Hello all,

My local water board informs me that the water out of my tap has 4 ppm of chlorine. I know this is
way too high, and it will be treated accordingly to make it safe.

My question is this - what exactly does chlorine do to koi? Yes, I know it kills them... but I want
to know what takes place inside the fish, chemically, that causes them to die?

- David

Chlorine attacks the gills and can lead to death through oxygen starvation.
Chlorine can prove fatal at levels as low as 0.1 mg/l.
This looks like a good page here for that kind of information:
http://www.notcatfish.com/health/environment.htm


k30a

David Larson wrote:
Hello all,

My local water board informs me that the water out of my tap has 4 ppm of chlorine. I know this is
way too high, and it will be treated accordingly to make it safe.

My question is this - what exactly does chlorine do to koi? Yes, I know it kills them... but I want
to know what takes place inside the fish, chemically, that causes them to die?

The bigger issue aside from the possible toxicity to the fish is the
loss of your Biological filter. Chlorine is is used to kill bacteria.
Guess what is dealing with the waste products.

The amonia spike will do them in just as surely as the 4 ppm remeber
you are diluting that unless you are doing a total water change. So I
really don't think you are even going to hit that 1ppm level. But lower
doses will harm your bio filter.

--
JSin
Lost Generation Custom Tattoo
To reply Kill the idiot

rips up their gills so they suffocate. Ingrid


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

Chlorine in water reacts with living tissues and organic matter causing cell
death (acute necrosis) in fish. Since fish gills are sensitive and exposed
directly to the aquatic environment, the death of cells in the gills - the
fish's breathing apparatus - can lead to respiratory difficulty and
asphyxiation.


"David Larson" wrote in message
...
Hello all,

My local water board informs me that the water out of my tap has 4 ppm of
chlorine. I know this is
way too high, and it will be treated accordingly to make it safe.

My question is this - what exactly does chlorine do to koi? Yes, I know it
kills them... but I want
to know what takes place inside the fish, chemically, that causes them to
die?

- David

Pretty graphic Ingrid!

--
_______________________________________
"The difference between 'involvement' and 'commitment' is
like an eggs-and-ham breakfast:
The chicken was 'involved' - the pig was 'committed'."

http://community.webshots.com/user/godwino

wrote in message
...
rips up their gills so they suffocate. Ingrid


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

am Hopkins wrote:

Chlorine in water reacts with living tissues and organic matter causing cell
death (acute necrosis) in fish. Since fish gills are sensitive and exposed
directly to the aquatic environment, the death of cells in the gills - the
fish's breathing apparatus - can lead to respiratory difficulty and
asphyxiation.

Thanks all for your replies. I'm now even more motivated to rid my tap water of chlorine down to
0.00000001 ppm. (grin!)

- David

Thanks all for your replies. I'm now even more motivated to rid my tap water
of chlorine down to
0.00000001 ppm. (grin!)


The clorine in tap water wouldn't have such a graphic effect. Water changes of
10% pr so pose no threat to your fish and letting tap water sit for 24 hours
removes the clorine. Now adding lots of clorine as in clorox can and will
sterilize your pond completly, plants and all!

Moon
remove nospam from e-mail to send to me, I grow trees in aquariums like bonsai.
I breed dwarf crayfish, great for planted community tanks. If you can get me a
shovelnose sturgeon fingerling (Scaphirhynchus platorynchus) no wild caught
please, contact me