# I can't believe this....



## L.West (Apr 26, 2013)

I come home from work with plans to change the water in my 10 gallon community tank. My nitrates were approaching 40ppm. So I start to fill up a 5 gallon bucket and notice the tap water looks strange - it had a greenish tint to it. I immediately checked the tap water for nitrates and was shocked to see 40ppm readings coming from the tap. 

Is this even safe or legal for that matter. I called the water dept but got their voicemail - I left a detailed message of what I found and requested a call back. 

I didn't even bother to do my tank - the tap water was worse than the tank water.


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## Jaybird5 (Apr 27, 2013)

Wow that must really suck. And I have no clue if there is another way to get rid of nitrates then through water changes. I just can not believe that though.


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## L.West (Apr 26, 2013)

I got ahold of the water plant - they are refusing to believe that my nitrate test results are accurate. I ran my water for a while and then it started running clear. 

Going forward - I will be certain to test the water before I use it for my tanks. 

I still plan to get some answers from our municipality about this. Besides the nitrate reading - how do they explain tinted water coming out of the faucet. 

Very upsetting to say the least.


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## Irish Rose (Jun 9, 2013)

Wow! That's awful. Did you save a sample of the green water? Maybe the local health dept. can test it for you to get an independent test result. I'd be buying bottled water!*puke


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## Nave (May 28, 2013)

It's the GOVERNMENT!!!!! Lol Jk. I had to say it glad it's running clear again


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## L.West (Apr 26, 2013)

Its running clear but still registering high nitrates. I don't know what I will do if this continues. I can't keep fish tanks if I can't use my water for them. This really sucks. I just spent a fortune on my new tank setups.

What options would I have. Could I buy a holding tank to put in my basement but how would I get the water from the holidng tank upstairs to my fish tanks. 

Help!!!


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## L.West (Apr 26, 2013)

Irish Rose said:


> Wow! That's awful. Did you save a sample of the green water? Maybe the local health dept. can test it for you to get an independent test result. I'd be buying bottled water!*puke


Unfortunately, I can't buy bottled water for three fish tanks.


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## jamnigh (Apr 24, 2013)

Wow, I would contact the health dept right away. The water co seems to not care


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## L.West (Apr 26, 2013)

They insist that they test the water supply every two hours and they have never seen nitrates over 10ppm (within legal range).

Why would my API Test kit show 40ppm? I did the test three times to make sure I didn't screw something up and got the same result. Then I test one of my larger tanks and the test showed 10ppm so I know the test is working properly.

If I dont get some answers from them today - I will definitely take it up the food chain to the health dept.

Any suggestions for an alternate way to keep water stored for my tanks??


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## dalfed (Apr 8, 2012)

Human or mechanical error happens, It will be just a blip and may never happen again, but guarantee they will not admit to it lol. Unfortunately we humans make mistakes , maybe changed the filters on the deionization machine without shutting water down, maybe a valve was bumped open who knows, chances are it won't happen again especially after you caught it and brought it to someones attention.


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## L.West (Apr 26, 2013)

I just got off the phone with the water filtration plant - what a bunch of morons. He immediately says that it is not possible for my test result to be reading 40ppm for nitrates. He proceeds to say that even when they pull the water from the river before they even begin to process it they don't ever see 40ppm nitrates - who is he trying to kid.

OMG I was sooo pissed off because he was trying to dismiss my concerns. I then said to him - putting the nitrates readings aside - how do you explain the discoloration of the water. He stumbles over his words a bit and says "oh, the fire dept was probably playing with the hydrants and this causing the water lines to backflow - thus the discoloration" I could not believe what I was hearing.

They insist that my water test in not accurate and that I don't know what I am doing. How is it that I ran a test on my 55 gallon tank that would not have been affected by this water problem and the nitrate reading was spot on at 10ppm. I then ran the same test on the tap water (3 times mind you) and got the same result of 40ppm. Seems to me if the test was not working properly then why would it give two totally different results for two different samples of water.

