How to Make Dechlorinated Water for Newts

Just as fish and other aquatic pets, newts are sensitive to the chlorine which is used to treat most municipal water supplies. Before you add water to your newt's aquarium, you will need to treat it to remove the chlorine. The fastest and most reliable method for removing the chlorine from your water is with a good quality dechlorinator, available from any pet supply store.

Things You'll Need

  • Dechlorinator
  • 5-gallon bucket
  • Used, cleaned milk jug
  • Painter's stick or long-handled spoon
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Instructions

    • 1

      Select a dechlorinator that removes both chlorine and chloramine. Because of the fast evaporation time of chlorine, many municipalities are switching over to a chloramine based water treatment system. Chloramine has a much longer evaporation time, and is toxic to newts. Avoid dechlorinators with "add-ons" like ammonia remover. Newts are particularly sensitive to these chemicals.

    • 2

      Pour the amount of water you need to dechlorinate into a 5-gallon bucket. It's important to measure the amount of water precisely, rather than estimating. An easy way to measure is to re-purpose a used gallon-sized milk jug, and dechlorinate in 1-gallon increments.

    • 3

      Add the amount of declorinator recommended by the manufacturer to the water. Avoid the urge to over-treat. Some dechlorinators can cause build-up over time, so it's important to add only as much as is necessary to effectively treat the water.

    • 4

      Agitate the water with a painter's stick or long-handled spoon. Allow the water to stand for 5-10 minutes before use.