Getting Nitrates out of tap water

[Narayan]

Tut! Red, you know I do, youve been here for a few of my water changes. And how many deaths have you known of?

Not counting lobster homicide....

 

[rvm]

I have high tap water nitrates too. I have an inline filter I got from my LFS that removes nitrates from the tapwater see this thread for details on it. It does work, but I noticed something strange in my planted tank a while ago, and that is that changing the water (without using ther inline filter) actually raises the nitrate level!!! I tested it just before the weekly water change and it was really low (about 5ppm) then did the change without using the filter and it was up to 25ppm!!!!! did the same next water change, and the same thing happened. I've got no idea how the plants are using that much nitrate, cos it's not really that heavily planted like some tanks you see, but hey, I'm not complaining!!!

 

[plateletboy]

If your running a smallish tank in the uk then Asda's smart price 'fountainhead spring' table water is only 2mg/ml nitrate, and 18p for a 2L bottle.........

I used it a couple of times to get nitrates back down to a low background

PB

 

[chew-able]

A quick tip on avoiding introducing snails on plants.......

Get down your local pharmacy and ask for 'potasium permanganate'. Comes in christals and tablets. Christals are prefferable becuae you only need a small ammount each time. If you get tablets then you can always brake them down a bit. Apparently this stuff is used for all sorts.....the woman asked me if it was for my feet??

When you get home......fill a bucket with water (tap is fine) and put a tiny ammount of the potasium permanganate in the water (the water will turn purple).....let it dissolve then submerge your newly brought plants in it.

WARNING!!! If you get it on your hands it may stain them a funny brown colour for a couple of days! This isn't harmful in anyway just looks funny!

leave the plants in the solution for about 30-60 mins then take them out and rince in a bucket full of clean tap water. Then put them in your tank.

I've done this for the past 5 years since a 84 year old fish keeper gave me this tip. And I haven't had a single unwanted snail since.


Chew

 

[Red]

Stained hands - I guess you're telling us that through personal experience... I'd have loved to see that! I bet you got some funny looks!

 

[chew-able]

Luckily I touched the tablets with wet hands first which effected the tips of my fingure only and I realised before I did anything stupid like submerge my whole hand.

Could of been a hard one to explain......not sure it would have been as hard as explaining to the women in the pharmacy that I wanted it for my fish tank! She didn't seem to believe me!! I dread to think what she thought I wanted it for!


Chew

 

[Red]

That is SO bizarre - what would you do to your feet with it? Next time I see someone with brown stained feet I'll ask them if they used it and what for (or whether they'd been paddling in the Diana Memorial puddle!)

 

[FishDan]

You can also use a diluted bleach solution to soak your plants. I personally would stay away from potassium permanganate, I think bleach is probably much less expensive for one thing. And I have no clue what you would use it for on your feet...

Potassium permanganate is a strong oxidizer and can burn skin, eyes, and other body parts. It will stain you and everything it touches brown. Always use safety protective gear including rubber gloves, goggles and old clothes. A dust mask is advisable to prevent irritation to your respiratory tract.

Source.

\Dan

 

[Red]

A simple Yahoo search yeilded this little gem:

"Potassium permanganate soaks work well for smelly feet - your chemist can help with this. "

After your warning about the mask and gloves I don't fancy it much either and anyway my feet are as fragrant as Gary Linneker's farts!
(Narayan - you KEEP QUIET!)

 

[Red]

First as I reported I tested my tank water for nitrates and it was right off the scale - about 80 (PH was extraordinarily high too), then I tested my tap water and got the same results. Even the Tesco spring water has a nitrate content of 20 (same as Asda's).

My water changes must have also been raising the nitrates! It was after a big water change that my fish got sick.

Then I tested Narayan's tap water - the results were like Mary Poppins : practically perfect in every way, virtually neutral PH and virtually no nitrates.

He lives less than 1 mile from me.

My theories :

Either his water is supplied from a different source or there is something happening to the water on it's way to me. There is a sewage farm not far from my house and I wonder if there is some seepage into my water supply.

I'll be writing to Southern Water asking for an explanation and some action to bring my tap water nitrate levels back to an aceptable level. I wonder also what these high nitrate levels are doing to ME as I drink the stuff too.

 

[eSUng15]

it's kinda off the subject but i was curious about the pH of rain water. Since it's been raining like CRAzy here in VA because this hurricane charley, i thought I run out and take some samples. So i grabbed my pH tester and I tested the water. woah, the water is much acidic. At about a 6.2.

 

[Narayan]

First as I reported I tested my tank water for nitrates and it was right off the scale - about 80 (PH was extraordinarily high too), then I tested my tap water and got the same results. Even the Tesco spring water has a nitrate content of 20 (same as Asda's).

My water changes must have also been raising the nitrates! It was after a big water change that my fish got sick.

Then I tested Narayan's tap water - the results were like Mary Poppins : practically perfect in every way, virtually neutral PH and virtually no nitrates.

He lives less than 1 mile from me.

My theories :

Either his water is supplied from a different source or there is something happening to the water on it's way to me. There is a sewage farm not far from my house and I wonder if there is some seepage into my water supply.

I'll be writing to Southern Water asking for an explanation and some action to bring my tap water nitrate levels back to an aceptable level. I wonder also what these high nitrate levels are doing to ME as I drink the stuff too.

Reds got a point!

However, I thought the only thing in the room that was going to change colour was the test tubes.

You shoulda seen Reds face! lol

It did shock me too, I only live a mile away (as was said) and the difference in the quality of water is dramatic.

 

[David]

I do use my britta filter when doing a water change. Ok, so it takes a long time, but Im a patient person. So far Ive not had any fish deaths in my tanks (except for those caused by my lobsters or little red crabs).

Why do you keep crabs and lobsters in your tank if you know they will just kill the fish?

 

[Narayan]

A simple Yahoo search yeilded this little gem:

"Potassium permanganate soaks work well for smelly feet - your chemist can help with this. "

After your warning about the mask and gloves I don't fancy it much either and anyway my feet are as fragrant as Gary Linneker's farts!
(Narayan - you KEEP QUIET!)

Potassium permanganate, no surprise at what your xmas present is then.

Just kiddin' Red. You are lovely