy slime coat, adds electrolytes to the water and neutralizes heavy metals. You can use this kind of all-purpose product whenever you add or change water, add new fish or toys, or if your fish are experiencing any stressful conditions.

Since all you need is a drop per gallon, bottled dechlorinator products last a good long time. Remember that a little dechlorinator goes a long, long way and do not overdose. Dechlorinators are non-toxic, but you never should add additional chemicals to your aquarium water if you don't have to, since it increases the ionic load (ie - makes it harder for fish to breathe).

Here are links to my reviews of different dechlorinators on the market. I will add more reviews as I test different products:

NovAqua Conditioner and Protector
I like that this does more than just dechlorinate. NovAqua calls its product a "bandage in a bottle" for fresh and salt water fishes, pond fish and invertebrates.

AquaSafe Water Conditioner
The ergonomic bottle has a squeeze top and a cap, has a narrow profile, and adds both slime coat additive and dechlorinator/heavy metal neutralizer. The product also eliminates chloramines.

Ammo Lock 2
This product handles a lot of tasks at once, which is nice, but the main point is that the product breaks up Ammonia bonds to help make your tank water safer for existant communites.

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