Dark Water

[moeldner]

This might be a silly question - but are you sure it is the water and not the side of the tank that's discoloured?

 

[newfishaddict]

No, its not green, it looks like watching the tank through sunglasses, and like I have already stated when you put it in a jar its like a Tuquiose colour( bit more bluey though).
I will start experimenting with taking various decor out the tank and see if I can find out what is causing it if is something leeching colour or something more sinister.

also, I would take decorations, and anyting else inthere out including abit of substrate; then put the removed decorations and substrage in separeate clear jars or containers and fill with new fresh treated tap water, then watch to see if the color appears in the containers, then you can deduce what is leaching into the water...

Newfish out B)

 

[aloaring]

Any news for us? Have you found the cause of the dark water?

 

[ramaseseniblikxviii]

Ok,took the advice of newfishaddict and took every thing out and kept it in jars.Its almost a week now and the water in the jars is still clear. (BTW Its rain water coz thats what I use in the tank)

Hmmmmm..........the plot thickens.

When I took the decor out I did an unshcedueled water change 25% and the tank water has gone slightly blue, but not as quickly as it used to and its not as severely blue.

Just been thinking, I have slate in my tank.I picked it from a local quarry up in the mountains.Near the quarry there is a tourist attraction called the BLUE LAGOON (Dont think this needs an explanation).
Does anybody know if slate can leach its colour?
What do you all think, could this be the cause?

This might be a silly question - but are you sure it is the water and not the side of the tank that's discoloured?

I wouldn't say that was a silly question, its what the wife asked me when I showed her!!

But no, the water is the same colour when you put it in a jar.

What water conditioner do you use?

Do you add any chemicals to the tank?

I use nutra fin aqua plus water conditioner and I add sera morena minerals.

where did u get your natural gravel from?

i know a store that sells additives to make ur water like that!!

The gravel I had in decenber ( the colouful stuff) was in situ when the problem arose so I dont think the new gravel ( from my lfs) would be causing this.
As for dying your water blue

I think the less said about that the better!


Will keep you all posted guys!

 

[dgwebster]

the same store posts a green dye too

It is very possible it is the slate - not very porous (SP?) usually, but the surface can certianly do this.

Boil one in a big pot if it fits to see what happens to the colour of the water.

 

[anvil63]

Man, I am stumped.

The only long shot/shot in the dark I have is that it might be due to heavy metals in the slate. My best guess would be copper. Some slate is naturally impregnated with metallic copper (Cu) though I was under the impression that this is not very common and doesn't come from a whole lot of quarries. So if you live in an area with copper in the bedrock this could be it. The metallic copper could dissolve out of the slate and then slowly become oxidized to form copper oxide (CuO). This could potentially explain why the water seemed to get darker even after the slate was taken out.

CuO is dead on for color though. In an aqueous solution I would describe it as turquoise, but slightly more blue.

Sorry it seems a bit far ffetched, but its possible and the only thing I can think of.

Carl

Edit 1 - a little more thinking and my memory might be a bit fuzzy and it may actually be copper carbonate that forms a turquoise color in solution - My days as an inorganic chemistry major are thankfully behind me.

 

[Valmyre]

hiya TMFA,

Do you overdose on the water cond'er?, as this can make the water blue

 

[ramaseseniblikxviii]

Man, I am stumped.

The only long shot/shot in the dark I have is that it might be due to heavy metals in the slate. My best guess would be copper. Some slate is naturally impregnated with metallic copper (Cu) though I was under the impression that this is not very common and doesn't come from a whole lot of quarries. So if you live in an area with copper in the bedrock this could be it. The metallic copper could dissolve out of the slate and then slowly become oxidized to form copper oxide (CuO). This could potentially explain why the water seemed to get darker even after the slate was taken out.

CuO is dead on for color though. In an aqueous solution I would describe it as turquoise, but slightly more blue.

Sorry it seems a bit far ffetched, but its possible and the only thing I can think of.

Carl

Edit 1 - a little more thinking and my memory might be a bit fuzzy and it may actually be copper carbonate that forms a turquoise color in solution - My days as an inorganic chemistry major are thankfully behind me.

Yes, copper sulphate can do this also, but hazarding a guess I dont think this would be the cause as I have some snails in my tank( I believe Cu and its compounds are poisenous to invertebrates?)
Thanks for the idea though , I wouldn't have come up with that in a million years and I will take a sample of water to my lfs and ask them to test for copper (he ll do a free water test, he is as stumped on this one as everbody is!!!)

Hmmmm..........as an afterthought, is it possible for my water conditioner to chelate the copper, but still leave the colouring in the water ( as a less toxic compound)??

 

[ramaseseniblikxviii]

hiya TMFA,

Do you overdose on the water cond'er?, as this can make the water blue

I dont use a lot of water conditioner really, as I have only been using rain water in the tank since christmas time or so ( I use only half the doses stated for my size of tank) and it is like a biege colour ,although I know of some that are blue.

 

[Kesaph]

Anything in your water butt that you collect the rain water in?

(Thinking outside of the *box*)

 

[anvil63]

"Hmmmm..........as an afterthought, is it possible for my water conditioner to chelate the copper, but still leave the colouring in the water ( as a less toxic compound)??"

I doubt it as the color in almost every inorganic compound (every Cu compound I know of) comes from the metal atom. without the metal ion the components of the rest of the molecule are either soluble or white/off-white. And as far as I know all of the chelating compounds commonly used result in a clearish solution without color.

Stupidly, on a side note, this is why I chose to study inorganic chem vs. organic chem. In organic everything is in the white to cream range of colors whereas in inorganic the compounds are literally every color of the rainbow.

Carl

 

[ramaseseniblikxviii]

Anything in your water butt that you collect the rain water in?

(Thinking outside of the *box*)

I wouldn't think so, the water butt is grey HDPE (same stuff as what drinks bottles are made from) and trust me, if that was leaching colour out I would be VERY worried (they use CYANIDE in it manufacture!!!)
There is nothing at all in it at the moment, we are having a sunny fortnight (yay!!!)
After I read you post though , I did check the drainage system, and apart from 2 spiders and a leaf, its clean up there.
I did think it may be an atmospheric pollutant, but my mate 5 doors down the street uses the water from my catchement tank and its nice and clear in there.

Apppreciate the idea though;

"when all possible solutions have been exhausted...............the one left, however impossible, must logically be the correct answer" - Shelocke Holmes, The Hound of the Baskervilles

Stupidly, on a side note, this is why I chose to study inorganic chem vs. organic chem. In organic everything is in the white to cream range of colors whereas in inorganic the compounds are literally every color of the rainbow.

Carl

Yep, we used to play with potassium permanganate tabs in the army

WOW PUUURPLE​

 

[ramaseseniblikxviii]

Update..........................Its cleared up.

The water has cleared up as mysteriously as it appeared, I am at a complete loss to explain why.

There is only one thing that could possibly explain it, as we in the UK know we have had a very nice coupla' weeks recently, and my tank has been hitting the 28-30 C range everyday(its usually 22-24 C)
Perhaps it was something organic, and the higher temp has cleared it up?
Its possible , cause it appeared first in the winter and I hadn't seen it before then
I dont know.......................wierd