Are Hoses Safe To Use?

[Bronx19]

Sup guys.

I have a question regarding hoses and whats in them. I have filled a tank and the water coming from the hose has a very distinct smell to it.

I know that they coat the inside of hoses with a chemical to prevent algal growth, but I dont know if this is harmful to fish?

[glstine]

I used a garden hose to fill my 55 gal and had to put fish in the next day (moving). That was 3 weeks ago and I've had no problems.

[Merrilyn]

Bronx, it should be okay. I have used garden hoses on my tanks for years, without any problems, but if you had a distinct smell from your hose, it might be better to replace it with one of the el cheapo hoses without any fancy additives to the rubber.

What I use is just a plain garden hose from the supermarket, not anti kink or anything fancy. It works well for me.

Was it a very new hose that you were using, and did you allow several litres of water to flow through to flush the hose before filling your tank?

[Bronx19]

The hose is pretty old and is used often for watering.

[Dave76]

You can buy 'food grade' hoses from bunnings etc - they cost a bit more, but are guaranteed not to have any nasties in the rubber etc. The are blue in colour.

If your hose is old it may be starting to break down on the inside.

Dave

[Mattzilla]

i use clear tubing which i got from bunnings...costs a bit more but like dave said you know it's free from nasties

[DR.V]

i also use clear tubing from bunning ....
it works well ^^

[jim from sydney]

me too from unnings....i am happy with it.....the smell maybe from the water .. a little sometimes stays in the hose and when you use it the next time it will have attracted bacteria from the surrounding air, giving it a different smell........not to worry......sometimes we worry toooooo much....Jim

[kalebjarrod]

i use th clear tube so when i have finished with it i can see that i have got out all the water

i hate nothing more than spilling water on the ground for the sake of a clear hose :wink:

[Woll]

When hoses get old or have been in the sun (they arent very UV stable) they start to break down and you get that sort of chemically/rubbery smell. Time for a new hose.