[APD] Re: Green Water activity

[Wright Huntley <whuntley at verizon_net>]

> Message: 5
> Date: Tue, 6 Jan 2004 13:01:31 -0500
> From: "Walt Wilson" <wwilson at triad_rr.com>
> Subject: [APD] Notes from a non tecnical user, Green Water activity
> To: <aquatic-plants at actwin_com>
>
> I have had my aquatic plant tanks running for a year or so now, and have
> found this to be the source of information that made it possible for me to
> go in that direction. But, I have stumbled onto something, that may not be
> news to many, but it was a surprise to me, especially in the extent of
> activity. My LFS ran out of Prime, a water conditioner made by SeaChem that
> works extremely well with all of their other products, which I use almost
> exclusively for my planted tanks. Without giving it much thought, I bought a
> less expensive but non the less well circulated brand of conditioner to do
> my partial water changes for the week. 

Was it still a formaldehyde-type dechloraminator or was it the 
old-fashioned hypo dechlorinator? There is a really huge difference 
between them. One removes chlorine and the other ties up chloramine.

> Within twenty four hours I had
> beautiful green tanks, the free floating algae was thick to say the least.
> After giving it some consideration, I went to another FS a bit further away
> and purchased the Prime conditioner, did another partial water change the
> next two days, and it all went away. 

We originally discovered that "Amquel," "Prime," and other similar 
dechloraminators were hard on small inverts when they killed our daphnia 
cultures. Since green water is often a swimming flagellate, I'm not 
surprised that it was killed by "Prime." The tanning action of 
formaldehyde-like compounds apparently makes them lethal to smaller 
critters, while just toughening the skin of bigger ones.

Fish breeders are gradually learning to restrict their use, because they 
kill all kinds of infusoria that tiny babies need for survival.

I have even killed an infestation of Hydra with "Amquel" when I ran out 
of the formaldehyde I usually would have used in those days (before 
flubendazole o/e).

> I cannot give you the minute details of
> what happened, but I suspect that the Less expensive brand of conditioner
> had some rather undesirable chemical reactions that fed the algae and
> created a huge bloom in my tanks. 

On the contrary, if it was sodium thiosulfate, it was just less 
poisonous to the *Euglena* or whatever variety of green water you had. I 
only use dechloraminators for shipping, now. They do sequester the 
ammonium. I use carbon filtration to remove chlorine and or chloramine 
from tap water (when I have it).


> All I know for certain is that I do not
> intend to change any of the variables to that extent any time soon, as the
> response was swift and not to my liking.
>
> Walt Wilson
>
> My tanks are as old as I am, and thats pretty old for a tank

Ain't no such thing as a tank as old as I am, I think. :-)

Wright

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

    "...there are only a limited number of things that government
 can do more effectively than individuals or other organizations
 can do."
     -- T. Sowell


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