Water in Alberta

[IrishReefer]

Hi,

I would like to do a water change this weekend but I am unhappy about using the water available on the acreage we are renting - We have been advised not to drink it and it is treated with various chemicals etc.
How do other people in similar circumstances source their water?
Buy their own R/O unit?
Buy distilled water from supermarket?
Use the well water and treat with chemicals?

Thanks,
Brian

[Skimmerking]

Hi there brian
It depends on your tank
on th size that is.
If you have a small tank then buy your water ,or lots of people are buying there RO/ , or RO/DI unit and adding it to there topp off for the sump or tunze topp off system.

It's going to be all up to you

what is your budget!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

[Richer]

Tagging along too. Does anybody here use regular city tap water?

-Richer

[bulletsworld]

I use tap water. I treat it with a product called "Prime".

I used to buy R/O water from Safeway in the big water cooler jugs but got so tired of hauling up the heavy water bottles (4 storey walk up) and I would go through water bottles pretty fast. But then again I do have three tanks.

I do notice over the years that the Edmonton city tap water is not softened like it used to be, its now quite hard. I did also notice in my tank after I started using tap water that I discovered problem algae's. There are a lot of silicates in the water that I learned fuesl the algae.

[BlkWolfe]

Ive got an RO but its also used for drinking water and mixing to soften city water for breeding freshwater fish. Got into saltwater later on and just started with it.

same as bullets, used to buy the bottles but was going through 4-6 a day. and quite a few places ended up with more than a bit of ammonia in their "RO" from overdue filters.

got a 4 stage 100gpd for 250 bucks, but the 75gpd membranes give lower tds in their product, usually dont need to bother with a DI then.

[Beverly]

Hi Brian,

When we had onlly our 7g nano, we simply bought RO water from the store. But with our larger tanks, in various residences (all using city water) we've had our own RO or RO/DI unit. I would test bottled water (both RO and distilled) for ammonia before using and treat it with Prime if there is any ammonia.

If you have a well, who is treating it with chemicals, and do you know what chemicals they are?

[Nemain]

I was using bottled water and was struggling with hair/bubble/cyano. Although the company I was buying it from insisted it couldnt possibly be thier water. I bought my own RO/Di - virtually no bad algae.

The little units you can buy are amazing. If the water is unsafe for Human consumption, that doesnt neceissarily mean it is unsafe for fish though. I would deffinately test the water out of your tap before you make any firm decisions =)

Beth

[mr_alberta]

Hi,

The RO/DI unit would probably work great for you, but with a High TDS, you'll probably have to replace your filter cartridges more often. Also, if it is well water, you'd probably have to get a booster pump to bump up the pressure to the RO membrane. In the end though, I think this will probably be cheaper than buying bottled water and hauling it out ever week.

[IrishReefer]

Thanks for all your replies - The tank is only a 55 gal so it shouldn't be too bad lugging bottled water. Long term I would set up RO/DI but because we are only renting the place I don't want to go to that extent yet. There is an automatic water softner installed and I am not sure what chemicals the landlord puts in but there is a strong smell of iron/metal from the water! I guess I will buy some water and test it - and treat with prime if there is ammonia or nitrates?

Thanks again,

Brian

[Aquattro]

Long term I would set up RO/DI but because we are only renting the place I don't want to go to that extent yet.

When you buy a RO unit, it comes with an adapter to attach it to your sink faucet. This means it's portable and you take it with you when you move.

[Beverly]

Brian,

City water is treated with chloramine which is a compound made up of ammonia and chlorine. Prime will neutralize the chlorine and convert the toxic ammonia to a non-toxic ammonium. Prime will not do anything about nitrate, though.

I don't know enough about water softening systems to offer firm advice, but I don't think I would use the water you are describing in my tank. An RO or RO/DI system with this type of water will probably have you going through membranes like crazy. Any chance you will buy a house in Edmonton at some point where you know what's in the water?

Here is Epcor's SUMMARY OF MAJOR CHEMICAL, MICROBIOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL PARAMETERS OF EDMONTON DRINKING WATER for July 2004 (in an Adobe PDF file):

https://www.epcor.ca/NR/rdonlyres/72FFDF35-F9F4-47E6-BECB-8A36D823F5D2/0/072004_211.pdf

[IrishReefer]

Hi Beverly,

We are only renting there temporarily so yes there is every possibility of buying a house with a decent water supply :lol: This really is a temporary measure for a couple of months I hope. We also can't get cable or broadband but we have a moose in the garden....which is nice! :eek:
On another point, the tank I bought does have some live rock and some horrible red tufa rock? Though the tank has been running for over a year, there are no pods whatsoever in the tank - What is the best way to kick start the pod population?

