As long as the RO and tap water are premixed and you do consistent water changes, the risk will be low. I cannot say what is 100% safe and what is not, but if you are worried, add the new water slowly, so the parameters change slowly.
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Stupid Question About Water Changes.
- Thread starter Tonyb111111
- Start date
OP
OP
Tonyb111111
Fishaholic
KittyKat said:
Great advice, thanks. So basically, premix my 15% PWC with two parts RO and one part tap and all is good. Just wish the water authority would get its finger out and lower the nitrate levels in their water
AbbeysDad
Fish Gatherer
It is generally held that we should do 20% to 50% water changes weekly in order to remove nitrates and other 'crud' (like urine, pheromones, etc.). I recently realized that my well water has about 60ppm nitrates! This has prompted me to rethink water changes.
So how do we get rid of nitrates w/o significant water changes. The first step of course is good tank and filter maintenance. Don't overfeed, service the filter regularly, perform gravel siphoning and/or have a planted tank. Floating plants also help.
A nitrate filter (utilizing anaerobic bacteria) can also keep nitrates in check.
As for the 'crud' - well these are all just organic nitrogenous compounds that decompose just like fish waste. The occasional use of activated carbon and synthetic adsorbants like Purigen can also help.
So if we add all of this together, we could conclude that the volume and frequency of water changes can be reduced and still have a very healthy aquarium. You might do large frequent water changes, but in some ways that can be more stressful than other, more managed methods.
So how do we get rid of nitrates w/o significant water changes. The first step of course is good tank and filter maintenance. Don't overfeed, service the filter regularly, perform gravel siphoning and/or have a planted tank. Floating plants also help.
A nitrate filter (utilizing anaerobic bacteria) can also keep nitrates in check.
As for the 'crud' - well these are all just organic nitrogenous compounds that decompose just like fish waste. The occasional use of activated carbon and synthetic adsorbants like Purigen can also help.
So if we add all of this together, we could conclude that the volume and frequency of water changes can be reduced and still have a very healthy aquarium. You might do large frequent water changes, but in some ways that can be more stressful than other, more managed methods.
Yep, that's it
As far as I am aware, the nitrate isn't harmful to people, so I doubt that anything will change in your tap water…Can you elaborate please? I haven't heard of these before… how effective are they?
Another thing that can be done in the long term is using a resin, like Nitrazorb, to actually remove the nitrates… by the way, any second now, someone is bound to come along and say that any nitrate under 250 ppm is fine for fish and while it is true that some species will survive in those conditions, others won't do so well, which is why I believe that it is better to aim at under 25 ppm (or whatever can be reasonably expected given the water supply) for all species.
OP
OP
Tonyb111111
Fishaholic
KittyKat said:Yep, that's itTonyb111111 said:
Can you elaborate please? I haven't heard of these before… how effective are they?AbbeysDad said:
Another thing that can be done in the long term is using a resin, like Nitrazorb, to actually remove the nitrates… by the way, any second now, someone is bound to come along and say that any nitrate under 250 ppm is fine for fish and while it is true that some species will survive in those conditions, others won't do so well, which is why I believe that it is better to aim at under 25 ppm (or whatever can be reasonably expected given the water supply) for all species.
Ive heard of these nitrate loving anaerobic bacteria, but I guessing you have to create a separate filter with no oxygen content to culture it, how is this done?
AbbeysDad
Fish Gatherer
Yep, that's it
Can you elaborate please? I haven't heard of these before… how effective are they?
Another thing that can be done in the long term is using a resin, like Nitrazorb, to actually remove the nitrates… by the way, any second now, someone is bound to come along and say that any nitrate under 250 ppm is fine for fish and while it is true that some species will survive in those conditions, others won't do so well, which is why I believe that it is better to aim at under 25 ppm (or whatever can be reasonably expected given the water supply) for all species.
Ive heard of these nitrate loving anaerobic bacteria, but I guessing you have to create a separate filter with no oxygen content to culture it, how is this done?
