Tap water

[Neil]

I've recently had frequently to top up the pond with tap water.
I collect rain from the roof to top up the pond, but there has
been none for months (it seems). I don't like it, because I get
a lot more algae growth whenI have to do that. (Having said
that, it seems a lot better this year than last). Is there
anything I could do to the tap water before putting it in the
pond to take out some of the nutrient/algae growth promoters? I
thought about filling the rain barrel and leaving it for a few
days. That might reduce the dissolved chlorine, but would I
just end up with a rain barrel full of algae instead?

Neil

[E.Otter]

Almost every municipal water system uses chemicals to make the water safe
for you and I, but not so good for the fish.

You should use a water conditioner like: Stress Coat or Amquel. You should
also get a pH kit to test and adjust the tap water before adding it. If you
really concerned about the tap water, put it into a really huge bucket (one
that has never had cleaning chemicals put in it), put in the water
conditioner, and put run an airstone overnight to help degass disolved
gasses that may affect the water chemistry. Before adding the tap water to
the pond make sure the pH and temp are close the the pH and temp of the pond
water.

If you need a really big "bucket", get a cheap wading pool and use it as a
"bucket". Just rinse it out well with tap water before using it.

[Geezer From The Freezer]

"E.Otter" wrote:
>
> Almost every municipal water system uses chemicals to make the water safe
> for you and I, but not so good for the fish.
>
> You should use a water conditioner like: Stress Coat or Amquel. You should
> also get a pH kit to test and adjust the tap water before adding it. If you
> really concerned about the tap water, put it into a really huge bucket (one
> that has never had cleaning chemicals put in it), put in the water
> conditioner, and put run an airstone overnight to help degass disolved
> gasses that may affect the water chemistry. Before adding the tap water to
> the pond make sure the pH and temp are close the the pH and temp of the pond
> water.
>
> If you need a really big "bucket", get a cheap wading pool and use it as a
> "bucket". Just rinse it out well with tap water before using it.

Water conditioners will remove chlorine and chloramines almost instantly,
no need for airstone, unless you have no conditioners and only
chlorine is added to your water.

[E.Otter]

You know I don't think I read your post very carefully, so let me take
another shot at this...

> Is there anything I could do to the tap water before putting it in the
> pond to take out some of the nutrient/algae growth promoters?
Depending on how your municipality treats the water, the tap water may or
may not have chemicals like phosphate that encourage algae growth. You can
get a phosphate tester and measure it, although I have no idea what levels
are above "natural" water. There are products like phosorb that removes
phosphate and other algae-promoting chemicals from water, but they must be
used as part of a filter-media (like activated carbon). I tried one brand
and it was a complete failure.

Realistically in your situation, there isn't anything you can add to the
water to remove these chemicals.

> I thought about filling the rain barrel and leaving it for a few
> days. That might reduce the dissolved chlorine, but would I
> just end up with a rain barrel full of algae instead?

If you let a barrel full of stagnant tap or rain water sit for a few days
you are gauranteed to get a barrel full of algae. Use Amquel or a similar
product to neutralize the fish-killing tap water chemicals. Besides that
test the pH of the water before adding it to the pond. I think the rule of
thumb is that the water you add should be within 0.2 pH of the water you are
adding it to and you may need to add chemicals to raise/lower the tap water
pH. On the other hand, if you are adding 100 gallons to a 1000 gallon pond,
realistically the pH of the tap water won't matter much if you add it
carefully.

As Geezer corrected me on in my other post, if you use Amquel you won't need
to let the water sit to remove chemicals. You may need to let the tap water
sit a little bit (like an hour or so), so its temperature is closer the
pond's temperature.

Hope this helps...
E.Otter

[NanK]

Neil wrote:
> I collect rain from the roof to top up the pond,

Neil,
Aren't you worried about collecting tar and/or toxic chemicals from your
roof and putting them in your pond?

n

[Neil]

"NanK" > wrote in message
...
> Neil wrote:
>> I collect rain from the roof to top up the pond,
>
> Neil,
> Aren't you worried about collecting tar and/or toxic chemicals
> from your roof and putting them in your pond?
>

Certainly up to now I had not been. I don't think tar should be
an issue with a tiled roof. If any toxic chemicals are arriving
in the rain on the roof (and I suppose there must be) as they
get washed out of the atmosphere, then it's only the same rain
as falls in the pond anyway. I haven't tested the water that
collects in the barrel.

I decided to start an experiment. I half-filled the barrel with
tap water and was thinking of leaving it to stand and then
comparing the composition of that water with water straight from
the tap and water from the pond. If I ever get round to it,
I'll be very surprised, but I have an intention. [Then, of
course, we have rain and now my standing tap water is diluted
about 2:1 with rain from the roof. Never mind].

Neil

[Geezer From The Freezer]

Neil wrote:
>
> I've recently had frequently to top up the pond with tap water.
> I collect rain from the roof to top up the pond, but there has
> been none for months (it seems). I don't like it, because I get
> a lot more algae growth whenI have to do that. (Having said
> that, it seems a lot better this year than last). Is there
> anything I could do to the tap water before putting it in the
> pond to take out some of the nutrient/algae growth promoters? I
> thought about filling the rain barrel and leaving it for a few
> days. That might reduce the dissolved chlorine, but would I
> just end up with a rain barrel full of algae instead?
>
> Neil


Problem with rain water too, is its not PH stable.