People that have an aquarium may be looking to remove additives from the water including chlorine and chloramines. Many wonder, if boiling water is enough to remove the chlorine and the chloramines. They wonder if they are able to make their tap water safe for the fish or if they will need to purchase special water.
Removing the Chlorine
Boiling water is an effective way to remove chlorine. Boiling water is able to remove the chlorine that has been added to tap water. Free chlorine turns into a gas in the water when it is at room temperature. It will become solid when the temperature of the water is below 34 degrees C. Boiling the water will decrease the ability of the water to hold onto this gas and will allow the chlorine to leave the water. Boil water is an easy way to get rid of the chlorine and make the water safe for aquarium fish.To remove the chlorine from water, it should be allowed to boil for around 4-5 minutes. Chlorine is easy to remove from the water as it can be gone in a couple of minutes and does not take much effort.
Boiling Water and Chloramine
This is a chemical bond between ammonia and chlorine. It is not as easy to remove from water as the chlorine. It will be able to stay longer in the water and is often used as a disinfectant. It may be possible to remove chloramines from tap water by boiling it. This process is going to be slow. The water will need to be boiled for at least an hour to remove all of the chloramines that may be in it. Typically, tap water will have between 0 and a maximum of 4 mg of chloramines per litter. Depending on where you live, this could be different.
How Long Should the Water Boil?
It takes 10 times longer to remove all of the chloramines from the water then it does for chlorine. This is not a long time to prepare the water for the aquarium. The chloramines will take at least an hour to be evaporated from the water. While this may seem like a long time after this it will be safe to put in the aquarium and will be able to be safe for the fish.
While it may take some time both chlorine and chloramines can be removed from tap water by allowing it to boil. While it does take longer for the chloramines to be removed from the water it still is possible. This way a person can use their water to make their aquarium a safe place for the fish and other aquatic life to thrive.