my tap water quality

[kostasonia]

I found this information in the web page of the water company in my area. Im sorry, its in spanish, well...many things can be understood (i guess)...

how do you find the quality..???


Antimonio µg/l <1
Arsénico µg/l <1
Benceno µg/l <0,1
Benzo(a)pireno µg/l <0,0025
Boro mg/l <0,1
Cadmio µg/l <0,5
Cianuro µg/l <5
Cobre ml/g <0,2
Cromo µg/l <5
1,2-Dicloroetano µg/l <0,3
Fluoruro mg/l 0,2
Hidrocarburos (HPA) µg/l <0,025
Mercurio µg/l <0,2
Microcistina µg/l <0,1
Níquel µg/l <2
Nitrato mg/l 35,7
Nitritos en red mg/l <0,05
Total Plaguicidas µg/l <0,1
Plaguicida individual µg/l <0,025
Plomo µg/l <2,5
Selenio µg/l 4,8
Trihalometanos µg/l 37
Tri +Tetracloroeteno µg/l 1

Aluminio µg/l <20
Amonio mg/l <0,1
Cloro combinado mg/l <0,05
Cloro libre mg/l 0,7
Cloruro mg/l 52
Color mg/l Pt/Co 1
Conductividad µS/cm a 20ºC 760
Hierro µg/l <20
Manganeso µg/l
Oxidabilidad mg O2/l 1
pH 7,7
Sodio mg/l 39
Sulfato mg/l 69
Turbidez UNF 0,4

 

[QTOFFER]

The only parameters you need worry about are pH, hardness (calcium and magnesium), and nitrates.

Your pH is slightly high, suggesting that your hardness is also slightly high. Nearly all aquarium fish will thrive in a wide range of pH and hardness levels. They just don't tolerate rapid fluctuations. The absolute values only matter if you are trying to breed certain species, or keep certain types of plants. Otherwise, a stable pH and hardness is all you really need.

Nitrates make their way into tapwater through fertilizer runoff. Your water has 35.7 mg/L (ppm) nitrate. That's a tad high, as most of us like to keep nitrates below 40 ppm. You will probably have to mix distilled water with your tap water when you do partial water changes. Alternatively, you can keep fast growing plants that will consume the nitrates.

 

[kostasonia]

Thanks QTOFFER...

Do you think that RO water is better anyway than distilled....?

 

[QTOFFER]

No problem, kostasonia.

RO water is just as good as distilled. You don't want to use more than 50% RO or distilled water because it is completely deficient in vital trace minerals.

Before you spend any money on bottled RO water, you should test your tap water nitrates yourself. Like I said, live plants help alot.

I actually have to dose my low light tank with nitrates just to keep the levels above 10 ppm. Otherwise, my high phosphates (another fertilizer runoff) cause an outbreak of green water algae.

 

[kostasonia]

yeah..my nitrate leveles are around 30-40 ppm...

Notice that we are speaking about a new tank (just over 2 months old) and that nitrates started by around 10ppm increasing slowly.

I have vallisnerias and ceratophyllum demersum, growing really a lot. I guess this can just reduce the rythm of nitrate-increase but never arrive to an equilibrium correct?

Because...do you think its possible to even decrease the nitrates level with lots of fast growth plants...??

 

[QTOFFER]

do you think its possible to even decrease the nitrates level with lots of fast growth plants...??

Absolutely!

Green water is a great example of a fast growing (single celled) plant. The two times that my 58 gal was filled with green water, my nitrates bottomed out to 0!

I also have a 5 inch jewel cichlid in a 10 gal - my most maxed-out tank in terms of bioload. Before I added plants, the nitrates would creep up to 30 ppm between weekly water changes. Now, I pull out and toss a big fistful of Java moss every two weeks, and the nitrates never go above 15.

If you have high light, CO2, and fast growing stemmed plants, the nitrate reduction will be more noticeable.

 

[Guest]

Plants are a good idea.

I always use a dechlor like "Prime" as well.

 

[kostasonia]

I have certainly seen difference in the way nitrates go up. I used to have a previous tank very lightly planted. But do you really think that someone can even reduce the nitrates level? I mean having it to 40 and see it dropping to 20 for example. Or this is science fiction for a normal bioload in a FW tank??

Mike: Of cource I use a dechlor, I use the AquaSafe of Tetra.