Although there are commercial denitrate filters (or reactors), they can be expensive. They incorporate different types of media and most utilize a trickle flow to starve the canister of oxygen. Some inject nutrient solution (vodka or sugar syrup) to feed anaerobic bacteria.
I am taking a DIY experiment approach. Setup just a week or so ago, I'm using a lock top kitchen canister, a Tom aqua lifter pump (3.5gph) and a mixture of Seachem Matrix and De*Nitrate to serve as a bio-denitrate filter. I am seeding the filter with Seachem Stability to jump start bacteria colonies but am being patient for it to develop. The Matrix/de*nitrate bio media is very porous with macro and micro pores. Aerobic bacteria (nitrosomonas and nitrobacter) populate the surface and burn off the oxygen while processing ammonia and nitrites, while anaerobic bacteria can thrive within the pores and break oxygen out of nitrates, releasing harmless nitrogen gas back to the aquarium, completing the nitrogen process. In theory, this media allows a greater than trickle flow rate, so the Tom 3.5 gph should work pretty well.
I am hopeful this will allow future management of tank generated nitrates which will allow me to dramatically reduce the frequency and/or volume of partial water changes, making filtered (or hauled) water for changes practical. The plan includes some floating plants, good tank/filter maintenance and perhaps the periodic use of activated carbon and/or Purigen.
In the meantime, since repeated partial water changes with 'good' water hasn't reduced nitrates sufficiently, I have ordered and will use Fluval Lab Series Nitrate Remover to lower tank nitrates to a reasonable level.
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OP
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Tonyb111111
Fishaholic
AbbeysDad said:Tonyb111111 said:KittyKat said:Yep, that's itTonyb111111 said:
Can you elaborate please? I haven't heard of these before… how effective are they?AbbeysDad said:
Another thing that can be done in the long term is using a resin, like Nitrazorb, to actually remove the nitrates… by the way, any second now, someone is bound to come along and say that any nitrate under 250 ppm is fine for fish and while it is true that some species will survive in those conditions, others won't do so well, which is why I believe that it is better to aim at under 25 ppm (or whatever can be reasonably expected given the water supply) for all species.
Ive heard of these nitrate loving anaerobic bacteria, but I guessing you have to create a separate filter with no oxygen content to culture it, how is this done?
Although there are commercial denitrate filters (or reactors), they can be expensive. They incorporate different types of media and most utilize a trickle flow to starve the canister of oxygen. Some inject nutrient solution (vodka or sugar syrup) to feed anaerobic bacteria.
I am taking a DIY experiment approach. Setup just a week or so ago, I'm using a lock top kitchen canister, a Tom aqua lifter pump (3.5gph) and a mixture of Seachem Matrix and De*Nitrate to serve as a bio-denitrate filter. I am seeding the filter with Seachem Stability to jump start bacteria colonies but am being patient for it to develop. The Matrix/de*nitrate bio media is very porous with macro and micro pores. Aerobic bacteria (nitrosomonas and nitrobacter) populate the surface and burn off the oxygen while processing ammonia and nitrites, while anaerobic bacteria can thrive within the pores and break oxygen out of nitrates, releasing harmless nitrogen gas back to the aquarium, completing the nitrogen process. In theory, this media allows a greater than trickle flow rate, so the Tom 3.5 gph should work pretty well.
I am hopeful this will allow future management of tank generated nitrates which will allow me to dramatically reduce the frequency and/or volume of partial water changes, making filtered (or hauled) water for changes practical. The plan includes some floating plants, good tank/filter maintenance and perhaps the periodic use of activated carbon and/or Purigen.
In the meantime, since repeated partial water changes with 'good' water hasn't reduced nitrates sufficiently, I have ordered and will use Fluval Lab Series Nitrate Remover to lower tank nitrates to a reasonable level.
AD
I might have a look at a nitrate reactor just to manage nitrate levels introduced with tap water that i need to use partially to keep pH & GH from dropping too low. I will still need to use the tap with an RO mix to keep tank pH to about 6.5. Could be a way forward for me but not replacing weekly pwc's
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