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  1. #1

    carbon filter yey or nay

    hi all
    i have 2 1000l ibc tanks with around 250 8 to 10 week old fry divided between the two with fx5 filtration set up for ten weeks
    water ph 7.6
    amonia close to zero
    nitrates 30 ish
    nitrites 5 ish
    total alkalinity 120 to 130
    bromine 0
    chlorine zero

    i have 3 bags of coral sand on bottom
    1 suspended activated carbon
    80% water change every week split over 3 or four days

    i hear what i read about nitrates , nitrites , alkalinity and ph ,
    i have two 2500lph internal cannister filters i can put carbon and coral sand in or either eyether

    the hard or soft water i not to sure about
    would the carbon bring nitates down or am i worrying over nothing
    should i hold back with the himalayen pink salt
    should i just leave the way things are

    your veiws will be gratefully received
    thank you



  2. #2
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Supreme Champion Davej's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by dustykoi View Post
    hi all
    i have 2 1000l ibc tanks with around 250 8 to 10 week old fry divided between the two with fx5 filtration set up for ten weeks
    water ph 7.6
    amonia close to zero
    nitrates 30 ish
    nitrites 5 ish
    total alkalinity 120 to 130
    bromine 0
    chlorine zero

    i have 3 bags of coral sand on bottom
    1 suspended activated carbon
    80% water change every week split over 3 or four days

    i hear what i read about nitrates , nitrites , alkalinity and ph ,
    i have two 2500lph internal cannister filters i can put carbon and coral sand in or either eyether

    the hard or soft water i not to sure about
    would the carbon bring nitates down or am i worrying over nothing
    should i hold back with the himalayen pink salt
    should i just leave the way things are

    your veiws will be gratefully received
    thank you
    I don’t understand the Nitrite read of 5? Is there a typo here?

    not at all sure what the logic behind the coral sand is?

    as far as the carbon goes , it will not impact on the Nitrate levels.


    Dave

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  4. #3
    thanks dave for reply
    the nitrite reading of 5 is from the sticks i use , it is just over the norm on the colour chart
    coral sand i used to use in my malawi tanks years ago , i found it helps keep the ph level up slightly and as said it gives the little terrors something to nibble at ,
    thanks for your imput on the carbon , from what i have read over the years , some say it helps , others say not , all i know it the 3 stage pod filters i use when refilling tanks , take alll nittrites down to zero with the water coming out , i know you cant have to much filtration with the little fry , but i dont also want to overdo do it
    thank you again

  5. #4
    been doing some more reading , it seams the 3 pod filters i have are making the water to soft to regulate water parameters correctly , i have started raising the hardness to both tanks and shall check daily and continue replacing 15% daily until i get a level between 150-200ppm , if anyone thinks this is to high or low please please let me know , i have no major problems yet , but would like to sort before i do

  6. #5
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Supreme Champion Davej's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by dustykoi View Post
    been doing some more reading , it seams the 3 pod filters i have are making the water to soft to regulate water parameters correctly , i have started raising the hardness to both tanks and shall check daily and continue replacing 15% daily until i get a level between 150-200ppm , if anyone thinks this is to high or low please please let me know , i have no major problems yet , but would like to sort before i do
    When you mention hardness what are you referring to?

    Traditional 3 pod cartridges with sediment followed by carbon will have no impact on the GH or KH of the incoming supply. It is why Guys that seek to manipulate these downwards have to run expensive Reverse Osmosis systems.

    Which test kits are you using?

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  8. #6
    hi dave
    will do a test on my tap water and after the three pods ,
    i am 99.9% sure the pod filters are softening my water to a degree , i will post results this evening , my personal experience with the pod filter is they need regular changing but certainly make the water taste better , the pink salt may be lowering the gh/kh as well , for breaking down and removing heavy metals etc from tap water i prefer three sets of magnets

    using tetra 6 in 1 test srtips
    nt labs ammonia test
    seperate digital ph meter and waiting for another no2/3 test kit to turn up
    Last edited by dustykoi; 17-07-2019 at 09:45 AM.

  9. #7
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Supreme Champion Davej's Avatar
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    Hi

    Your GH is primarily composed of two elements - Magnesium and Calcium, how much GH you have and the balance between the two will depend on where you are in the country you live and where your supplier extracts the incoming water. With a colorometer you can measure these elements separately, but that is a largely academic exercise. The pink salt has traces of magnesium and calcium in it so will if anything will, or at least should, add to the GH in the water. The issue with the salt would for me be that you are raising your fry in a totally unnatural environment water wise..

    Test kit wise, the 6 in 1 strips are far from ideal in getting areliable and accurate fix on the water parameters, moving to liquid test kits would be an advantage to you.

    Dave

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  11. #8
    thank you dave , the amount of salt i am adding is a cup full each week , bearing in mind i change at least 80% of my water weekly , that said i know once salt is in the system it is difficult to remove , my alkalinity has never been above 50ppm , some things are far from natural with the way i/we keep our fish etc , my point is i am trying to give them the very best start in life , i am doing this for other people as i have no room for a pond , and they have no patience or time for bringing them on .
    Water on the isle of wight is some of the best in country for drinking , but very soft for my little beauties , i know the test strips are hit and miss , saying that they show zero chlorine and between 0 and 25ppm for hardness from the tap (i do have three sets of magnets on mains water pipe) .
    i have liquid test for ammonia and have no2 no3 liquid test turning up tomorrow
    very interesting what you said about the magnesium and calcium content of pink salt , i do a lot of alchemy with pink salt and dead sea salt making something you may have heard of ORMUS , The dss i make into ointments due to its high magnesium/calcium content , in the process it removes all heavy metals and nearly all sodium but binds and keeps hold of the very benneficial magnesium and calcium and brings the ph down to 8.1/8.2 which as said i use for healing creams , detox , and my bonsai trees , the pink salt i make into tonics , (i am not an online seller , i just make for people that need it and charge nothing )
    i will keep gradually adding the bicarb and thanks to daves heads up and jolt to the brain i will make up another large batch of the dead sea salt ormus , thank you dave

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