Re: Chlorine, again.

To: Aquatic-Plants at actwin_com
Subject: Re: Chlorine, again.
From: psears at NRCan_gc.ca (Paul Sears)
Date: Sun, 15 Dec 1996 18:55:57 -0500 (EST)
In-Reply-To: <199612140437.XAA08789 at looney_actwin.com> from "Aquatic-Plants-Owner at ActWin_com" at Dec 13, 96 11:37:55 pm

> 
> From: nickedmunds at juno_com (Nick Edmunds)
> Subject: Re: Aquatic Plants Digest V2 #382
> 
> >>The Automatic Water changer works by the principle that chlorine is 
> >>very unstable in water.  As the fine jet of water hits the surface, 
> >>causing turbulence, the chlorine is broken down, no longer to be found 
> >>present as chlorine. 
> >
> >This is nonsense.  To remove the elemental chlorine put in
> >water, you need a reducing agent.  Turbulence will do nothing.
> 
> I am no expert, but, having spoken to those who profess to be so, this
> theory isn't nonsense at all, but works.   Chlorine is unstable in water
> and the turbulence caused by the fine jet of water breaks it down (I did
> know what it breaks it down to, but I can't bother recalling).

		!!!!
>
	It _is_ nonsense.  About the best you can hope for is that
some of it will leave the water (to the air) when it is in the form
of fine spray.  Chlorine does react with water to some extent, forming
hypochlorous and hydrochloric acid, but the hypochlorous acid is still
an oxidizing agent, and must be reduced to something that will not
damage fish.
	Turbulence will do nothing chemically.
 
> 
> The tanks the tests were performed in were bare and empty, and were
> deliberately small so that if there were a reading to be had from
> testing water changed with this apparatus, the likelihood of
> detecting it would be much higher.
>
	It either left the water and entered the air, or it was reduced.
Small tanks have a bigger surface/volume ratio, so it should leave them
more quickly than it would a large one.

> While willing to bow to superior knowledge of anyone, I haven't got time
> to argue this one out.  Call Aquarium Products on 410 761 2100 if
> you'd like to do so.

	I have already heard enough chemistry BS from aquarium sources.

> My testimony is that it has changed 50% of my 75gal
> almost daily for the last 6 months without a single positive chlorine
> test, and in which discus and plants have thrived.

	As I said in the first post, the plants will help take the
damage.  The more biomass you have in there, the less time the chlorine
will be there.


-- 
Paul Sears        Ottawa, Canada

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