Thanks again and remember don't drink the water!

Brian

[Beverly]

Brian,

Cool :cool: A moose in the garden :cool: We should all be so lucky :mrgreen:

If this were my tank, I'd get rid of the tufa, but that's just me.

How to get pods? Hmmm..... Find someone with a lot of pods and get some macroalgae or something wih a few pods on it from their tank. Also, make sure you don't have pod eaters in your tank, which will only eat the new pods before they get a foothold.

[IrishReefer]

Yeah - the tufas going to sleep with the fishes somewhere else he he!
I have inherited 2 humbug damsels, 1 larger grey damsel, 2 clowns, 1 skunk clown and a pyjama cardinal.

I think the damsels may all have to go - it is only a small tank and they are getting arsey with each other...

Would a live sand transplant have pods etc do you think - I could ask for some reef rubble from a shop?

Brian

[Beverly]

As far as I know, none of the fish you mention eat pods. If you get rubble from the lfs (local fish store), they will charge you for it. You would probably have luck getting pods by starting a thread in the Buy/Sell/Trade section of this board. Folks here are often more than happy to part with a few pods for a fellow reefer :smile: I'd offer, but I don't have pods with wrasses in my tanks :confused:

[IrishReefer]

I'll give that a go Beverly.... BTW do you ever sleep?

:biggrin:

[Beverly]

I'll give that a go Beverly.... BTW do you ever sleep?


I usually wake up at about 6-7 am and often check my email and this board for interesting posts shortly after I am mobile. I just looked at the time of posting on my posts, and they are out by two hours. No, I don't post at 4 am :eek: Don't know the proper setting for out time zone, I guess :confused: Anyone know how to fix that?

[IrishReefer]

Yeah - you might say that but then again you could be one og the 'undead' with a serious interst in reefs..... :evil:

[Beverly]

:rofl: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

But, serriously, if I were one of the undead, I'd have already caught whatever it is that has been killing my snails at night :shocked!: :2gunfire:

[Quinn]

You can set the time zone in your profile (GMT -7 of course).

I expect if you were undead you would have not only caught the critter, but reported to us how it tasted. :eek:

[Beverly]

Thanks, Quinn. Updated the time zone in my profile. Gonna test the new time with this post. It's now 10:51 am.

[mark]

While back was at AI and talking about water, informed that they just used city tap.

[Quinn]

Bev looks like you're on PST now...

Mark that suprises me, I thought they had a large RO unit in the back room but I've never looked too closely.

[Beverly]

Quinn, Did the GMT-7 like you suggested and I'm still an hour out :confused:

I have a feeling most lfs here use tapwater because of the volumes of water they go through.

[Quinn]

I don't know, an industrial RO unit should be affordable to a solvent business. My dad's was fairly large, did about two gallons per minute, and doesn't cost him that much as I recall. But if Edmonton tap water is usable, then of course there's no need.

Bev is your computer clock set properly, and is daylight savings enabled? If so, I don't know what the problem is, perhaps set your time to GMT-6 (CST), that should at least give you the correct time.

[Beverly]

But if Edmonton tap water is usable, then of course there's no need.

I wouldn't use dechlored tapwater in my tanks, but some do.

Bev is your computer clock set properly, and is daylight savings enabled? If so, I don't know what the problem is, perhaps set your time to GMT-6 (CST), that should at least give you the correct time.

Computer clock is fine, auto sets to MDT then back to MST. You're in AB, what do you have your Profile time setting at?

[Quinn]

GMT-7 :confused:

Uh and I just realized, my posts are also one hour back. So we have a problem with the forum software.

What does everyone else in Alberta have their time set at?

[doublette]

We've been using just tapwater for over 2 years on all our tanks, no problems...yet :wink:

[muck]

GMT-7 :confused:

Uh and I just realized, my posts are also one hour back. So we have a problem with the forum software.

What does everyone else in Alberta have their time set at?
I don't think the forum software takes into account daylight savings time... :confused: :razz:

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Current time Wednesday, September 29, 2004 at 2:21:46 PM MDT

UTC/GMT Offset Standard time zone: UTC/GMT -7 hours
Daylight saving time: +1 hour
Current time zone offset: UTC/GMT -6 hours
Time zone abbreviation: MDT - Mountain Daylight Time

Taken from this page: http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/city.html?n=80

[Beverly]

I don't think the forum software takes into account daylight savings time... :confused: :razz:

Oh, well.... in a few weeks, the times will be right again when we go back to MST :rolleyes: