Re: [APD] tap water purifier

[Wright Huntley <whuntley at verizon_net>]

> Message: 13 Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2004 21:14:50 -0500 From:
> revance at indiana_edu Subject: Re: [APD] tap water purifier 
>
> > > How hard is your water?  You should be able to grow plants in
> > > hard water without any problem.
>
>
>
> It's not the plants I'm concerned about. I plan to keep discus in the
> tank... and it's not just the hardness I am concerned about, our city
> water has all sorts of chlorine, heavy metals, etc.

Treat the chlorine/chloramine with a good dechloraminator, like "Amquel" 
or "Prime" but leave the other stuff alone. [City water is almost sure 
to have chloramine, any more, even if they don't report it that way to 
you.] Your fish and plants *need* those trace elements. [They are not 
allowed to approach toxic levels in domestic potable water.]

You can avoid chemical treatment by slowly filtering the water through a 
carbon filter, like the refrigerator ice-maker filters. Be sure to test 
for chlorine frequently, as they can saturate and "punch through."

The discus might *breed* more readily if you dilute the tap water with 
some RO, but otherwise will probably do as well or better in regular tap 
water that gets frequent partial changes. [Ever since I was able to 
breed Neon Tetras in 450 ppm (really hard -- 20 degrees GH) water, I 
have taken the soft-water mythology with a grain of salt. (pun intended) 
;-)]

I have lost track of the number of sick discus I have seen, because an 
innocent hobbyist was trying to keep them in water so dead that it could 
not support life, or became toxic at the slightest addition of sodium 
ions (via foods) because the needed Ca and Mg for cell metabolism were 
absent.

A de-ionizer, like the subject device, is only cheap to buy. The 
replacement resins will eat you alive, if your water is at all hard. The 
only replaceables in an RO unit are the carbon filters and sediment 
filter, and they are very cheap compared to recharged ion-exchange 
resins. The main use for DI in tanks is some special situations in reef 
tanks, where you really need zero nitrates, copper, etc. The water they 
put out is really, really bad for fresh-water fish if you don't add back 
some tap water or reconstitute them with expensive additives like "RO 
Right," "Equilibrium," o/e.

The only economical use for the "Tap Water Purifier" is *after* an RO 
filter, so the resins aren't depleted after only a few hundred gallons 
or less. Then, use it only if you need battery water or have other uses 
for truly "dead" water.

After over 50 years in the hobby, I have finally learned to never try to 
keep either fish or plants in water much below 100 ppm of tds, and at 
least half of that (3 degrees or so) should be general hardness. Fish, 
including discus, do not feel the pH of the water, any more than you do 
when you go swimming. pH can convert more of the harmless ammonium ions 
to ammonia, at levels above 8, and some fish may suffer acidosis at pH 
below 5 or so. Keep the water changed, often, and that is always easier 
to do if you are not trying to toy with delicate chemical balances and 
mixing.

BTW, few plants will tolerate the high temps that discus need. Have you 
considered that choice? Getting the right plants for 85F+ water will be 
considerably tougher than getting the chemistry right for discus, IMHO.

Wright

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

"Do we really think that a government-dominated education is going to
produce citizens capable of dominating their government, as the
education of a truly vigilant self-governing people requires?" [Alan Keyes]

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