TDS at the LFS

[George Pontis]

Has anyone measured TDS of the water at the LFS ?

I've measured the water at two of the local places, taking the measurement on
samples of water when taking home new fish. In each case there was only a 10-15
minute delay from purchase to measurement, and TDS does not change much in that
period. We all have the same source of water, which is quite soft. The tap water
measures about 50 umhos. My tanks are 100-150umhos. The water at one store is
1400-1500.

My experience with fish at this store has been terrible. I lost 4 out of 4
swordtails. After making the connection between TDS and possible osmotic shock I
tried again with some cory cats. This time I allowed 6 hours of slow adaptation,
but still three out of the four died quickly, like 2 days. When I was there I
asked if they put salt in the water, and they said no. However, they were
undergoing some big changes to get something under control. For instance, they
changed the filtration on all their FW tanks to an in-tank canister. Must have
cost quite a bit. They also changed their policy to no guarantee on livestock.
Maybe I am not the only one having a problem ...

Since they say they do a gravel vac every morning, I am wondering how their TDS
could be that high without adding something. Also, I wonder if they are possibly
harming the new fish with osmotic shock when they take delivery. The ones that
last a day or two get sold, but later suffer or die from gill damage.

Your thoughts ?

[Diana]

Don't buy from that store. Check the TDS in every bag from any store,
and try to match it in a quarantine tank, then gradually alter the
water in the Q-tank to your tank conditions (The tank you want the
quarentined fish to go in after they are done with quarentine)
Most people don't really know what TDS is, or how to measure it, all
they have to go on is hardness and pH, which hints at the situation,
but doesn't tell the whole story.
__________________________________________________
Posted via FishGeeks - http://Aquaria.info

[Dick]

On Tue, 16 Nov 2004 06:45:06 -0000,
(Diana) wrote:

>Don't buy from that store. Check the TDS in every bag from any store,
>and try to match it in a quarantine tank, then gradually alter the
>water in the Q-tank to your tank conditions (The tank you want the
>quarentined fish to go in after they are done with quarentine)
>Most people don't really know what TDS is, or how to measure it, all
>they have to go on is hardness and pH, which hints at the situation,
>but doesn't tell the whole story.
>__________________________________________________
>Posted via FishGeeks - http://Aquaria.info

How is TDS measured? Is the measuring equipment expensive? Where is
it purchased?

dick

[Toni]

"Dick" > wrote in message
...
>
> How is TDS measured? Is the measuring equipment expensive? Where is
> it purchased?
>



I got a small handheld meter on Ebay for $20-ish.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=26230&item=3852499848&rd=1


--
Toni
http://www.cearbhaill.com/discus.htm

[George Pontis]

In article >, Dianasdesign@sbcglobal-dot-
net.no-spam.invalid says...
> Don't buy from that store. Check the TDS in every bag from any store,
> and try to match it in a quarantine tank, then gradually alter the
> water in the Q-tank to your tank conditions (The tank you want the
> quarentined fish to go in after they are done with quarentine)
> Most people don't really know what TDS is, or how to measure it, all
> they have to go on is hardness and pH, which hints at the situation,
> but doesn't tell the whole story.
> __________________________________________________
> Posted via FishGeeks - http://Aquaria.info
>

I'm in complete agreement in not buying from that store again. Too bad, they are
conveniently located and offer helpful service in many respects. Are the TDS
numbers alone enough to warrant that kind of response ?