Need some advice. What should I do?

[chenya]

For quite a few years now...every January I go through a mass kill after doing a water change. I am confident that it is because of something the water plant is doing, since others in town have had similar problems. I always use Prime. Is there something better that will help with this problem? I thought about buying RO/Distilled water, but for a 125 gal tank and a 20gal...that is alot of water. I've even thought about doing 1/2 & 1/2.

I am so tired of going through this every winter. Any ideas what I should be doing to guard against this?

 

[Doc7]

In January, call your water provider and ask if they've done something different in the last couple of days to the water supply. Don't change the water that week if they have. Problem solved?

I call my water provider after every major storm, it only takes a few minutes for them to answer your question (they are sympathetic when you tell them it's regarding a fish tank), and I have avoided changes during extra-dosage of chloramine as a result.

 

[chenya]

Ok, may try that. Problem would then be this seems to go on all winter. That's a long time not to do a water change. This is when I really hate our water dept. I've never had good luck talking to them to begin with, hopefully it will be better if I mention it's to save my fish.

 

[cicrush13]

Are you on a well or tap?

 

[chenya]

We have tap

 

[SubRosa]

Stop doing changes in January?

 

[chenya]

I would love to. All last year I was fighting algae. I am finally starting to get that under control. Don't think my tank can stand to go a month with no water change right now.

 

[MidnightSkies]

I would invest in your own RO unit. For $200 or less you could have your own and wouldn't need to worry about your tap water. You do have to add minerals back to the water, but it's a lot easier than you'd think, and it's a lot cheaper than losing everything each year. Plus it would take away a whole lot of stress. I invested in one about 2 years ago and although it is more of a pain than filling straight from the tap, I'm glad I have it.

 

[hadesnuggz]

Go buy distilled water from your store for water changes in that month.