Re: [Killietalk] Re: Poly (filter) Bags

[Wright Huntley <jwwiii at pacbell_net>]

Doug Dame wrote:
> Lee Harper wrote:
>
>
> > > Perhaps, the bags were cooler and the Polyfilter was capable of
> > > holding more ammonia. Then when the purchaser put them in a nice
> > > warm car to bring them home the Polyfilter released the ammonia 
> > > (some of it anyway).
>
>
> A partial but fatal dose ... when other fish that were seemingly
> bagged and treated identically, other that not having Polyfilter, got
> "a full dose" ?
>
> This is just a very very odd situation. And not a common one, or we'd
> more stories like this before. Something strange happened, but we may
> never understand it.

Agreed. We just do not have enough information to be sure.

That gives us all the license we could possibly need to speculate tho. 
:-) Here's mine, FWIW.

My best guess is that fresh poly filter material can release some 
product, possibly even something used in manufacturing or final 
cleaning. Think of it like a bit of residual detergent or soap.

In a big tank, or the large bags used for chicklets, the amount of that 
substance is very dilute and below any lethal threshold. [A little soap 
in the bathwater doesn't burn your eyes, like it does when it's more 
concentrated.]

That toxic stuff might even be something released as the ion-exchange 
mechanism reached a new equilibrium while removing something quite 
harmless from the original water. Ion-exchange and other adsorption-like 
processes often reversibly swap one ion for another, like sodium for 
calcium in a regular water softener. Any number of essential trace 
elements can become lethal in only slightly higher concentrations. Iron 
comes to mind, not to mention zinc, lead, etc.

If this is what happened, a pre-soak in anything but the actual water 
being used for the final bagging would have little or no effect. RO 
wouldn't do diddly.

I can think of lots of more complex scenarios, but the simplest is the 
most likely.

I would avoid using it for the tiny amounts of water we use for 
shipping. I will not even add "Amquel" directly to shipping bags as the 
dose can't be accurately controlled. I always make a pre-mixed large 
batch of shipping water, and then dispense the mixed solution from one 
of those pump thermos jugs.

Since poly filter is an admittedly pretty lousy ammonia sponge, I would 
be inclined to use better-proven ammonia removers, anyway, if shipping 
safety is your goal.

That's just my US$0.02.

Wright

--
Wright Huntley -- 760 872-3995 -- Rt. 001 Box K36, Bishop CA 93514


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