cmcpart0422
Members
The house I grew up in had a well for the hose water and city for any indoor tap water. The fluoride is great ive only have 1 cavity.
Water change issues
- Thread starter cmcpart0422
- Start date
The house I grew up in had a well for the hose water and city for any indoor tap water. The fluoride is great ive only have 1 cavity.
Jumbie
Members
LOL!
Charlutz
Members
I'm surprised nobody has mentioned trying a water conditioner like Prime. The bubbles may be symptomatic of something affecting the fish, or they may have nothing to do with what is stressing your fish after large changes. If there is chlorine or chloramine in your water, a capful of water conditioner will take care of it. It would be safer to do the small water changes, but you can't be sure it is safe. Whatever is in there that is stressing your fish may just be not enough to have them show physical effects with small changes, but it may still be there.
cmcpart0422
Members
Good question. I use prime every time I do a water change. Well not every time but I would say about 80% of the time. If I ever do a large water change I make sure I use prime though.
Lively
Members
I assumed it was being used... not a good practice on my part :blush:
Lively
Members
From the EPA - common contaminents in water. In some ways, our tanks are the proverbial canary in the mine - kinda scary.
http://www.epa.gov/ogwdw/hfacts.html
http://www.epa.gov/safewater/dwinfo/md.htm
And MD's page for environmental quality
http://www.mde.state.md.us/
http://www.epa.gov/ogwdw/hfacts.html
http://www.epa.gov/safewater/dwinfo/md.htm
And MD's page for environmental quality
http://www.mde.state.md.us/
Last edited:
UNCLERUCKUS
"THE ALL POWERFUL Q !!
i use conditioner when i change but im a firm believer that the warmer the water the more oxygen(bubbles) in my tank water. just my .02.
Jumbie
Members
I use to notice the same symptoms after water changes, but I think it did have something to do with using hot water. I always have used Prime and so my SA tanks I let the water sit out in a bucket with a power head for a day or two.
Andrew
Members
Sorry I didn't stumble on this one earlier...
The actual cause (drum roll, please) is the change in temperature in the water from the source into the home.
Cold water "holds" dissolved gases much better than warm water. This has always been counter-intuitive since warm water holds more dissolved solids than cold. But, I had it explained to me once by someone smarter than myself, the water molecule is more of a "V" shape when it is cold and the gas molecules get stuck in the "V". When water is warm, the molecule straightens out and the gas can escape. Most gases, especially oxygen, nitrogen, and chlorine are hydrophobic, or don't like being dissolved in water.
In the winter when water enters the treatment plant, it is cold and holds lots of dissolved gases. It is then pressurized and gradually warms up as it moves through the water mains and especially when it enters your house and water heater. Since the water is pressurized, the gas cannot escape. When the water comes out of the tap, suddenly all of the gases escape the water in tiny, tiny bubbles. The larger the temperature differential from the source water and the tap, the more bubbles you get. So, of course, this phenomenon is reduced or eliminated in warmer months when the difference in water temperature from the rivers and lakes and your home narrower. Most people with wells don't experience this problem because the water is not pressurized and is not exposed to as much air.
The gas bubbles aren't any chemical in particular, just atmospheric air. But, they can be dangerous to your fish as the bubbles are so tiny as to get caught in gill structures and cause damage.
The best ways to eliminate the gas bubbles have already been mentioned, either letting the water sit for while or running an air pump.
The actual cause (drum roll, please) is the change in temperature in the water from the source into the home.
Cold water "holds" dissolved gases much better than warm water. This has always been counter-intuitive since warm water holds more dissolved solids than cold. But, I had it explained to me once by someone smarter than myself, the water molecule is more of a "V" shape when it is cold and the gas molecules get stuck in the "V". When water is warm, the molecule straightens out and the gas can escape. Most gases, especially oxygen, nitrogen, and chlorine are hydrophobic, or don't like being dissolved in water.
In the winter when water enters the treatment plant, it is cold and holds lots of dissolved gases. It is then pressurized and gradually warms up as it moves through the water mains and especially when it enters your house and water heater. Since the water is pressurized, the gas cannot escape. When the water comes out of the tap, suddenly all of the gases escape the water in tiny, tiny bubbles. The larger the temperature differential from the source water and the tap, the more bubbles you get. So, of course, this phenomenon is reduced or eliminated in warmer months when the difference in water temperature from the rivers and lakes and your home narrower. Most people with wells don't experience this problem because the water is not pressurized and is not exposed to as much air.
The gas bubbles aren't any chemical in particular, just atmospheric air. But, they can be dangerous to your fish as the bubbles are so tiny as to get caught in gill structures and cause damage.
The best ways to eliminate the gas bubbles have already been mentioned, either letting the water sit for while or running an air pump.
crazyclowntang
Members
That is why you are an LFS Professional.
Sonny Disposition
Well-Known Member
OK, riddle me this, Andrew:
When I do a water change, my fish will scratch against the rocks for a couple of days or so. They seem to be healthy, and I don't have any problems from it, but it's been going on for years.
When I do a water change, my fish will scratch against the rocks for a couple of days or so. They seem to be healthy, and I don't have any problems from it, but it's been going on for years.
cmcpart0422
Members
An air pump in the tank? I always run an air pump in my tanks through an extra sponge filter incase I need the filter for a grow out tank or hospital tank. The air pump doesn't help solve my issue but It does help keep the water moving which seems to help. I guess ill have to try letting the water sit for a day or so before I do changes.
UNCLERUCKUS
"THE ALL POWERFUL Q !!
thanks andrew for explaining this in detail for us.
Andrew
Members
Bob, that's probably a chemical irritant that's coming through the tap. It either evaporates or is absorbed or otherwise neutralized after a few days.
The air pump should be used before the water goes into the tank, ideally.
The air pump should be used before the water goes into the tank, ideally.
cmcpart0422
Members
Right on! How long should I run an air pump through the water before I can put it in?
Another vote for spraying the water strongly. If you have delicate fish but can't store the water prior to filling, spray into a sponge/prefilter system. The other thing we do is heavy oxygenation in the tank and Stress Coat or a similar Aloe Vera and Electrolyte slime/gill additive. If you have a powerhead that has an airline tubing, that will knock those bubbles out in a matter of a few minutes. Also, the tanks we have canister filters on seem to never have problems which is likely because of the heavy levels of circulation and high DO levels as our canister do oxygenate the water some.