Bacterial Additives...

[eaglesaquarium]

That's what I am hoping for... I figure that if there had been a filter in the tank, I wouldn't have noticed it. But, since I didn't have a filter, the water had a chance to settle, and the sediment then fell to the bottom. I don't really think there is a danger here, but I am glad that I will have it tested. (Plus I might be able to get them to give me some water hardness statistics! )

 

[drobbyb]

It's pretty common if you live in an area where they haven't replaced the old main supply lines, your pipes are the old type and they have corroded a little, or they have done some work in your area and you are seeing the sediment as it is flushed out of your tap.

We went camping this weekend and the running water at the campground is at the end of the line. Every time we turned the spigot on, the water looked rusty for a few seconds as the collected sediment/corrosion was flushed out of the line.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Yeah, I hope that's all it is... but I am still going to use my filter for our drinking water. As long as it is not dangerous to us or the fish, I'm happy! We bought the filter so that we don't get too much grossness in our drinking water.


How does this affect hardness, kH, gH, dH, and for the heck of it pH?

 

[eaglesaquarium]

12 hour test NH3:0ppm, NO2: 0.10ppm (trace color of nitrites) still not there yet... so close and yet not there yet.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Morning update...

Day 24, 24 hour mark - pH holding steady ~8.3, NH3: 0ppm, NO2: 0ppm, NO3: N/A, temp 83F... redosed to 4ppm.



Hopefully the NO2 will drop tonight, and hopefully I will have spoken with Marineland about my filter situation...

 

[waterdrop]

Your logging is helpful. The more predictable all the parameters are, the more we're able to glance at it and feel it is fitting in to the kinds of patterns we've seen before and yours is looking pretty normal. Lots and lots of fishless cycles keep showing traces of nitrite at the 12-hour mark either steadily or bouncing back and forth with double-zeros.

When we were establishing the qualification week process there were experienced hobbyists who lobbied for 8-hours or for 14-hours as the trigger for the start of the qualification week but we eventually found that the 12-hour one seemed to work well and that we virtually never saw mini-spikes after fish for those cases where the 12-hour qualification week was done and passed.

As far as those faucet water filters go I really have no idea whether any of them have a significant effect beyond simple mechanical filtration. Certainly RO systems and water softening systems are a different thing and very significant and we'd hope any beginner would understand that those would need to be discussed and understood prior to any use with fishkeeping. But faucet filters would be just mechanical I'd expect. What do others think?

~~waterdrop~~

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Thanks. I have given up on the the idea that the bacterial additive (specifically SafeStart) actually helped me in any way. So, while it might work for some, it didn't seem to do anything besides lighten my wallet $10.


Well, for my drinking water, all I am looking for is mechanical filtration. The orange build-up that I found in the tank is not something that I want to drink! The Brita we use holds two gallons of water, and I never have had that build up, even though it gets plenty of time to settle.


I don't plan to do anything with the tank water. First, I can't afford an RO unit. Second, I don't want to have to fiddle around with special water all the time. I just don't have the time available for all of that. As long as the water I have works for SOME fish, I think it will be fine. My wife has no preference, besides not wanting the tank to look unattractive. My son, at this point, is excited about EVERY fish he sees, not any particular one.


I am asking my wife to ask about kH, gH, dH, and TDS. Hopefully I will get those stats when they do the test today. If not, I'm going to have to take my water elsewhere for testing.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Well, the results are in for today's 12 hour test.


Day 24, NH3: 0ppm, NO2: 0ppm.

Just kidding, this happened a couple days ago. Hopefully this time there is no blip to follow!




An update on the issue with the filter on my 56 gallon tank. After speaking to Marineland, they told me to send the 350 to them with a note stating how I would like them to handle it. I don't know that they are going to do everything exactly as I hope, but I am hoping to buy a 200, and install that on my 56 gallon tank - some interesting issues in regards to that, I'll update that in the Unforeseen Circumstances thread - and then ask for a rebate of the difference in price between a 350 and a 200, with a 200 to be shipped back to me.

 

[waterdrop]

I honestly don't remember if Brita or any of the other faucet-type filters do anything undesirable as far as aquariums are concerned (despite having read a discussion two on TFF I think.) Of course, one crude thing to do would be "with and without" jars of water and a set of our tests on each. Another thing would be to call the company or check for more detailed info on their web site. I suppose it's possible their filters are impregnated with something that might result in some change we don't want... but my guess would be that they are simply doing mechanical filtration.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[KISSfn]

I know Brita filters are loaded with carbon.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

I'm not exactly sure why the Brita thing has become a focus recently. I will not be filtering my tank water through a Brita. I use the Brita only for my drinking water. We keep one in the fridge, so that cold water is always available for drinking.



I am not going to pay to filter the water that goes into the tank, so it is really a moot point, to be honest. Brita is an activated carbon filter, and seems to do very well at pulling the stuff that went into my tank out of the drinking water. But, I am not going to be filtering the tank water with it. So, it isn't really a factor. I am just going to go with fish that match my water parameters.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Day 25, 12 hour test... NH3: 0ppm, NO2: 2ppm...


I conducted a second nitrite test, because that result didn't make sense to me. So, the second result:0ppm...


Should I do a third to break the tie, or do I trust the result that I expected over the one that didn't fit my paradigm?

 

[KISSfn]

Of course PUR makes good water filters too...........

 

[waterdrop]

eagle, have you found any of OM47's posts comparing the 3 types of dwarf corys? There are 3 common types and each of the 3 are pretty different from each other. The tend to swim in different areas of the tank and have different shyness levels and different markings.

I would go try to find one of these posts but for some reason the search doesn't seem the same lately, it may be the skin I'm using, I keep meaning to go back and test on one of the more mainstream skins.

OK, quick search turns up pygmaeus as one type (this wasn't his favorite I don't think) and hastatus and habrosus (I think it was one or the other of those, the less shy ones of those.) (These are three species of the genus Corydoras of course, is what I'm remembering.)

~~waterdrop~~

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Yup, that's what my research found out as well. Pygmaeus seem to be the most skittish, and to be honest their markings aren't all that attractive, but are mainly a bottom-dweller primarily. Hastatus is also fairly skittish if I remember correctly, and spend most of their time in the mid-water, and they don't look much like cories to me. And finally, habrosus, with are the "salt and pepper cories" or dwarf cories. These guys are a little bigger than the other two ~1.25 inches, and spend most of their time at the bottom, but can be found in the midwater at times. The biggest issue with these guys is that their name habrosus means dainty or delicate, so I may lose some early on due to that fact. I am going to be extra careful with a nice long acclimation period, in an effort to keep as many as I can. The closest store I've found with them is That Pet Place in Lancaster, a full two hours away. So, they will need to endure the transfer to the bag, a 2 hour ride, then the acclimation period. Plus, some time in a quarantine tank. I could always go with a larger (hardier) species, but at the same time, that would mean less individuals and I think it is the number that is actually the most important thing with a shoal, not so much the size of the individual fish. (I could be wrong, but that's my take on it currently.) With the 56 gallon, I'd rather have large groups of small species than small numbers of large species.


If you find that I have made an error in my research on the three "pygmy" corydoras, please correct me.