water quality

[rasbora]

Hi,

I was wondering if there was any source of info for when they treat the water locally here in marietta/cobb area. I tried looking on the marietta water website, but wasn't able to find anything on the water quality. Think they treated water with copper. Not sure how to find out. Had some invert losses in fw tanks.

Considering lugging water from lfs or getting a cheap ro unit somewhere.
Trying to figure out what would be more cost effective. Would just be using 20-30g a week, on the shrimp/snail tanks. How much do those large water containers cost? and how much do the lfs usually charge for the ro water? Cost of a cheap ro unit?

 

[wbrown]

you can find decent, inexpensive R/O units on fleabay around $100.

 

[budsreef]

When I used to purchase RO it cost $.50 a gallon, so at $10-$15 a week you would spend more than the cost of an RO/DI unit in jsut a few months. I live in Lwarenceville and called the county water authority to talk about the quality of our water.

 

[oldschool52]

Publix sells RO water that's pretty good and 0.30 / gal. Put a 5gal bucket in their machine + $1.50 and it fills up your bucket. I used it before I got my RO unit. My water now costs me 0.7 / gal (this includes the wastefrom RO) I calculated in. My water company has a relatively high cost for their water.

 

[myvwrock]

Rasbora;345513 wrote: Hi,

I was wondering if there was any source of info for when they treat the water locally here in marietta/cobb area. I tried looking on the marietta water website, but wasn't able to find anything on the water quality. Think they treated water with copper. Not sure how to find out. Had some invert losses in fw tanks.

Considering lugging water from lfs or getting a cheap ro unit somewhere.
Trying to figure out what would be more cost effective. Would just be using 20-30g a week, on the shrimp/snail tanks. How much do those large water containers cost? and how much do the lfs usually charge for the ro water? Cost of a cheap ro unit?

We charge .50cents a gallon for fresh and 1.00 for salt like what Bud said. I just re-did my ro/di water room in my house and put two 30gal blue food grade barrels(what fast food company get their pickels or mustard in) top one is for fresh water and the bottom is for sal. It is working out great. I think my father paid like 15 bucks for each.Here is a link to a company I found in the ATL that does this sort of thing ,I didn't get mine from their thow.http://www.advancedrum.com/">http://www.advancedrum.com/</a>
Chris c

 

[jennm]

Rasbora;345513 wrote: Hi,

I was wondering if there was any source of info for when they treat the water locally here in marietta/cobb area. I tried looking on the marietta water website, but wasn't able to find anything on the water quality. Think they treated water with copper. Not sure how to find out. Had some invert losses in fw tanks.

You should be able to get a copy of the city's annual water quality report. I just got mine from the City of Canton the other day. They mail it to me each year, but I'm sure you can request the current stats from your city's water/sewer department.

I *highly* doubt that the amount of copper in city water would be lethal to inverts - and even with copper piping ... plenty of people use tap water even in their reefs (!!!) without incident.

In Canton, the detected copper was 1.3 PPM. It also contains flouride, lead, notrate haloacetic acids, and trihalomethanes. All within acceptable parameters.

If you're using tap water with a dechlorinator that also addresses heavy metals, it shouldn't be a problem.

Of course RO or RO/DI is *better*... reading the report, I don't really want to drink unfiltered tap water

Jenn

 

[rasbora]

Thanks for the input folks. Fairly sure it was the tap water that caused the shrimp tank to die off, very few survivors. I had thought of the annual report, thought they might have some weekly or monthly data. Water source is only thing I can think of that would cause the problem. Fairly sure I didn't dump flourish or forget to dechlorinate.

Time to start researching r/o units.

 

[lees]

I used tap water for about the first 5 months with no issues. I also added Prime water conditioner. I have tested the water and have found no measurable phosphates and the Prime will detoxify heavy metals. You should be able to go to the Cobb-Marietta water authority website and look at the annual report. That's where I found the info. I'm not advocating not using R/O but I would probably still be using our water here if I hadn't gotten a deal on an R/o

 

[myvwrock]

I used tap water for about the first 5 months with no issues. I also added Prime water conditioner. I have tested the water and have found no measurable phosphates and the Prime will detoxify heavy metals. You should be able to go to the Cobb-Marietta water authority website and look at the annual report. That's where I found the info. I'm not advocating not using R/O but I would probably still be using our water here if I hadn't gotten a deal on an R/o[/QUOTE


I'm pretty sure that prime doesn't detoxify heavy metals and doesn't get rid of phosphates. just sayin
CHris c

 

[lees]

Read the label

 

[lees]

I stand corrected it does not remove heavy metals or phosphates but I cannot find the slightest trace of phosphates in our water here and if anyone is worried about heavy metals all you have to do is allow your water to run for 3 minutes. Although I use R/O water now the notion that you cannot run a successful system without it is one of the many "myths" and marketing ploys that really gets me furious.

 

[dannybradley]

I would buy an R/O unit and use the waste water for my freshwater tank. That waste water is sediment and and carbon filtered. You'd be getting some of the buildup from the membrane into your f/w tanks, but I can't imagine the TDS coming out any more than 150 at the highest variable point.

One of these days I'm going to set up a goldfish tank that has an overflow drain built into the sump so it receives a constant water change while my 600GPD unit is running here at the shop.

A funny aside- my 4 freshwater accounts get R/O water with a little salt added in their tanks because I can do my job a lot faster bringing it out than waiting for my brute to fill up at a sink. One is mixed SA and CA cichlids, one is turtles, the other two are planted. All are thriving.

 

[tokejr]

ares;345698 wrote: hmmm you got me very curious.

Im in fulton, but checked out the rates

http://www.co.fulton.ga.us/images/stories/pdf_files/WaterSewer_NewCustomer.pdf">http://www.co.fulton.ga.us/images/stories/pdf_files/WaterSewer_NewCustomer.pdf</a>

if your on the sewer, your paying .00763 per gallon, and .00263 if not... assume 4:1 waste ration, your at 3.8cents per filtered gallon at worst on the sewer.

I doubt cumming would be 10x as much, double check your rates, your math is probably off.[/QUOTE]

Actually, he's not.......you see, we're on water from a private company. Trust us - don't ever, ever, ever move into a place where the water is not owned by a municipality.