Pei-Chi & Rodney | Oct 14, 2025

Which Dechlorinator Should You Choose?

If you use tap water for your aquarium, a good dechlorinator is one of the most important products you'll ever buy. Every water change introduces chlorine or chloramine, and failing to remove them can quickly harm the beneficial bacteria in your filter as well as your fish.

One of the questions we get asked most at Fintastic Studio is:

"Which dechlorinator is the best?"

The answer is... it depends on your aquarium and your needs.

Does a More Concentrated Product Mean Better Value?

Generally, yes.

As a rule of thumb, the more water a product treats per milliliter (or gram), the better value it offers over time. If you're maintaining several aquariums or performing large water changes, a concentrated conditioner can save a surprising amount of money.

However, there's another factor to consider.

Highly concentrated dechlorinators can be difficult to measure accurately in small aquariums.

For example, if your conditioner treats 40–60 liters per milliliter, you may only need a fraction of a milliliter for a nano tank.

Measuring tiny amounts accurately can be inconvenient unless you have a syringe or pipette.

Sometimes, a slightly less concentrated product is actually the easier option.

Our Recommendations

For Beginners and Smaller Aquariums (Under 100 Litres)

We generally recommend:

*Aqua One Water Conditioner

*Seachem Prime (50 ml bottle)

These products are easier to measure accurately for smaller water changes. The small bottle of Prime also includes dosing instructions in drops, making it ideal for nano aquariums.

If you have several tanks—or you've been bitten by the dreaded Multi-Tank Syndrome—you'll usually get better value from:

*APT Pure

*Seachem Prime

*Seachem Safe

Their higher concentration means you use much less product for each water change, reducing costs over the long term.

If you keep species that appreciate blackwater conditions, such as many South American fish, consider using a conditioner containing blackwater extract, such as River Revolution Black Water Extract.

It helps maintain the natural tea-coloured appearance of the aquarium after water changes while still conditioning the water.

Final Thoughts

There isn't a single "best" dechlorinator for every aquarium.

The best choice depends on the size of your tank, how often you perform water changes, and what you're keeping.

For a small aquarium, ease of dosing may be more important than maximum concentration. For large aquariums or fish rooms, a concentrated product can offer significant savings over time.

Whichever product you choose, always use the correct dose and never skip dechlorinator when using tap water. It's one of the simplest and most effective ways to keep your fish healthy and your biological filter thriving.

Potassium Permanganate Baths – How We Use Them

Potassium permanganate (PP) has been used in the aquarium hobby for decades as an external treatment for parasites, bacteria and fungi. It is a valuable treatment when used correctly, but it is not something to use casually. Good preparation, accurate dosing, excellent water quality and constant observation are all essential for safe treatment

The method below is simply how we use PP at Fintastic Studio. It is not the only method available, nor is it intended to replace veterinary advice. Always research thoroughly before using PP and never leave fish unattended during treatment.

*Potassium permanganate can be purchased from King's plant barn under - Wallys Potassium Permanganate.

Vinegar Eel Culture Instruction

Vinegar eels are one of the easiest live foods to culture and are an excellent first food for small fish fry. They remain alive in freshwater for many hours, giving fry plenty of time to feed.

There are two different methods you can use to culture them. The traditional method is very reliable and requires minimal maintenance, while the High Density Vinegar Eel (HDVE) method produces much larger quantities but requires a little more care.

Daphnia Culture Instruction

Daphnia are small freshwater crustaceans that make an excellent live food for aquarium fish. They are highly nutritious and are especially useful for conditioning breeding fish and feeding growing fry.

There are many different methods for culturing daphnia. The following is the method that has given us the most consistent results after plenty of trial and error.

Microworm Culture Instruction

Microworms are an excellent first food for newly hatched fish fry. They are easy to culture at home and, with a little care, will provide a continuous supply of live food.

Fintastic Studio Beef Heart Recipe

Our homemade beef heart mix has been a staple food for growing discus and other carnivorous tropical fish. This recipe combines lean beef heart with quality fish foods and nutritional supplements to produce a highly palatable, protein-rich food that freezes well and is easy to portion.

Cycling Aquasoil Based Aquarium Using APT Balance – Our Trial Results

One of the characteristics of fresh APT Feast Aquasoil is that it releases a significant amount of ammonia when first submerged. In our test setup, 15 litres of APT Feast in a 125-litre aquarium produced an ammonia reading of around 20 ppm.

The combination of high ammonia, acidic water and very low carbonate hardness (kH) can make establishing the nitrogen cycle more challenging than in a typical aquarium. Beneficial nitrifying bacteria generally perform best in water with a higher pH and adequate carbonate hardness, so we wanted to see how APT Balance would perform under these conditions.

Which Dechlorinator Should You Choose?

Does a More Concentrated Product Mean Better Value?

Our Recommendations

Final Thoughts

More Posts