Nitrite levels in the tap water

[elops]

Just a heads up to any fish keepers who may be doing water changes.

My tapwater which currently tastes like dirt has nitrite off the scale and still 20 ppm

after neutralising with prime, had to use 4x dose. Be carefull if you have sensitive fish.

Steve.

[taib]

Thanks for the heads up Elops ..... and Thanks Anna Bligh for the Nitrate :X

[fishingnut]

taib wrote:

Thanks for the heads up Elops ..... and Thanks Anna Bligh for the Nitrate :X

nothing to do with anna, more to do with the huge influx of water into our dams and stirring up the silt and sediment i think, apparently its fairly common after floods

[elops]

Only got a dodgy old microscope at home but it looks like decomposed algae.

Not harmful to humans :laugh: though it would roll fish like discus pretty quick

[ellicat]

Would anybody notice if a discus was dead ? :laugh: :laugh:

[dhess]

Do you mean nitrite or nitrates?

Nitrite would seem very unlikely especially at that level as nitrifying bacteria would take of it very quickly.

Don't know about fresh water but in salt 20ppm nitrites would be probably 10 times lethal dose in most species.

[elops]

Nitrite N02-(close as I get with keyboard)very little or no live bacteria in tapwater due to cloramines/clorine and other treatments. Using API Freshwater master test kit which shows all nitrite similars as nitrite. Definately lethal levels for most freshwater fish as well though some will acclimate in a poorly cycling set up.

[dhess]

Just thought it might have been a typo.

Far out those levels are scary high. What I meant about nitrifying bacteria was that they would be present in the catchments before the water was treated with chloramine. Though it does makes sense that it would take some time for nitrifying bacteria populations to incease to a point of equilibrium

I use RO for water top ups so no worries here.

[mick fillet]

haha you lost me here dom. whats RO water?

[dhess]

Reverse osmosis is a water filtration system that gives you super pure water by forcing water through a membrane under pressure.

Same technology as used in desalination plants and turning sewerage into drinking water.

[mick fillet]

cheers dom

[elops]

Just tested the tapwater before and after treatment.

before Nitrite 5ppm, After normal dose Prime 2ppm, after 5x dose Prime .50ppm

Nitrate 0ppm after normal dose

Ammonia 0ppm after normal dose

PH 7.2 throughout

tested water from a properly cycling tank to double check Nitrites -0.25 in the tank.

I use rainwater at home as prime knocks out the natural Nitrates/Nitrites no problem

Use treated tapwater for hardness

Only drink the rainwater not tapwater.

Also have RO at ponds/hatchery.

[katfish]

I think they (government) are trying to slowly poison us. fluoride in the water, Im scared every time I drink our water. If they cant guarantee the levels in our water, then I dont want to know about it. fluoride is a highly toxic chemical in the wrong doses, what else is going into our bloody water that we dont know about?

[roobs]

unfortunately i got this message a little late and lost four cichlids- mature, hardy fish too. Very upsetting but i guess i should have tested the water first- it stands to reason it would be a lot worse after the floods and mt crosby pumping station being struck by lightning.

[Gad]

I think they (government) are trying to slowly poison us. fluoride in the water, Im scared every time I drink our water. If they cant guarantee the levels in our water, then I dont want to know about it. fluoride is a highly toxic chemical in the wrong doses, what else is going into our bloody water that we dont know about?

I wouldn`t get to paranoid about it...after all, we are born to die

If that doesn`t ease your concerns,then you should have nightmares about all the herbicides,insecticides,preservatives,additives ect that from the paddock to the packaged product,are in the food we eat. :S Have you ever wondered about the chemical residue that is left in wondersoft toilet tissue. :pinch: Then there`s the toothpaste that the chemist does`nt talk about while advertising a certain brand of toothbrush.

[Funfisher]

cheers for the heads up steve.