[luky]

hey gang i wanted to mention for those of us who cant afford a legit RO set up or cant run to a lfs for water everytime ....
aside from changing out my light fixture ( for a planted plus btw ) i also started using filtered water! i have one of those filters that hooks right up to the faucet and all i can say is what a difference. just wanted to post this fyi just in case it might help someone. if youre struggling with that balance or algae it might be worth looking into! it really did make a world of difference for me...

 

[thedood]

Interesting observation. I am curious in what differences. Did you notice an changes in water chemistry?

 

[luky]

honestly i did not legitimately perform tests because its all a little too techy and much for me ? ....
BUT believe me i struggled with this tank long enough to know without a shadow of a doubt! lol!!!!
i wish i would have been able to successfully document / note the chemistry changes to provide a better explanation but maybe a guru can pop in and shed some light.

sorry double posting. im onphone and done see the edit button....
forgot to mention what i dis see difference in was algae growth! it just stopped. shortly after i swapped my light for the planted pkus and bingo. growth! definite combination of the two to credit but i just cant deny that the frustration level dropped when i started using the filtered water.

 

[WaterLife]

It likely wouldn't work the same for everyone. Sounds like the algae was dependent on what ever minerals were in the tap water that now were removed by the filter.
Not all filters are created the same.

Do you know the exact name water filter you used?
And what type of algae you had that now has died off after using this filter?

How long have you been using this filter and when were results (algae dying back) starting to be noticed?

 

[luky]

totally agree! every situation especially when it comes to water is a little different...
the algae was bba as well as the spot type...
i started using the filtered water around October and didnt get the light til about mid December. in between that time, i started to see it deminishing and noticed it wasnt coming back! honestly that was what kinda got me excited about the whole thing all iver again. i had pretty much given it up ?.... once i got the light, i told myself one more try...filled up the CO2 bottle, and things have been pretty smooth. theres nothing super or fancy about the filter but one other person said same as u - it seems it just removed enough of something or just enough of some things ...???
for the price though it might do the trick.
they run like 25 - 30 bucks ...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/s/ref=is_s_ss_i_5_10?k=pur+faucet+filter&sprefix=pur+faucet

 

[AbbeysDad]

I live in the country and have a well...across the road from a 95 acre farmers field, the well water has very high nitrates....making partial water changes nearly useless. I use an inline nitrate (and activated carbon) filters to make water for weekly partial water changes.

 

[Clear Water]

I have used and old R/O system to prefilter my water to my Africa cichlids tank. I have so much rust in my well that the line running there is starting to turn orange. A carbon filter takes care of most of that. If you see a used R/O unit for cheap they don't have to be used for R/O they can be like a whole house filter. There easy to mod and can be taken apart for many filter uses.

 

[MCSLABS]

I live in the country and have a well...across the road from a 95 acre farmers field, the well water has very high nitrates....making partial water changes nearly useless. I use an inline nitrate (and activated carbon) filters to make water for weekly partial water changes.

Have you had your well tested for Total and Fecal Coliform bacteria. Where there is high nitrates in a well bacteria is not far behind. Your local water district can test it for you or look for a water testing laboratory, about $30 to get it tested.

How deep is your well, it sounds as if it is a shallow well. Is it below the clay layer or rock strata ?

 

[AbbeysDad]

It is very common in agricultural areas to have high nitrates in well water. I'm up on a hill. the well is 110 ft deep, with 40 ft of casing before rock. I'm not too worried about coliform bacteria (wouldn't want to install a chlorination system) as we have bottled water delivered for drinking.

Have you had your well tested for Total and Fecal Coliform bacteria. Where there is high nitrates in a well bacteria is not far behind. Your local water district can test it for you or look for a water testing laboratory, about $30 to get it tested.

How deep is your well, it sounds as if it is a shallow well. Is it below the clay layer or rock strata ?

 

[MCSLABS]

It is very common in agricultural areas to have high nitrates in well water. I'm up on a hill. the well is 110 ft deep, with 40 ft of casing before rock. I'm not too worried about coliform bacteria (wouldn't want to install a chlorination system) as we have bottled water delivered for drinking.

Good idea on the bottled water.

 

[Bushkill]

Source water and heaters are probably the two biggest "issues" in the hobby.

I love simple stuff: If it's borderline safe for humans and needs to be pre-filtered before drinking, it probably isn't great for water changes.

Jersey water supply can be all over the place. Very roughly, anything north of I78 is fluid rock. I work in central Morris county and you can actually see particulate in the tap water. Yeah, bottled water here. When I lived in western Morris it was even worse. Water softeners were everywhere.

You really need simple water tests of tank water and tap water. If not on a well, your water company should provide data every year.