Tap water in Port Elizabeth

Hi PE hobbyists

I just spoke to Paul at the Water Works lab and he confirmed the following:

Where I stay, I get water from the Chelsea reservoir. It comes out the reservoir at +-0.8mg/l chlorine. No cloramines, ammonia or anything nasty. PH is altered with lime to above 8. I will from now on just aerate the water over 24 hours while it gets heated up for my water changes. No more money spent on dechlorinators! I will, however, just keep one bottle for emergency changes.

I suggest you phone him and check your area, but from what I could gather all PE water is only treated with chlorine. The levels may differ. PM me for the telephone number.

Regards
Lauré

 

Probably no gaurantees. However, I have tried to measure chlorine in the past with a test kit and could not measure anything at all. I also don't smell chlorine in my tap water and have never been able to smell it. Chelsea reservoir, where they add the chlorine, is a good couple of kms from my house.

 

While your're at it...

Hello Laure' and Butcherman

(Chelsea, Seaview is a wonderful area)
PE's first Discus to be traded regionally, were bred nearby for 2-3 generations until 1988.

I don't know if you guys are aware of it, but I bred Discus for a hobby and commercially in PE as well as Uitenhage until 1999, while at school and varsity. Multiple Hatchery projects at various sites.

I'm thinking of starting something similar down there again ....

There can't be guarantees about NO nasty stuff, as outlined below.

What I want to point out, is:
Get yourself a dechloraminator.
Or follow outlines in Dirk's thread re: Chloramines

We lost MANY VALUABLE fish when adopting the same attitude and plans as yourself.

It was ONLY when we decided to invest in RO, RO-DI, DI, and later having Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) filters with additional charge of aquarium grade zeolites that we REALLY STOPPED having "inexplicable losses".

Efficacy led to us using GAC, Zeolite, and some dechloraminator

Soon confirmed as DIRECTLY attributable to SHORT TERM excess, or nonroutine water chemical additions at treatment plants.

As I was dealing with fully quarantined, tankbred generations of Discus, Ram, Angel, Catfish and a few other fish groups our worry, and invested value was significant.

See, a slight, temporary Cl2 excess, can and does react with ANY proteinaceous matter in transit to tap. THAT reaction leads to chloramine formation as well!

Depending on pipe maintenance, drought, flood conditions, or "excess organics" within water distribution there is the addition of FURTHER water treatment chemicals. Sometimes simple Slaked Lime, others "Alum", sometimes one or other flocculant besides items names sofar.

THAT you can verify, with your local water authority, if you phrase your question accordingly.

After all, the missive to ANY/ALL municipal water supply is to deliver POTABLE water.

and that, means "SAFELY DRINKABLE BY HUMANS"....without any conscience lent to our feeshee friends.

Uitenhage, I might add has awesome Discus, softwater, requiring just GAC and Zeolite treatment.

We add 1/4 to 1/2 dose Seachem Prime, for it's fish protective function.
That's AFTER we simply pretreat as described above.
This largely due it's having FEWER ingredients , and stimulating fish slime coat, instead of ADDING a SYNTHETIC "coating" ingredient.

Regarding Pool tests : The difference between FREE and TOTAL Chloine is usually seen as the "chloramine component"

HTH

Liaquat

 

Hi

Thanks for the valuable information and insight. Would it be safe to assume then that anybody who does not use a good dechlorinator is at risk? All these people who just aerate the water are risking their fish stock being exposed to "unplanned" or "emergency" chemicals in the tap water?

 

Absolutely

Hello Laure'
Just as we have to make sure, in LIFE , unforeseen trouble, is dealt with.

Risk is inherent in everything!
WHEN trouble arises, it's good to eliminate "THE TAP WATER" as a source of trouble, don't you think?

It translates to mere cents per 100L , when factoring GAC, Zeolites at the very minimum. Costs recoverable with longterm use. With lowered dosage of Dechloraminator, a little goes a LONG WAY.

Mature biofiters with capacity to rapidly oxidise NH3, NO2 are better suited to absorb such changes...on the other hand, WHAT of those tanks which are NOT certainly protected in that regard?

..and when non-NH3 based additives/compounds are the least of your worries?

This is not to instil fear, it's to encourage awareness , caution and preparation.

It's my pleasure.