How To Dechlorinate Tap Water For Your Pond

Tap water is designed to be safe for humans to drink. Tap water contains the chemical, chlorine, that removes bacteria and viruses that are harmful to humans. Unfortunately, it isn’t intended to be safe for your garden pond.

It is this chlorine that will be detrimental to your pond. That’s why whenever you plan to use tap water to help fill up your pond levels, you need to make sure you dechlorinate it first.

Why Is Chlorine Harmful To Ponds?

At worst, high levels of chlorine can kill the fish and other wildlife that reside in your pond.

Even if the chlorine doesn’t kill the life forms in your pond, it is still toxic enough to your fish to cause harmful health problems. Chlorine substances stress the fish out in the water and can cause a range of stress-linked health issues. Chlorine can reduce the amount of oxygen that pond fish can get from the water by damaging the fish’s gills, the chemicals in the water can cause stress and, when ingested, can cause severe burning of the fish’s insides.

 So, even if you suspect there is only a small amount of chlorine in tap water, this is still enough to be concerned about. You need to make sure it doesn’t come close to your pond and its inhabitants.

How To Test For Chlorine In Pond Water

You can test the chlorine levels in your pond water or the tap water you’re planning to use by using pond test kits.

Smart devices like the Aqua Source eXact iDip can measure exact water quality and produce detailed results on the water’s chlorine levels. They can tell you when there are harmful chlorine levels so that you can keep your pond ecosystem safe and stop any health problems that may not be showing up just yet.

How to Make Tap Water Safe For Ponds

How, then, can you ensure that tap water is safe and dechlorinated to top up your pond levels?

Dechlorinating Tap Water Naturally

As chlorine is a gas component, some people advise leaving the tap water separate from your pond to evaporate chlorine into the air. Although this is definitely the cheaper option for dechlorinating tap water, this process is slow and not always as effective as taking extra measures to remove the water’s chlorine.

Using A Pond Treatment Dechlorinator

Pond water treatments are one of the most common ways to eradicate chlorine from your tap water. Simply add the water you want to use into a bucket or vat first and then treat it with the dechlorinator. It is definitely a much quicker method than letting the water stand, and you can be in control of whether the water needs to be treated further. Alternatively, treat the whole pond volume if a large top-up is required using the hose.

The dechlorinator works by neutralising the water, removing harmful substances and making it safe for the pond life to thrive in. Using these pond treatments is ideal for small to large ponds, making them an excellent option for most!

Installing A Pond Hose Dechlorinator

There are also convenient fittings that you can attach to your garden hose that will dechlorinate the water as it passes through into the pond. Using high performance, active carbon the fitting removes harmful additives – including chlorine – and makes it safe for fish and plants to inhabit it.

It’s essential to consider your pond’s capacity before choosing the right unit. For example, the OASE AquaActiv Dechlorinator can safely dechlorinate up to 200,000 litres of tap water. However, they’re still an easy, hassle-free way to fill up your pond safely for your fish.

Whichever way you choose to dechlorinate your tap water – naturally, chemically or mechanically – you must follow it up with another pond test kit to ensure it’s worked before filling the pond up. Regular pond testing is key to keeping the pond a safe environment for its inhabitants and ensuring there are no long-lasting problems.

Take a look at our full range of pond test kits available at Pond Planet and keep your pond in pristine condition.