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Re: britta filtered water/ unsafe tap water



>
>Date: Thu, 20 Nov 1997 16:31:56 -0600
>From: Nicole Winstead <bwinstea at students_uiuc.edu>
>Subject: britta filtered water/ unsafe tap water
>
>Hello there!
>
>I am a new addition to the list and to plants.  I planted my tank in
>September.  It seems to be doing well except for a bit of algae, etc.  
>
>My question is ... Does anyone use water filtered through a britta filter
>for their tanks?  Is the britta the exact same as an aquarium carbon filter?
>I am afraid to use my tap water (my tale is below, for anyone interested in
>trying to identify what is in my tap water).  I have been using strictly
>britta water in my tank, and all this talk lately about needing to add
>elements to the water etc has made me concerned that the britta is removing
>stuff the plants need along with the bad stuff.  What do you guys think?
>Could this have long term effects on the plants?
>
>
>MY TALE
>  I moved to a new (for me) but very old (1960) apartment with an old fish
>tank containing some random fish (a guppy, 2 very old corys, a pristella
>tetra, a neon).  I filled the tank with britta and tap water.  They were
>fine.  I decided to plant the tank.  Put the fish in a bucket filled with
>tap water (dechlorinated etc of course) while I took the tank apart.  Next
>morning, all the fish (including a baby cory I found in the undergravel
>filter :(  ) were dead except the 2 adult corys.  I figured they ran out of
>oxygen and the corys lived because of their breathing thing.  Got mad at
>myself and put a bubbler in for the corys just because.  Came home from
>errands and the male cory was laying on his side.  Put the corys in britta
>water.  Male died, female (biggest of all the fish) lived after a week of
>careful nutruring, although her tail fin has crooked sections.  Both showed
>signs of blood in their abdomens and where their fins connect to their
>bodies.  The bucket was not responsible.  The obvious thing here would be
>lead poisoning (we have named the cory Pb :) and she is happy in her new
>planted tank with three new friends).  The apartment is certainly old
>enough, but the water also has a yellow tinge to it.  Are other elements
>possible culprits?  
>
>Well, I hope this wasn't too fishy or too long for that matter :).  You guys
>seem to know a lot more about water than fish people so...
>
>Thanks a bunch!
>Nicole

Nicole,

There could be a host of reasons for why your fish died, but I doubt that lead
poisoning was one of them.  I suspect the primary reason was pH shock.  You
should take a sample of your tab water and a sample of the Britta water to
your local fish store and have them run some tests.  

I have used the Britta filter for a few years (for drinking, not for my
fish tank).  They used to pack the replacement filter cartridges in a dry,
sealed plastic bag, and the first few weeks of using a new filter
cartridge, the water tasted sour.  I tested the water and it was quite soft
and acidic (I can't remember exactly what the pH was, but quite acidic).
Recently I have noticed that the new filter cartridges I bought were packed
wet (there is water in the sealed bag), and the sour taste has decreased,
but I haven't retested the water.  I still don't think it's suitable for
aquarium use though.

Hoa