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  1. #1
    Moderator Mattzilla's Avatar
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    Sydney water quality is getting worse

    is it just me or is sydney water pretty ordinary at the moment???

    i don't test water for much but i just know by the way my fish are acting that the water worsening in quality.

    i bought my fiance some flowers a few days ago (yeah i know i'm a softy) and when i put them in a vase with water, they died within 24hrs! now tell me my tap water is up to scratch! i know proteus has had trouble with his water of late....what about anyone else in sydney??

    matt
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  2. #2
    Founder Proteus's Avatar
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    well after having an entire tank almost wiped out due to the water, I would say there is a huge problem.

    Apparently they are adding a lot more chemicals to the water to make it safe for us, as the water table gets lower, but sadly this isnt good for fish.

    After speaking to a few stores, and one of the sponsors here, they are all recommending double or triple dosing with water treatments (ager, dechlor, etc)...

    All the water I use now goes through a filter at the tap (very slow) then aged for a minimum of 24-48hrs with extreme aeration (200L aging container) and double dosed with water ager and chelating agents.

    From the observations I have made from all the fish I have lost (9 x Clown Loaches, 3-4 Chinese Algae Eaters, and lots of livebearers) it seems that they have died due to Heavy Metal Poisoning or some other toxin.

    also, as heard from several people, they are noting the water is greener than ever and as for the pH fluctuations, well, that has me baffled. To go from 7.83 out of the tap, to as low as 4.2 in 1-2 days is unheard of.

    I am testing Nitrites, Nitrates, Ammonia & pH every second day, and apart from pH swings, the others dont register...


  3. #3
    Moderator Mattzilla's Avatar
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    i think i'll take your advice and double my dechlor/ager and i think i'll stick a bag of activated carbon in my water storage tank until our water gets a little more reliable
    my Flickr photo page: http://www.flickr.com/photos/27593184@N05/
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  4. #4
    Founder Proteus's Avatar
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    Carbon is a great idea (sorry i forgot to mention, I am putting a new bag in my community tank overflow every couple of days)

    In desperation I have also placed a UV sterilizer unit rated for a 10,000L pond/tank on the 180g/750L community tank.

  5. #5
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    Proteus, just intrested in the tap filter your using, wouldnt mind getting one. Although our water hasn't reached that stage yet iam sure will should see a similar thing happen to our water.
    Just wondering where you got it and how it works? Carbon filter? or something else like a particle filter??

    Any info would be great.
    Cheers
    Scott

  6. #6
    Founder Proteus's Avatar
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    Scott, I will advise on the brand later (not Brita)... but it is readily available at most department stores, it is a small cartridge that slots into an enclosure, it has a switch to activate it, so you can still run the tap with unfiltered water to save the unit. Being only small it takes 1-2 minutes to fill a 10L bucket, it has 3 layers, Carbon, some resin stuff and floss...

    I change the cartridge every 2 months (only costs $6-8)...

    Nothing flash but I have tested the water afterwards, and levels were better than straight tap water, and if it makes sense, when tasting it, it tastes plain (no chlorine like taste) just like bottled water we pay $2 a hit for...

    HTH

  7. #7
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    For $6 I cant go wrong, Iam going to start some new breeding tank, running just off sponge filters meaning alot of water changes. So basically i want the water to be near perfect before it hits the tank.
    I might use a cannister filter on my storage barrel filled with carbon, or does hanging a bag of carbon over the side result in the same effect??

  8. #8
    Moderator kalebjarrod's Avatar
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    just think how bad it is down thier. your dam is at 45%ish (i think) we had our dam down to 28% and once it hit 26% we went to stand pipes. that means we had our water TURNED OFF except for an allocated time each day.

    scary

    just goes to show that we all need to be as careful as possible with ALL our water use, bad enough losing our "friends" to such bad water problems, but imagine if we were never able to keep them in the first place due to such stringent water conditions.

    Did you know that the Great Barrier reef requires a certain amount of fresh water relaesed from the queensland river system every year just to keep it functioning in the correct fashion. The DPI in QLD has studied this and have found that we draw more water out of our rivers in QLD than the recommed rate just in DOMESTIC water use, this does not include any COMMERCIAL or RURAL use. They have said that technically we should think of shutting down a major part of unviable rural and commercial businesses and destroy half the small rural dams which stops runoff.

    And just think by 2026 Brisbane will be the second biggest city in OZ

    If anyone thinks water is gonna get better soon think again. If it isn't already water will become the greatest bain in our hobby and our country.
    RYAN --- DIY ROCKS!

  9. #9
    Founder Proteus's Avatar
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    I have split this topic as it was getting side tracked...

    and heck, the side tracking deserved its own thread

    http://www.discusforums.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=835

  10. #10
    Founder Proteus's Avatar
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    The filter details,

    WaterPik Instapure Tap mounted water filter (F2-C)

    http://www.waterpik.com/products/Spe....do?prdNbr=658

    Removes:

    92% Chlorine
    84% Trihalomethanes
    76% Industrial Solvents/Heavy Metals
    72% Pesticides/Residuals

    in combination with normal water aging additives I feel a lot safer than straight from the tap (and it tastes better as well)

    (I got mine at Big-W and I think it was only $25-$29)

    when I move eventually I will be looking at installing a 3-4 phase RO unit hooked up to a couple of 1000L containers.

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