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Re: [APD] Removes "heavy metals"?



None of hte elements in the aquariumare, say, converted to
energy -- if they are there before the conditioner is
added, they are there afterwards. It's a matter of the
chemical or ionic bonds and what compounds are in the tank.

Conditioners that "remove" chloramine break up the compound
into constituents that can then remain separate or
recombine with other elements to form new compounds.
Something that breaks up chloramine could leave your tank
with a sudden dose of ammonia.

Some conditioners bind the elements and bind some so-called
heavy metals. The metal elements are not gone, but tied up
in a compound that is presumably less risky to fish or
plants. Some conditioners, like SeaChem Prime break up
chloramine and then "grab" the nitrogen in a new compound
less harmful to fish but still available to plants as a
nutrient.

There is an order of "preference" for what metals a
conditioner will grab. 

There are lots of posts in the archives. Here are a few:

http://fins.actwin.com/aquatic-plants/month.200102/msg00171.html

http://fins.actwin.com/aquatic-plants/month.200302/msg00030.html

http://fins.actwin.com/aquatic-plants/month.200303/msg00029.html

It matters what conditioner you use. If you have
chloramines, you want something thatdoesn't leave you with
a sudden dose of ammonia. As for trace metals, I don't
think it's an issue. If there is nothing else to bind, some
iron might be bound but the amount is small and a worthy
trade-off for gaurding against chlorine, chloramine, and
heavy metals. And the bound iron can still be gotten by the
plants eventually.

Good luck, good fun,
Scott H.
--- Laith Arif <laith at swissonline_ch> wrote:

> 
> I'm curious to know what exactly my water conditioner
> (JBL Biotopol) means
> by "removes heavy metals"... Does anyone know?
> 
> Just wondering if besides removing chlorine and
> chloramine it's also
> removing useful plant nutrients (micro and/or macro).


=====
Want to get dirty but stay clean? 

Diana Walstad, author of _Ecology of the Planted Aquarium_ will discuss soil supplemented aquarium substrates at the 2004 AGA Convention.

Convention Details/Registration at aquatic-gardeners.org & gwapa.org
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