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Re: NFC: Cloudy Water
No, here's the deal. Most often the bloom is associated with
setting up a tank with tap water which is chlorinated. The chlorine
levels keep the bacteria in check. When the water is dechlorinated
(either through natural diffusion or sodium thiosulfate), the bacteria
have a brief opportunity to grow. Since the tap water is relatively
nutrient poor (please no dissertations about phosphorus, etc.!) the
bloom runs its course in just a few days.
The bloom has really nothing to do with the temperature. Nor are
the levels of dissolved salts in tap water approaching saturation.
Nothing would be able to live in such a strong chemical solution.
>
> The fact that the tank is uninhabited makes me suspicious of any
> explanations involving bacteria. My hypothesis is that you're seeing the
> precipitation of dissolved solids caused by the high water temperature.
> If your water contains high hardness and/or alkalinity, it may be close to
> saturation at normal ambient temperatures. Since most common salts have
> negative enthalpies of solution, an increase in water temperature will
> lower the solubilities of these compounds, possibly to the point of
> saturation.
Prost,
Martin
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