Water Conditioners and Dechlorinators

Why Tap Water Needs Treatment

Municipal water is treated with chlorine or chloramine to kill bacteria — including the beneficial bacteria in your aquarium. These chemicals will:

• Crash your nitrogen cycle by killing filter bacteria
• Damage fish gill tissue
• Kill shrimp and snails almost instantly

Chlorine vs Chloramine

Chlorine dissipates if water sits 24-48 hours in an open container. Chloramine does NOT evaporate — it requires a chemical dechlorinator. Most cities now use chloramine.

What Conditioners Do

• Neutralize chlorine and chloramine
• Detoxify heavy metals (copper, lead, zinc from pipes)
• Some (like Seachem Prime) temporarily detoxify ammonia/nitrite for 24-48 hours

Recommended Products

• Seachem Prime: Gold standard. 5 ml treats 200L. ₹300-500/100ml. Also detoxifies ammonia/nitrite.
• API Tap Water Conditioner: Budget option. ₹150-300/236ml.
• Sera Super Protect: Good all-purpose. ₹200-400/250ml.

Pro Tip: Keep a dedicated 1ml syringe for dosing. Dosing by eye leads to under-dosing (incomplete dechlorination) or waste.