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7 Best Dechlorinators For Aquariums in 2024 – Reviews & Top Picks

Sarah Psaradelis

By Sarah Psaradelis

red-fighting-fish-for-test-water_Pic-ture_shutterstock

Water dechlorinators or conditioners are beneficial to aquariums if you use water from a tap that contains chlorine or traces of heavy metals. These components in the water are harmful to aquatic life, which is why dechlorinators are used whenever an aquarium is being set up or water is being replaced during a water change.

Not all dechlorinators are created equal, and some are better quality and do the job faster to make the water safe for your fish. When looking for a dechlorinator, you want to choose one that is affordable, works rapidly, and has other benefits aside from removing chlorine.

With this in mind, we have reviewed the best dechlorinators you can buy today.

A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites in 2024

Rating Image Product Details
Best Overall
Winner
Tetra AquaSafe Tetra AquaSafe
  • Simple and easy to use
  • Rapidly removes chlorine
  • Helps reduce stress
  • Best Value
    Second place
    API Stress Coat Water Conditioner API Stress Coat Water Conditioner
  • Helps soothe and protect a fish’s slime coat
  • Neutralizes heavy metals
  • Removes chlorine
  • Premium Choice
    Third place
    FritzGaurd Water Conditioner FritzGaurd Water Conditioner
  • Safe for marine and freshwater aquariums
  • Detoxifies heavy metals
  • Helps maintain a stable pH
  • Seachem Prime Seachem Prime
  • Neutralizes ammonia and nitrate for 48 hours
  • Detoxifies heavy metals
  • Long-lasting
  • Fluval AquaPlus Water Conditioner Fluval AquaPlus Water Conditioner
  • Safe for aquarium plants
  • Works quickly
  • Helps reduce stress
  • The 7 Best Dechlorinators  

    1. Tetra AquaSafe – Best Overall

    Tetra AquaSafe

    Aquarium Type: Freshwater or marine
    Form: Liquid
    Volume: 38 fl oz

    The best overall dechlorinator in this review is the Tetra AquaSafe. This water conditioner rapidly removes chlorine from tap water which makes it safe for fish and other aquatic inhabitants within a few minutes. It’s one of the most simple and well-known dechlorinators on the market that does its job well.

    It’s available in a liquid form in several different bottle sizes depending on how large your aquarium is. This dechlorinator can also help to reduce stress and harm caused to a fish’s gills and mucous coat from chlorine burns, which makes it ideal to use when setting up an aquarium or dosing it during each water change.

    The liquid is a blue coloration, which may cause your aquarium’s water to have a slight blue tint for a few minutes and it should return to normal soon. This is most common if you use too much of this dechlorinator.

    Pros
    • Simple and easy to use
    • Rapidly removes chlorine
    • Helps reduce stress

    Cons
    • May turn water blue
    • Does not remove heavy metals


    2. API Stress Coat Water Conditioner – Best Value

    API Stress Coat Water Conditioner

    Aquarium Type: Freshwater ponds
    Form: Liquid
    Volume: 32 fl oz

    The API stress coat water conditioner is the best value for money because it’s available in a larger volume for a more affordable price than similar products. It’s ideal for freshwater ponds where goldfish and koi are kept, and it is used to treat larger volumes of water. Although this product functions as a water conditioner, it contains other beneficial ingredients that can help improve your fish’s slime coat.

    This water conditioner removes chloramines, chlorine, and ammonia while neutralizing heavy metals in the water. It contains a synthetic form of slime coat that can encourage the fish to produce a slime coat, which helps protect the fish from ammonia or chlorine burns.

    It also contains aloe vera to soothe your fish’s slime coat, thus helping to keep the fish protected against burns or certain diseases that can attack the fish when the slime coat is in poor condition.

    Pros
    • Helps soothe and protect a fish’s slime coat
    • Neutralizes heavy metals
    • Removes chlorine

    Cons
    • Only suitable for freshwater aquariums


    3. FritzGaurd Water Conditioner– Premium Choice

    FritzGaurd Water Conditioner

    Aquarium Type: Freshwater and marine
    Form: Liquid
    Volume: 16 fl oz

    Our premium choice is the FritzGaurd water conditioner which is a safe and effective dechlorinator that makes tap water safe for both marine and freshwater aquariums. It rapidly detoxifies heavy metals found in well or tap water, and it removes chlorines and chloramines. It has a pH buffering effect, which helps to maintain a good pH in the aquarium.

    This water conditioner contains a blend of Vitamin E and aloe vera, which may help improve your fish’s slime coat by acting as a synthetic replacement. This protects your fish from burns that can penetrate through a weak slime coat and injure your fish.

    Pros
    • Safe for marine and freshwater aquariums
    • Detoxifies heavy metals
    • Helps maintain a stable pH

    Cons
    • Does not remove ammonia


    4. Seachem Prime

    Seachem Prime 1000ml

    Aquarium Type: Freshwater and marine
    Form: Liquid
    Volume: 5 fl oz

    Seachem is a well-known and high-quality brand of fish products, and prime is a great example of an excellent dechlorinator for fish. Prime not only removes chlorine, and chloramines, and neutralizes heavy metals, but it also neutralizes nitrate and ammonia for up to 48 hours.

