SniperY
24-03-2006, 12:13 AM
Untreated tapwater is harmful to fish and filter bacteria, and should never be added to your tank or pond. Disinfectants, such as chlorine, are added to kill bacteria and other organisms in the water and make it safe for human consumption. These can be deadly to fish and filter bacteria at low levels.
Always use a dechlorinator solution to remove chlorine from tank or pond water prior to use.
> Some water authorities use the more stable chloramine rather than chlorine. This chemical is a compound formed from ammonia and chlorine, and is much more harmful to fish than chlorine.
Most conventional dechlorinators can neutralise the chloramine when used at double strength, but when they do this, they remove the chlorine but leave toxic ammonia. You may need a special treatment to tackle the resulting ammonia.
Chlorine use is slowly being phased out, and more and more water authorities will soon be switching to chloramine.
Check with the technical department at your water authority to see whether your water contains chlorine or chloramine, and use an appropriate treatment to remove the chlorine and the resulting ammonia, such as Kent Ammonia De-tox.
> Since chlorine is added to the water as a gas, it can be driven off by vigorous aeration for 24 hours prior to use, or by simply leaving the water to stand for a few days.
However, these methods aren't effective against chloramine, and there's little way of knowing how effective they've been at removing chlorine other than by testing it with a kit. Similarly, spraying water into a pond through a mist spray attachment on a garden hose won't get rid of everything, and ammonia will remain if you've got chloramine in your water. It's safest to use a chemical treatment instead.
> Tapwater commonly contains excessive quantities of nutrients, such as nitrate and phosphate, both of which are algal nutrients and can cause major problems, especially in reef tanks.
The presence of phosphate is cause for concern if you own a reef tank since it can encourage algae at very low levels. It's advisable to invest in a reverse osmosis (RO) unit or buy RO water rather than using nutrient-rich tapwater.
These water purifiers need to be plumbed into your mains water supply using a simple kit. Most units only produce a small quantity of water per day, so you'll need to place a collecting vessel, such as a brewing bin, nearby to collect the water. If you need lots of water, you'll need to buy a large RO unit.
> The pH and hardness of your tapwater will vary according to where you live. Welsh, Scottish and some Cornish and Yorkshire water is typically soft and acidic. Much of the rest of the UK has harder, more alkaline water with a much higher pH.
Most hobbyists keep fish that suit their local water conditions, because the water needs little prior treatment other than dechlorination and raising to the right temperature.
> If you live in a softwater area and keep hardwater species, like Rift Lake cichlids, you'll need to adjust the chemistry of your water to suit the fishes.
Aragonite (sold for reef tanks), coral sand and tufa rock can all be added to help boost the pH and hardness of your water and keep it at a stable level.
You may need to adjust the pH of the water and add buffers prior to adding it to the tank to minimise problems with fluctuations, especially if you make large or frequent water changes.
> If you live in a hardwater area and keep softwater species such as Discus, it's easiest to invest in a reverse osmosis (RO) unit. Don't use RO water on its own - it's too pure and fish need some minerals.
Either use a proprietary mineral replacement, such as Tropic Marin Remineral F or API ElectroRight, or add a quantity of tapwater. Use hardness and pH test kits to check that the levels are correct.
Alternatively, you could use water from a deioniser (which may be cheaper to buy than RO unit) or you could use rainwater (although there is a small risk of introducing airborne pollutants).
> Water from the hot tap may contain traces of copper from your hot water tank. This can be harmful to fish at high levels, and can be deadly to invertebrates, even at low levels. Instead of using water from the hot tap, use boiled cold water and add it to a bucket of cold tapwater until the temperature reaches the correct level.
> Filter bacteria are especially sensitive to chlorine and chloramine, so never wash your filter media under the tap. Instead, simply remove a bucket of tank water and wash the filter media in that.
Always use a dechlorinator solution to remove chlorine from tank or pond water prior to use.
> Some water authorities use the more stable chloramine rather than chlorine. This chemical is a compound formed from ammonia and chlorine, and is much more harmful to fish than chlorine.
Most conventional dechlorinators can neutralise the chloramine when used at double strength, but when they do this, they remove the chlorine but leave toxic ammonia. You may need a special treatment to tackle the resulting ammonia.
Chlorine use is slowly being phased out, and more and more water authorities will soon be switching to chloramine.
Check with the technical department at your water authority to see whether your water contains chlorine or chloramine, and use an appropriate treatment to remove the chlorine and the resulting ammonia, such as Kent Ammonia De-tox.
> Since chlorine is added to the water as a gas, it can be driven off by vigorous aeration for 24 hours prior to use, or by simply leaving the water to stand for a few days.
However, these methods aren't effective against chloramine, and there's little way of knowing how effective they've been at removing chlorine other than by testing it with a kit. Similarly, spraying water into a pond through a mist spray attachment on a garden hose won't get rid of everything, and ammonia will remain if you've got chloramine in your water. It's safest to use a chemical treatment instead.
> Tapwater commonly contains excessive quantities of nutrients, such as nitrate and phosphate, both of which are algal nutrients and can cause major problems, especially in reef tanks.
The presence of phosphate is cause for concern if you own a reef tank since it can encourage algae at very low levels. It's advisable to invest in a reverse osmosis (RO) unit or buy RO water rather than using nutrient-rich tapwater.
These water purifiers need to be plumbed into your mains water supply using a simple kit. Most units only produce a small quantity of water per day, so you'll need to place a collecting vessel, such as a brewing bin, nearby to collect the water. If you need lots of water, you'll need to buy a large RO unit.
> The pH and hardness of your tapwater will vary according to where you live. Welsh, Scottish and some Cornish and Yorkshire water is typically soft and acidic. Much of the rest of the UK has harder, more alkaline water with a much higher pH.
Most hobbyists keep fish that suit their local water conditions, because the water needs little prior treatment other than dechlorination and raising to the right temperature.
> If you live in a softwater area and keep hardwater species, like Rift Lake cichlids, you'll need to adjust the chemistry of your water to suit the fishes.
Aragonite (sold for reef tanks), coral sand and tufa rock can all be added to help boost the pH and hardness of your water and keep it at a stable level.
You may need to adjust the pH of the water and add buffers prior to adding it to the tank to minimise problems with fluctuations, especially if you make large or frequent water changes.
> If you live in a hardwater area and keep softwater species such as Discus, it's easiest to invest in a reverse osmosis (RO) unit. Don't use RO water on its own - it's too pure and fish need some minerals.
Either use a proprietary mineral replacement, such as Tropic Marin Remineral F or API ElectroRight, or add a quantity of tapwater. Use hardness and pH test kits to check that the levels are correct.
Alternatively, you could use water from a deioniser (which may be cheaper to buy than RO unit) or you could use rainwater (although there is a small risk of introducing airborne pollutants).
> Water from the hot tap may contain traces of copper from your hot water tank. This can be harmful to fish at high levels, and can be deadly to invertebrates, even at low levels. Instead of using water from the hot tap, use boiled cold water and add it to a bucket of cold tapwater until the temperature reaches the correct level.
> Filter bacteria are especially sensitive to chlorine and chloramine, so never wash your filter media under the tap. Instead, simply remove a bucket of tank water and wash the filter media in that.