Mains Water Supply

[maximinimus]

I love keeping fish, but one of the problems I encounter is the mains water supply around my area.

I will be doing a 30% water change, about 1/2 way through refilling the tank and suddenly the water will change from an airated white colour to a filthy brown sludge, forcing me on a 20 mile round trip to get some RO water from a decent LFS.

Once I took a sample of this "clean and safe" water to my LFS for testing, it had high levels of ammonia, nitrite and nitrate, yet Severn Trent said that the water is "safe to drink, the discolouration is rust from the mains pipe"

Another good example is running a bath. You will start the water running, everything looks ok so you go away for a few minutes to leave it running. Then come back to this:

Last year I stopped drinking tap water after I caught a serious stomach infection similar to E.Coli from the water, I was off work for over 2 weeks and sick for another 2 months, I still get stomach cramps and have developed an allergy to some types of food even 9 months after the infection.

In the days following one of these occurances of brown sludge, there is so much chlorine in the water that it actually bleaches the colour out of delicate fabrics!

Needless to say I only use RO water in my aquariums now.

Anyone else got any horror stories about their mains water supply?

 

[gaz gun man]

I love keeping fish, but one of the problems I encounter is the mains water supply around my area.

I will be doing a 30% water change, about 1/2 way through refilling the tank and suddenly the water will change from an airated white colour to a filthy brown sludge, forcing me on a 20 mile round trip to get some RO water from a decent LFS.

Once I took a sample of this "clean and safe" water to my LFS for testing, it had high levels of ammonia, nitrite and nitrate, yet Severn Trent said that the water is "safe to drink, the discolouration is rust from the mains pipe"

Another good example is running a bath. You will start the water running, everything looks ok so you go away for a few minutes to leave it running. Then come back to this:

Last year I stopped drinking tap water after I caught a serious stomach infection similar to E.Coli from the water, I was off work for over 2 weeks and sick for another 2 months, I still get stomach cramps and have developed an allergy to some types of food even 9 months after the infection.

In the days following one of these occurances of brown sludge, there is so much chlorine in the water that it actually bleaches the colour out of delicate fabrics!

Needless to say I only use RO water in my aquariums now.

Anyone else got any horror stories about their mains water supply?

you tolerate that!!?

I would be onto a plummer and/or the water company ASAP

 

[Mr._Fishy]

Wow. I can't imagine how that water quality is passable with the state. And in regards with your "clean water" from the lfs, rust is never good. I once ate some food from a rusty can and was out of school for a week and had stomach cramps for another couple weeks. And I don't believe that you can get that much rust residue in water. There has to be something else in it.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

OMG, that's awful, we're pretty lucky tbh, pH is about 7.4 and steady as a rock, it's always clear, 0 ammonia nitrite and nitrate

 

[orange shark]

maybe you should invest in an ro unit

I've yet to test my water but i know its not as bad as that!

 

[maximinimus]

Nono, the LFS thought the water sample I took had come from my tank, they said I need to stop feeding them anywhere near as much

Severn Trent water have been out loads of times, they've taken samples of dirty water etc and they say it's safe to drink, even when it's coming out brown.

They had a scientific analysis done and said that it is "mains deposits" i.e rust, my own analysis showed that it was full of organic compounds and they refused to comment further.

I would invest in my own RO unit, but I am supposed to be moving soon and the chances are I won't be anywhere near this watersource when I do. Until then I'll just pay a few £ each time to get decent water from my LFS.

 

[jarcher1390]

defiantly invest in a ro unit your fish will benefit and also your wallet and time, plus that water is no way near clean for drinking and net alone fish you must get that sorted
Jonny

 

[kj23502]

I'd get an R/O for my own personal health if I lived where that water comes from.

That type of water scares me Of course my water scares me too! Something deep down inside tells me that the chemicals they add to the drinking water to keep it "healthy" can't be good for a body over years and years

I'm interested in how R/O water tastes and when I get into keeping a sw tank...soon i hope, I may start drinking my r/o water and use it for my family too.

 

[jarcher1390]

I'd get an R/O for my own personal health if I lived where that water comes from.

That type of water scares me Of course my water scares me too! Something deep down inside tells me that the chemicals they add to the drinking water to keep it "healthy" can't be good for a body over years and years

I'm interested in how R/O water tastes and when I get into keeping a sw tank...soon i hope, I may start drinking my r/o water and use it for my family too.

Dont drink ro water it will do you more harm than good, as its nearly 100% water it will actually drain out the minerals in your body doing more harm than good (so i've been told).
Jonny

 

[kj23502]

I'd get an R/O for my own personal health if I lived where that water comes from.

That type of water scares me Of course my water scares me too! Something deep down inside tells me that the chemicals they add to the drinking water to keep it "healthy" can't be good for a body over years and years

I'm interested in how R/O water tastes and when I get into keeping a sw tank...soon i hope, I may start drinking my r/o water and use it for my family too.

Dont drink ro water it will do you have as its nearly 100% water it will actually drain out the minerals in your body doing more harm than good so ive been told.
Jonny

really? isn't R/O water about the same as using a PUR filter either on the sink or in the pitcher?

 

[jarcher1390]

to my knowledge r/o removes every thing while the others just remover heavy metals and chlorine and chloramine.
Need second opinion (i may be blurting bs here)
Jonny

 

[kj23502]

Need second opinion (i may be blurting bs here)
Jonny

agreed...(need 2nd opinion)

who knows you could be right and I'm blurting the bs

 

[@ombomb]

drinking RO water, as stated, is not healthy

saying that... i'd drink RO water before I drink that ditch water in the pic!

 

[Tolak]

Dont drink ro water it will do you more harm than good, as its nearly 100% water it will actually drain out the minerals in your body doing more harm than good (so i've been told).
Jonny

I think a normal health diet will more than make up for any minerals that you may not be getting from drinking ro water.

 

[Corleone]

I've only seen water that bad ONCE, in Gladwin County, Michigan. It was a local system serving about 100 homes, drawing water unfiltered and untreated from a gasoline-contaminated lake which was posted with DNR signs warning that fish caught there were toxic. To make matters worse, it was run to the lots with iron pipes, which is probably where your brown color comes from.

to my knowledge r/o removes every thing while the others just remover heavy metals and chlorine and chloramine.
Need second opinion (i may be blurting bs here)
Jonny

Not sure if PUR filters remove chlorine, but they do remove heavy metals and fine particulate, but if you have hard water, it's still hard when it comes out. Nearly everybody on the system I mentioned above had full-house filters on their incoming water line, and while it got the rust and gasoline taste out, it was still very hard water and the buildup would stop up faucets within a couple years.

Depending on how big the house is, the filter system itself wasn't too expensive (Under $100 for the people in the trailer park, slightly more for the cabins), but the filters had to be replaced constantly and would end up running a few hundred dollars a year.