    This is beneficial if you want to decrease the amount of ammonia and nitrate in the aquarium in new setups or if the cycle crashes in one of your aquariums. Prime is quite concentrated and strong, so a small amount goes a long way even for large aquariums.

    A downside to prime is that it can lower the amount of oxygen in the aquarium, so running an air stone while using a pump can help prevent any unnecessary fish deaths.

    Pros
    • Neutralizes ammonia and nitrate for 48 hours
    • Detoxifies heavy metals
    • Long-lasting

    Cons
    • Lowers the amount of oxygen in an aquarium
    • Has an unpleasant sulfur smell


    5. Fluval AquaPlus Water Conditioner

    Fluval AquaPlus Water Conditioner

    Aquarium Type: Freshwater
    Form: Liquid
    Volume: 9 fl oz

    Fluval Aquaplus is deemed a more natural option as a dechlorinator as it contains herbal extracts. This dechlorinator removes chlorine and chloramines from tap water, while also neutralizing heavy metal toxins. The formula includes herbal extracts that are included to help reduce stress in fish during transporting and acclimation into new aquariums, while also helping to protect a fish’s slime coat. The exact types of herbal extracts used in this dechlorinator are not disclosed.

    This dechlorinator is safe for aquarium plants, and it is highly effective at making tap water safe for fish. It works fast while being non-toxic for most crustaceans. You will need to use more of this product to be more effective than other dechlorinators in this review, which can be a downside for fish keepers looking to cut down costs.

    Pros
    • Safe for aquarium plants
    • Works quickly
    • Helps reduce stress

    Cons
    • More dechlorinator is needed per gallon of water


    6. TankFirst Complete Aquarium Water Conditioner

    Aquarium Type: Freshwater and marine
    Form: Liquid
    Volume: 9 fl oz

    The TankFirst dechlorinator formulated by Aquatic Experts is an affordable water conditioner that rapidly and safely removes harmful water components such as chlorine, and chloramine, while also detoxifying ammonia according to the manufacturer. This type of dechlorinator is available in both a powder or a liquid form with various sizes to make it ideal for small and large aquariums.

    This dechlorinator is safe to use in shrimp or planted aquariums without causing harm when dosed correctly. A bonus to this dechlorinator is that it claims to not smell as bad as other water conditioners which can have a sulfur or rotten egg-like smell. Instead, this dechlorinator has a “natural additive” that does not cause an unpleasant odor.

    Pros
    • Safe for shrimp and live plants
    • Detoxifies ammonia
    • Does not smell

    Cons
    • Not as effective at reducing ammonia or nitrate


    7. Aqueon Water Conditioner

    Aqueon Aquarium Tap Water Conditioner

    Aquarium Type: Freshwater
    Form: Liquid
    Volume: 16 fl oz

    The Aqueon water conditioner is a simple and convenient water conditioner to use when you want to detoxify heavy metals and ammonia from the water while removing chlorine. It can be used when filling up a new tank or topping up new water during a water change. In comparison to other options, this dechlorinator is affordable for the volume of the dechlorinator inside.

    The bottle includes a cap that allows you to measure how much dechlorinator you are using in the aquarium. According to the manufacturer, it can also be used as a supplement for stressed fish that have a poor slime coat.

    This water conditioner may leave a layer of bubbles or milky residue on top of the aquarium, especially if too much is added. There is also the risk of this product lowering the oxygen in an aquarium, so running a bubbler during its use can prevent any oxygen issues.

    Pros
    • Easy to use
    • Cap can be used for measurement
    • Detoxifies ammonia

    Cons
    • Leaves bubbles and residue
    • Lowers oxygen in the water

    Buyer’s Guide: Buying the Best Dechlorinators For Aquariums

    What to Look for When Buying a Dechlorinator

    When it comes to buying the right dechlorinator for you and your aquarium, you want to choose one that can remove chlorine and other chloramines in a matter of minutes to make the water safe for your aquatic inhabitants. Tap water contains chlorine and heavy metals which are harmful to fish, leading to burns and overproduction of mucus on the fish’s slime coat.

    Dechlorinators can either be expensive or inexpensive depending on the brand, quality, and what the product has to offer. Not all dechlorinators only work by removing chlorine and chloramines, as some even neutralize or detoxify heavy metal toxins that are also common in tap or untreated water.

    Some types of dechlorinators even claim to detoxify ammonia and nitrates usually for a day or two. This doesn’t mean that the dechlorinator removes ammonia and nitrate completely, but it possibly binds the compounds while making them easier to be taken up by the biofilter.

    Dechlorinators may also contain added supplements such as aloe vera to soothe your fish’s slime coat, although there have been few proven benefits of the effectiveness of aloe vera and fish.

    Most dechlorinators will have a substance that helps to promote your fish’s slime coat production, which is believed to help to heal and increase the amount of mucus they produce to form a healthy slime coat.

    Conclusion

    Out of all the dechlorinators we have reviewed in this article, we have chosen three as our top picks. Our first pick is the Seachem Prime dechlorinator because it is effective at removing chlorine while helping to bind traces of ammonia and nitrate for 48 hours.

    Our second top pick is the Tetra AquaStart because it is simple to use and rapidly removes chlorine and chloramines.

    Our third top pick is the FritzGaurd water conditioner because it is high-quality, and can last you a long time.


    Featured Image Credit: Pic ture, Shutterstock

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