Some of us are lucky enough to have well water. While it may limit our ability to do laundry, water the garden, wash the car, fill the pond, and take a shower simultaneously, it does afford us the pleasure of minimal additives in our home water supply. For those of us residing in municipalities offering treated public water, the additions for sterilizing and purifying our water are pretty offensive, and sometimes heavy-handed.

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Our pond water in a large number of cases is sourced from the tap at home. Meaning we fill our ponds with water from the hose, which is straight from the ground or straight from the town. In either case, we feel it’s pretty important to discuss the use of a Dechlorinator upon first run of your pond and during all water changes thereafter.

A well-made Dechlorinator will remove not only Chlorine but heavy metals and Chloramine (a chlorine and ammonia mixture used in most water treatment processes). Knowing the affects Ammonia can have on your pond life-cycle and  your fish, the use of Dechlorinator seems like it should be a ‘no-brainer’. However, we have come across quite a few pond enthusiasts who will skip this very important step, sometimes not knowing the outcome until it’s too late.

Residual Chlorine, natural heavy metals such as copper, and Chloramine are usually at ingestible levels for human consumption however are toxic to aquatic life. The use of a Dechlorinator will assist in neutralizing the levels of heavy metals when present, and will almost instantaneously dissipate levels of both Chlorine and Chloramine. Another element to consider is your pH level. We believe pH has a natural ebb and flow in our location here in New Jersey. While our levels tend to be on the higher side of some professional scales, we know our rain, groundwater, and ground rock formations all play a part in the natural pH that is produced. However, a higher scale pH does make elements like Chlorine and Chloramine more toxic to fish life. Making the use of a Dechlorintor all the more important to our seasonal pond care checklist.

The best time to add Dechlorinator is during ALL water changes. And seasonal water changes are highly recommended as the addition of falling pollen, leaves, and other natural and manmade pollutants can certainly plunge a happy pond into a downward spiral. Seasonal water changes should be about 50%, once in the spring and once in the fall. Maintenance water changes if necessary throughout the remainder of the year are best at a rate of 20% – 30%. Simply put, draining 20% of the water out and replacing it with fresh new water.

Figuring dosage amounts is easy too! Simply take your total gallons, lets say 1500 gallons, for example.
Use the recommended dosage rate for your quantity of ‘new’ water – 1 oz per 250 gallons of water (direct from the label of our Dechlorinator).
20% of 1500 is 300 gallons.
Treatment is a rate of 1 oz per 250 gallons.
Treatment for our 1500 gallon pond with a 20% water change is 1.25 oz.

Dechlorinator is best added when the pump is circulating and the new water is flowing so the additive can be quickly and evenly distributed throughout the water. As you can see, the extra step of Dechlorinating is not a tough task. Just a few moments of your time can save you future headaches related to sick fish, poor water quality, and plant growth issues. We hope you’ll trust our experiences on this one and pick some Dechlorinator up now for your next water change.

A Frog’s Dream Aquatic Services is offering this blog as a personal information source to our website visitors. Pond services are performed in Morris County New Jersey (NJ) Hunterdon County New Jersey (NJ) Somerset County (NJ) and Warren County (NJ). Waterfall ponds, Streams, and Fountains are all in our wheelhouse of talent. Explore our website for more ideas. Like our Facebook page for daily inspiration. Receive our newsletter for monthly tips and a coupon or two.