Water quality!

[jesper]

Anyone got any good advice on how to test the water using "homemade" material?
Those kits seem too expensive to me and people here seem to be quite inventive and to have the education to know how

 

[jesper]

Hey!
Ive heard that ascorbic acid(vitamin C) neutralize chlorine in tapwater! Anyone know the mechanism for this reaction? Cl2(g)+weak acid to HCl+weak base?? Then you could use any nontoxic weak acid that lies around... I mean instead of expensive deconditioners. Deconditioners also have something like EDTA to bind metal-ions in complexes, but there no metal-ions in our drinking water I hope....
In my SERA aqutan there is also methylene blue acting as a mild antiseptic here. Then again the chlorine in tap water has already killed most bacteria so...
Any suggestions?

 

[kaysie]

to get rid of chlorine in the water, just let it sit around for a few days. the gas will dissipate on its own. EDTA can be used to remove hardness from the water, but i dont know about its safety around animals. i wouldnt drink it. methylene blue is inhibitory to gram positive bacteria, so gram negatives will still grow (which, btw, are the hardest infections to get rid of). the chlorine in the tap water isnt to kill off bacteria, but to remove bad odors from Hydrogen Sulfide, which smells like rotton eggs. this gas is produced by anaerobic bacteria in water treatment centers.

lucky me, i've got well water!

 

[jesper]

Hi Kaysie!
I have got excellent water here....
Chlorine is used to kill of bacteria as far as I know, it is very efficient indeed.

"Reasons For Using Chlorine:
Disinfection of water supplies in the United States is almost always accomplished by using chlorine. Disinfection with chlorine, combined with the other surface water treatment processes has greatly reduced the incidence of water-borne disease among humans in the United States. It is this proven record and the familiarity with chlorine that makes chlorine the disinfecting agent used at most systems. There are three basic reasons that chlorine is usually the disinfectant of choice.

(1).Chlorine is the most cost-effective disinfectant available considering its disinfecting power.

(2).Chlorine is easily obtained through a variety of sources.

(3).Chlorine produces a disinfecting residual.

However, it should also be said that there are also two clear disadvantages or drawbacks to the use of chlorine.

(1).Chlorine must be used and handled very carefully to prevent serious hazards to operators and the public.

(2).Chlorine can sometimes form trihalomethanes (THMs) in water supplies. Concentrations of THMs above the maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) are suspected of causing cancer."

Chlorination of water to water-borne bacterial infections was one of the biggest steps towards the modern society we have today.

The point was to avoid having to wait for dissipation. A lot of people have chloramine which doesnt evaporate.

Some info on methylene blue outside of its antiseptic effect:
The properties of methylene blue as an oxygen transporter (it converts methemoglobin to the normal oxygen carrying component, hemoglobin) allow it to be used in the treatment of known cyanide and nitrite poisoning.

I prefer to say that metylene blue is antiseptic because it does not merely inhibit gram-positive bacteria but also fungus and some protozoans.

 

[aaron]

Jesper, where do you live? For less than $10, you can go out and buy a test kit at a pet shop. Also, if Vitamin C is used to remove chlorine(I am unsure if this is true) wouldn't the acid from the Vitamin C lower the Ph and possibly Gh and Kh? I also believe that just about all water has some form of a disolved heavy metal. Last of all, I have been informed by a chemist friend of mine that methylene blue is toxic to amphibians, however, the concentration in tap water shouldn't prove problematic.

Kaysie, be careful about just letting the water sit around for 48 hours to allow chlorine to evaporate. I know that at least in my area, water treatment plants aren't required to inform you if they switch to chloramine. Chloramine is actually chlorine bound to ammonia, and is even more toxic to amphibians than chlorine, not to mention that it will NOT evaporate.

That being said, I use a product called Complete Care to nutralize any chlorine, chloramine, ammonia, and heavy metals in my water. It is manufactured by Tropical Science, and is supposed to be very natural.

~Aaron

 

[jesper]

I live in Sweden, well those for 10 dollars doesnt last long, a big package here are about 100 dollars. I got the vitamin C advise by the chemist that is boss of our local water supply. Methylene blue toxic to amphibians?
It is used in many water deconditioners here, that would be a disaster.

 

[aaron]

How often do you test water? I personally rarely check mine, but it is recommended to check it once every week or so.

You should ask that chemist if the Vitamin C would change any other water parameters besides removing chlorine, as I believe it would.

I believe it was actually John Clare that told me methylene blue was toxic to amphibians. Perhaps there is such a small amount in the water conditioner that it won't be a problem.

~Aaron

 

[jesper]

I would like to check it often since I am interested in the chemistry/biology of my aquariums. This is not necessary just a thing I want to do since I am interested in this kind of thing

Well, I would say that a weak acid like ascorbic acid wouldnt change pH much(pKa of 4,2), depending on the buffer capacity of the local water and the amount you use. The addition of an acid would change a lot of parameters it will reduce hardness(CaCO3) since it is an acid. The change in pH although low will shift a lot of equilibria though all deemed safe of course.
Its interesting to know exactly though, but to know you have to know all the components of your water and how they will interact. I will try to find out for my water though, the water people should know...

I believe that these water deconditioners uses acids to remove chlorine too. What is in your decondtioner Aaron?

 

[kaysie]

aaron, i dont have chlorine in my water. i live on a private farm (with no livestock, or crops...?) and we have well water, not city water. and i'm pretty sure most of the ground water that seeps down came out of our swamp...