Water changes after vacation

[BallAquatics]

I guess the question would be, "too much for what?"

If 1 penny adds one part per gazillion, 50 would add 50 parts per gazillion..... still a very tiny amount.   

Dennis

[LizStreithorst]

OK.  I know that you know more than I do.  I still would not do it. It would make me feel creepy.  But I fly by the seat of my pants,  I am not logical

[BallAquatics]

...But I fly by the seat of my pants,  I am not logical

One of your endearing qualities Liz.  I wouldn't do it either.  I don't like to put much of anything that's not organic into my tanks.  It's bad enough that I use polyvinyl chloride, vinyl, silicone, and polyether polyurethane in my tank filtration.

Dennis

[LizStreithorst]

Agreement.  And it came from opposite poles.  Imagine that? 

[BallAquatics]

I know that you know more than I do.

I doubt that that is true.  We just know different things.   

Dennis

[BillT]

We had a problem do to copper pipes in a new building once with a zebrafish facility I was involved in and got a fish vet involved to help fix things.
It turns out that copper and zinc are both toxic.

Their toxicity varies with the hardness of the water. In harder water these metals are less toxic and in softer water they are more toxic.
Copper and zinc will dissolve faster in soft water than in hard water.
I think they might dissolve faster in acidic water, but I am not sure about that.

Our water here is pretty soft. One of our attempts to remove the copper was to use a water softener. This removed some of the copper but more of the other hardness ions. At these reduced hardness levels, our zebrafish (which I'm guessing are not the most sensitive of fish) were sensitive to copper at below one part per billion.

[Butterfly]

The only penny that i have is a lucky penny from 1983 (my birthday).
My godfather has given it to my when i had my last high-school test. I keep it with my driving-licence.

I have don somme more lucking up and i have taken the coints out, i allways have been told that it was copper but it is bronze.

I have found on an a dutch site the same advice : put a copper wire in your thank, on your own risk, watch your fish

and an outher tric: a cup of normal thee ( i woold go for black or green thee) per 100L  a week. ( a cup = 150 or 250 ml or 200 ml = 0.40 gallen or 0.55 gallon or 0.53 gallon for 26.5 gallen) On cup is not a standerd measurement here.

thanks

[LizStreithorst]

The tea would add tannins.  That's an interesting idea.  I have used peat moss with success.

[PaulineMi]

Some of the wild scalare and altum people on finarama have posted about various teas they add to their tanks.

[Mugwump]

Some of the wild scalare and altum people on finarama have posted about various teas they add to their tanks.

Doesn't the caffeine bother them??? 

[Butterfly]

Mugwump: i had not be thinking about that.
I have found a website that gives tips about tea and caffiene : http://coffeetea.about.com/od/caffeinehealth/a/Factors-Influencing-Caffeine-Levels-In-Tea.htm
I have found that how hotter the water  and how longer you leave it standig how higher the caffiene. So you can make the tea with cold water for a short time.

I am thinking to give it a go.

[LizStreithorst]

If I were you, and I'm not you, if I wanted to lower the water hardness I would put a media bag of peat either in the tank of in your water storage container.  Peat will do a better job than tea and will be less expensive.

[BallAquatics]

I would collect some rain water and dilute the hard tap with that.  My Ohio water has never responded to adding peat or any other soften agents for that matter.....  just too much buffering.

Dennis

[LizStreithorst]

I would collect some rain water and dilute the hard tap with that.  My Ohio water has never responded to adding peat or any other soften agents for that matter.....  just too much buffering.

Dennis

I will depend on her water parameters, I guess.  My kH is only 4.5., gH 0, pH 7.2 or 7.4 (I can't remember which)  Peat lowered it enough that I had fry hatch out.  Since then I have had two spawns hatch in straight aged tap, but they were both small spawns.  I use RO for breeding now. 

I can see no reason to alter water parameters other than for breeding.  If you don't want to breed, stability is the key to healthy fish, IMO.  Add nothing unless there is a good reason.

[BallAquatics]

... If you don't want to breed, stability is the key to healthy fish, IMO.  Add nothing unless there is a good reason.

I completely agree Liz.  You are also correct about the hardness of the water having lots to do with the effectiveness of peat.  My gH is > 25 and peat has no effect on the well water.  On the other hand,  If I put 4 or 5 oak leaves into a bucket of rain water, I get the nicest "black water extract" you would ever want to see.

Dennis