🧪 Dechlorinator — How Much You Really Need

🔍 Why it’s essential

• Tap water almost always contains chlorine or chloramine, both lethal to fish and biofilters.
• A stuck heater, cracked tank, filter failure, or city waterline flush can force huge emergency water changes.
• Having too little conditioner on hand = losing your entire stock.

📏 How to calculate your safe stock level

1. Find your largest water change volume (L):
   • Example: 400 L tank, 50% change = 200 L.
2. Find your dechlor dose rate (from the label):
   • Example: “5 mL per 190 L (50 gal)”.
   • Convert to L: 5 mL ÷ 190 L = 0.026 mL per L.
3. Dose needed for your largest change:
   • 200 L × 0.026 = 5.2 mL.
4. Safe stock rule:
   • Keep 3× that dose (for consecutive changes if water emergency continues) + 1× full-tank volume dose (in case you must do a total refill).
   • For example above:
     • 3 × 5.2 = 15.6 mL
     • • full tank (400 L × 0.026 = 10.4 mL)
     • = ~26 mL minimum stock

➡️ In practice: keep at least 1 full unopened bottle (250–500 mL) + an open working bottle.

📆 Expiration & storage

• Most dechlorinators are stable 12–24 months unopened, ~12 months once opened.
• Write “Opened: YYYY-MM-DD” on bottle.
• Keep in cool, dark cabinet (not near heaters or windows).

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🧰 Filter Media & Spare Parts — Critical Spares List

🔹 Prefilter sponge (coarse)

• Purpose: traps waste before it clogs canister/HOB biomedia.
• Stock rule: at least 2 cut-to-fit sponges per tank, rotate weekly rinses.
• Reorder when: <2 unused sheets remain.

🔹 Fine floss / polishing pad

• Purpose: polishes water, removes micro-particulates.
• Stock rule: 10–20 pads/sheets on hand. Replace weekly–biweekly.
• Reorder when: <10 sheets remain.

🔹 Biomedia (ceramic rings, Siporax, lava rock)

• Purpose: nitrifying bacteria home.
• Stock rule: 1 full bag per filter as backup.
• Why: lets you instantly seed a hospital/QT filter or replace lost media after meds.

🔹 O-rings / gaskets

• Purpose: seal filter lids. Old gaskets flatten, causing leaks.
• Stock rule: 1 full O-ring set per filter in storage.
• Lubricate with silicone grease (never petroleum).

🔹 Impeller & shaft

• Purpose: filter motor core; easily broken if jammed.
• Stock rule: 1 spare impeller + shaft per filter.
• Why: without it, a canister is down until replacement arrives.

🔹 HOB media baskets (if cartridge-based filter)

• Purpose: ditch disposables, use reusable sponge/floss.
• Stock rule: at least 2 empty baskets per HOB.

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💨 Backup Aeration & Power Outage Prep

• Battery/USB air pumps:
  • Stock rule: 2 pumps per rack/system, 4+ stones/tubing.
  • Keep fresh D-cells or charged USB power banks.
• Why: A power outage with no aeration = fish suffocate before filter bacteria crash.

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📝 How to Audit Supplies in 5 Minutes

1. Grab the inventory sheet I made you:
   📂 Aquarium Supplies Inventory.xlsx
2. Dechlorinator check:
   • Look at “Largest Water Change (L)” column.
   • Multiply by label dose → fill in “Dose Needed per Change”.
   • Look at “Stock on Hand”.
   • ✅ If ≥3× dose + full tank’s worth → safe.
   • ❌ If not → reorder.
3. Filter media check:
   • Count sponges, floss pads, spare biomedia bags.
   • ✅ If ≥ stock threshold in sheet → safe.
   • ❌ If not → add to reorder list.
4. Parts check:
   • Do you have at least 1 spare O-ring + 1 spare impeller for each filter model?
   • If not, note filter model & order OEM spare parts.
5. Backup check:
   • Verify battery air pumps are present and batteries charged.

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📦 Reorder Thresholds (easy rules)

• 🧪 Dechlorinator: always keep 1 sealed bottle + 1 in use.
• 🧱 Coarse sponge: <2 left = reorder pack.
• 🧻 Floss pads: <10 left = reorder.
• 🧪 Biomedia: <1 full spare filter’s worth = reorder.
• 🧲 O-rings & impellers: must always have 1 per filter in storage.
• 💨 Battery pumps: minimum 2 per rack, ideally 1 per 200 L.

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✅ Bottom Line

• You should never run lower than 1 unopened bottle of dechlorinator — treat this like an emergency fire extinguisher.
• For filters, think: media to rotate weekly, biomedia to seed emergencies, parts to keep filters running.
• The provided Excel sheet makes this a living inventory — update monthly and you’ll never be caught off guard.