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Re: Water Chemistry
From: Bob Dixon
Sent: Thursday, March 25, 1999 8:54 PM
>Edison writes:
>
>> Here is a sample of my tap water chemistry:
[full list snipped for brevity - specific items discussed below]
>> Do you think this is a good water quality for Apisto and Rams?...
>> What is the best thing to do if I want to keep South American Dwarft
Cichlids?<<
>That's a strange water quality report. I'm assuming...that it was provided
by the local water authority...
Considering the format of the analysis - bingo!
>...The biggest problem is that you have CaCO3 listed under four different
names, including acidity...
Let's see how many of these fit my local report, and you'll be able to make
better sense of it. I will, of course, skip the obvious ones.
>> Temp 27-30 celcius
When a temp is listed as such, it's usually an annual range. It would seem
pretty warm where Edison is, as here in Tennessee ranges from 10º - 28º C.
>> Color 5.00 TCU
TCU = Turbidity Color Units
>> Turbidity 1.10 NTU
NTU = Nephelometric Turbidity Units
Hey, you're water's got color - probably in readily visible amounts with
these values. Mine is 1 TCU / 0.09 NTU
>> Alkalinity (CaC02) 53.00 mg/l
Most likely a typo for CaCO3, which is how mine's listed. This is the value
you're concerned with for Total Alkalinity. Mine is 52.3 mg/l, and my
Wardley's TA kit's indicator reacts on the sixth drop, so I don't have to
doubt the kit's accuracy. The reading of
>> Bicarbonates (HCO3) 64.70 mg/l
converting to equivalents, means basically 55 - 60% of your alkalinity is
bicarbonate-based. This makes sense when taken together with
>> Free Carbon Dioxide (C02) 5.30 mg/l
and boils down to making it pretty easy for you to consider Bob's
recommendation for peat filtering.
>> Hardness (CaC03) 58.00 mg/l
Mine is also listed as CaCO3, with a value of 68.8 mg/l or 4.0 grains per
gallon (4 American degrees). This value validates my Wardley's Hardness
kit's reaction at seven drops titrant (man, but they're good kits). You can
take this value as your General Hardness, at just a hair over 3º Dh.
>> Res. Chlorine 0.30 mg/l
>> Ammonia-Nitrogen (NH3-N) 0.00 mg/l
These two taken together mean that chloramines aren't a factor. You can get
by with only a dechlorinator, overnight aging or simple aeration to
dissipate the residual chlorine.
>> Conductivity 139.40 us/cm
Even lower than mine, at 164 µS. Amazonia, here we come!
About the only other of these you might find interesting is
>> Nitrates (N03) 5.30 mg/l
meaning that's as low as you'll ever be in a tank. I would think that a
healthily-planted tank would be able to handle this with fairly regular
changes, though, but you might keep an eye on it until you get a cleaning
pattern established.
>...If I interpret correctly what you have here, your water is pretty decent
for Apistos and Rams. I would try to reduce hardness and pH a little with
peat, but other than that, I would not mess with it...Just remember the KISS
rule, or you will be pulling your hair out.
Hey, you want Apistos? Sure, go for it !
-Y-
David A. Youngker
http://www.mindspring.com/~nestor10
nestor10@mindspring.com
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