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Re: Dangerous needle valves



Date: Thu, 24 Jul 2003 16:37:39 -0500
From: "Tom Wood" <tomwood2 at flash_net>
Subject: Dangerous needle valves.

Why do the regulars on this list continue to let this crap fly?

Because we appreciate the chance to learn when others make mistakes and are willing to share them so *we* don't have to repeat them.



"Yesterday I noticed my Eheim diffusor needed cleaning for the first time in 3 years"

I doubt it was 3 years, but okay.

That was a gratuitous slam that isn't much appreciated by those of us who happen to know the original poster. He was using that kind of diffuser long before I did, and I started using them well over three years ago. Forgive me if my doubt of your doubt isn't well founded.



"Prior to removing it, I shut off my needle valve, so naturally I needed to readjust it putting things back together."

You didn't 'naturally' have to do anything of the sort. You chose to do so
in order to set up this argument.

Opinions are like... Now we know yours, but did you feel obligated to share it in such a derogatory manner?


Shutting off the CO2 with the needle valve is a really bad idea, for a variety of reasons. It can be done for a brief interval, but the point of the note was to tell us one of the negative consequences, so we didn't have to suffer the same problem.


"I set it too high, then too low, then when I was getting closer to just right, I was distracted. I forgot about that task until this AM when I noticed my fish were gasping at the surface. I soon discovered a cascade of bubbles coming out of the CO2 diffusor, so I shut off the needle valve. Now I have a few dead fish (from suffocation), an airstone running (to diffuse the excess CO2), and a valuable lesson: be darned careful when fooling with something potentially dangerous to your fish."

Soooo, needle valves are now dangerous to your fish? What a crock.

No. Can you not read? As the original post said, *misuse* of any such tool can have adverse consequences. You can kill fish with a hot-cold blend when changing water with a "Python." You can overdose medications or nutrients. [Need I tell of the time I loaded a tank with ammonia by using "Miracle Grow" in the substrate? :-)]


His point was that he made a procedural mistake, and you seem to want to revive an old, worn-out thread about needle valves that has no applicability here at all.

If everyone who reported a mistake, here, got flamed for his/her efforts, we would soon lose about 60% of the benefits we derive from our sharing of experience. Please consider that, the next time you choose to share such opinions.

My comment, as addition to the original warning, is that any silicone tubing between needle valve and a high-back-pressure diffuser makes setting flow rate very tedious and difficult. It balloons up and takes a long time to come back down after you reduce the flow through the valve. The final bubble rate is much harder to get set than if you use only the tiny, non-ballooning hose that comes with the Eheim -- and as short a run of that as possible.

Flame shield going up!

Wright

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