Re: Aquarium water conditioner question

I would like to make my own water
conditioner. The thiosulfate is easy to get.

First you need to know if your tap water contains free chlorine versus
chloramine as a sanitizer. Probably the latter these days. Fill a white
5-gallon bucket with tap water and look at it in daylight. Chlorinated
water will be blue, chloraminated will be green. The tints are subtle but
once you've seen it you'll recognize a bit of green in every glass and
toilet bowl full of water (if yours is chloraminated).

Free chlorine leaves chlorinated water just from sitting for days, or
instantly from thiosulfate.

Chloramine is much more stable. But if you add free chlorine (10 to 20 ppm
from bleach and a bit of acid to keep pH around 7) it will outgas the
ammonia. Then you have simply chlorinated water, and you can proceed with
neutralizing that.
.

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