Premix question

[effin]

I have a big plastic tub that I'm going to use to premix my saltwater. Since I need to keep the water moving in the tub, I figured I'd add a cheap filter with Polyfilter to pick out any traces of copper (or other metal) from the tap water. I'm looking for a recommendation for what type of filter to get.

Thanks.

 

[malkore]

no amount of polyfilter is going to trap heavy metal particles...unless they are large, visible slivers of metal, in which case you have severe plumbing problems that need to be addressed for your health, not just the fish.

Most everyone uses a simple powerhead or an airstone on a pump in their pre-mix tubs.
I hope you purchased a brand new plastic tub, with a lid...and aren't re-using something old which could leech contaminents into your water.

Also, I'm gonna suggest you steer clear of tap water and use R/O water purchased at the LFS or a grocery store (or even wal-mart). salt is mean to be mixed with neutral water..pH close to 7.0 and very little hardness or other minerals (like magnesium).

 

[effin]

From the Polyfilter website (http://www.poly-bio-marine.com/polyfaq4.htm):

Answer: Yes to both questions. In fact 8 sq. inches or ¼ of a Poly-Filter® will sorb 285.60 - 288.00 mg of Copper ions. Poly-Filter® sorbs any type of copper both chelated and nonchelated forms.

This is what I based my question upon. If folks use it to remove copper medications, I assume it would remove whatever traces of copper might be in the tap water. So I am still looking for a recommendation for a cheap filter I could use in this situation.

 

[malkore]

why are you so afraid of copper?
are you using a used tank that had copper medications used in it? if so the only way to totally remove the copper is to remove all silicone seams and re-seal the whole thing (its the silicone that absorbs copper meds and leeches them back into the tank)

I want to understand your exact problem and end goal before I recommend anything.

 

[snapcrackler]

Hi effin,

This portion of your post has been edited, it is in violation of the User Agreement.


I'd suggest an aquaclear 300 or 500 because you can put whatever media that you would like to, inside of it, and they move a lotta water and they are cheap and they last a long time.

It comes with pickup tube extensions that would hang way down inside your plastic tank in case you wanted to mix a less-than-completely-full batch.

Neat idea on the premix sponge by the way. Funny how new/innovative ideas are usually met with a snarl by some. :|

Oh yeah and I do agree with not using tap water, you can get a nice RO/DI unit for around $100 on ebay and it will save you a lot of hassle.

 

[nodoubt471]

ouch...

if your really concerned about copper or other metals in your water, and dont want to go through the trouble of getting it from the store, a RO/DI unit will pay for itself quickly. you can pick up a good brand on ebay for real cheap.

ive heard that the poly-filter does remove copper, i second that, but i dont think that it would remove all the metals present in tap water, especially in the amounts they are found.

as far as the filter in the tub goes, you could really just invest in a cheap powerhead, that would do the trick.

 

[effin]

It's not so much a concern as it is an opportunity. I've got to have water movement in the mix, so I figured why not add an inexpensive method to fine-tune the water. My tap water looks pretty healthy (have the water company report), but there could be a low level of copper. If the Polyfilter takes care of that, I don't have a need for an RO unit.

I have a hard time with the concept of filtering every last element out of the water and then adding half of it back in with supplements.

Snapcrackler, thanks for addressing my request.

 

[seafan]

Is an RO unit enough or should it be RO/DI.

 

[malkore]

I don't see how I was being a [BillyZ: Removed reference to UA Violation]. Would you kindly remove such a rude remark from your post Mr. snapcrackler

 

[BillyZ]

Personal attacks are not tolerated on this forum, on any side of a debate and personal comments will cease now or the thread will be locked.

 

[steve-s]

The Polyfilter will actually remove a majority of harmful metals from tap water. The main drawbacks to it's use apposed to an RO unit is it will not remove fluorines and can end up being a costly alternative in the long run depending on the amount of use. Fluorines are quite harmful to marine animals. If your Municipal water company does not add fluorines, what you propose will work.

Make no mistake, they are an excellent means of water purification but cannot be compared to the longterm costs of an RO unit.

Is an RO unit enough or should it be RO/DI.

Depends on the water quality you have. The higher the TDS, the more the need for added filtrants. Without the DI attachment you would still have the possibility of some silicates unless using a Hi-S membrane. With DI the silicates are very greatly reduced.

Cheers
Steve

 

[fishfreek]

Your concern for heavy metals and copper in the water seems to go above and beyond mosts folks concerns. Maybe your just overly cautious or do you know for a fact that your water has copper traces in it from your water quality report.

No need to use a bunch of supplments as your saltmix will have the essencal trace elements needed as well as teh salt needed to obtain the desired salinity.

 

[effin]

Thanks for the input, folks. I'm probably being overly cautious. The copper test kit I have only indicates .25 ppm up to 4 ppm. There is definitely a slight color on my test, but without any greater precision, the best I can say is "it's less than .25". (On the water company report, it says .43 for the 90th percentile. But isn't that dependent on the homes where the samples are taken? And the copper data is from 2001.)

From a cost standpoint, it's only a 37 gallon tank. If I ever decide to get a larger tank, I'm sure I'd go with the RO unit. I would rather not spend that kind of money now if it's not necessary.

 

[malkore]

for the record, I was confused and thinking of poly-fill...a.k.a. plain filter floss...hence why I said it wouldn't trap anything but larger particulate matter.

 

[snapcrackler]

Yes, I should have posted differently. My apologies to Malkore and anyone else offended.