tap water for water change

[cbster]

i have been using a tap water filter for my water changes. and the filters are getting pretty expensive since i only get about 65 gallons out of one filter. so i tested my tap water which is very unstable in my area but tonight the readings are ph 6.8, gh 6, kh 4, ammonia .25, nitrite 0, nitrate .25. and that is all the test kits i have right now. i test for phosphate awhile ago and it was kind of high but we were having alot of water line work going on (i live in a small town that is getting to big way to fast) so i guess that might have been why the water fluctuated so much. but my question is i have a 55 gal that has alot of new small plants, a hot magnum 250, emperor bio wheel 400 which i have to get rid of because it is not good for my diy co2, 160 watts of light a uv sterilizer and seven fish just to keep it cycling until i get the plants to where i want them. i fertilize with flourish tabs and flourish so can i just do a water change with my tap water with every thing the way it is or should i keep using the filter. and is there any thing else i should be doing? thanks alot Greg

[RTR]

The GH of 4 with CO2 supplement is marginal but acceptable, just keep an eye on the GH and support it by water changes and/or sodium bicarbonate addition (slowly and carefully please - overshots are stressful to the fish).

The ammonia level at 0.25ppm implies that your water has chloramine added, are you using a conditioner which both breaks the chlorine-amonia bond and complexes the ammonia? Or is your test Nessler's reagent based? If so, you should move to a salicylate based test.

Nitrate titers of 0.25ppm are only readable by specialized tests, what test are you using? Or did you mean 25ppm?

Although you nitrate level is iffy, if it is 25ppm it is a bit high but usable, an that is the only real issue I see with your tap water.

IMHO, with DIY CO2 you are likely to be better off with only three 40W tubes over the 55. You are going to have a hard time providing enough CO2 for 2.9W/gallon - at least I do.

If you stay with the higher light level you will have sufficient nitrogen imported with partials, but are likely to need to add potassium and possibly phosphate - neither are in Flourish or Flourish Tabs.

HTH

[cbster]

i use a test kit from aquarium pharmaceuticals and the nitrate reading was in between 0 and 5.0. so i guess i should have said 2.5 instead of .25 sorry about that. also i use aquarium pharmaceuticals tap water conditioner which says it breaks chloramine bond. so if there is something else you recommend please tell me. and about the co2 i have just acquired a 5 lbs. co2 cylinder and researching the gauge's and other stuff to get it going so should i stick with the 4 bulbs if i get the pressurized system going or should i still lose the light bulb. thanks again for all your information Greg

[RTR]

The AP nitrate test should be fine for you.

A titer of 2.5 means you will be likely to need supplement nitrogen as well as potassium and phosphate at higher light levels.

Many folk start out driving their tanks hard (high light, pressurized CO2, frequent supplements/fertilizers) and hit a lot of algae problems and poor plant growth. I am more comfortable suggesting that folks start out moderately - with moderate light, some CO2 (and pressurized is much easier than DIY), and minimal supplemets. Learn to deal with the planted tank at a lower rate, then if you wish, speed it up. To me this is the same principle as not learning to drive in a race car. But this is personal choice.

I have been the high-speed route, found that one tank could take about the same time to maintain as 10 moderate tanks, and never went through my absence without major issues. I did away with fast-growth tanks for myself, so I may be considered prejudiced on the topic. I'd rather have more than faster. :rolleyes:

[happychem]

If I read your concern correctly, my answer would be scrap the filter. As a general rule, the only advantage offered by water filters is taste. Since you're not drinking your aquarium water, this isn't an issue.

Since you're adding a water conditioner anyway, you'll be taking care of chlorine/chloramine. At a pH of 6.8 all the ammonia should be NH4+ which is not a problem, you are worried about NH3.

I have one piece of advice regarding gas regulators. Some of them have reversed screws. That means that the way you normally turn for "on" is actually "off", and vice versa. The directions are, of course, always stamped on the knob. My advice is be attentive to which is which, otherwise you may find yourself discharging large volumes on CO2 (or much less) and running into all the fun stuff associated.

That said, I wish that I could afford pressurized!:rolleyes:

[RTR]

I neglected to comment on the conditioner before, sorry. Check the product literature or the company site online to see if it does both. Just breaking the chloramine bond and neutralizing the chlorine is NOT enough. The ammonia must be complexed as well. This is not good for your fish, it is chronic source of stress and physical damage to the gills of the fish.