I am just so frustrated trying to get anywhere with these people. To be honest, the idiot I talked to didn't even know what PPM stood for. Can you believe that and they are the engineers running our filtration plant. OMG!!!!!

They offered for me to bring in a sample of my water and they will test it but that doesn't do me any good if this is an isolated incident or if it is going to happen periodically.

Does anyone know of a filter I could attach to my faucet that would purify my water and remove the nitrates if present.


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## jamnigh (Apr 24, 2013)

I would get a couple samples of water from your faucet right now and set them aside. Take a couple into the water company for the to test and save a couple for the health dept to test.

You could look into the PUR water filters I think they are called. I use to have one, they work nicely.


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## L.West (Apr 26, 2013)

Would the PUR filter change my water chemistry like my PH too much.


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## Manafel (Sep 4, 2011)

I don't think that the Water filters like those will work on removing nitrates. I have heard of people with your same issue. Most of the time, the solution I hear the most of is to use RODI water, half and half with tap water until this problem passes. I hope that you find out what is happening soon.


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## jamnigh (Apr 24, 2013)

Yeah I am not sure if they remove stuff like nitrates/nitrites/ect from water. I don't believe they change the PH or anything like that. I just looked it up on the PUR website, they don't remove nitrates or nitrites, just heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, micro cysts, and chlorine.


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## L.West (Apr 26, 2013)

jamnigh said:


> I would get a couple samples of water from your faucet right now and set them aside. Take a couple into the water company for the to test and save a couple for the health dept to test.
> 
> You could look into the PUR water filters I think they are called. I use to have one, they work nicely.


I'm currently at work so I can't get the samples right now but will definitely check it when I get home tonight.

I've lived in this place for 18 months and havent' had this problem so I will hope and pray that it was just an isolated incident and my water supply will return to useable water soon.


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## Jenniferinfl (May 3, 2013)

Reverse osmosis will remove nitrates. I need to get one myself. 

You don't want to be drinking water that high in nitrates either.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

First when they flush hydrants it is possible to "dislodge" crap "settling in the main line.The color I have no answer for.But hydrant flushing(main flushing) should happen to everyone with municipal water 2 x a year.They post signs about it on the roads where I live,amongst other public annoucements.
Now If you want to try to prove their deceptiveness then bring them a sample from your supply,a nieghbors supply(maybe more than one,possibly someone" at the end of the road",and finally one from your fish tank.)
DON'T TELL THEM OF THE DIFFERENT SOURCES,BUT BE SURE YOU KNOW WHICH ONE IS WHICH.
After testing is completed by them if any discrepency is noted(possibly test all sources before hand your self,to see what matches and what they may be lying about),annouce that all samples were not from your source alone,and explain.
Without mentioning names(when I am presented with "safety" issues,)I usaully say"we can get a third party unbiased and independent to you to check if my findings are correct".For me that has always been the last thing I have to say before the responsible parties tell everyone else to "start listening to him and do what he says".In particular this worked very well for me and my crew when we worked 35 stories up on scaffolding(swing) and our safety lines were attached to same point as scaffold.Nobody wants "big brother " to check on the quality control issues as "forging " documentation usaully satifies most criteria.Having(or threatening to have) someone else come test for them (someone who supercedes them) is usaully not a pleasant thought for any.
Finally I wish there was a simple solution for your situation but I can think of none.I will however mention that more than a few of members who had problems with source water actually had defective(leaking,burst ) supply lines in the ground.


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## Nave (May 28, 2013)

Can you put clearmax in your filter it helps trap nitrates that might bring the levels down


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## L.West (Apr 26, 2013)

I am not familiar with clear max but could check into it.


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## L.West (Apr 26, 2013)

An interesting observation. I don't know whether this nitrate problem just started or not. My two large tanks that had the water changed on last Saturday are both getting acceptable nitrate readings. So, either the water was fine at that time or could it be the Purigen helping those tanks to not show the higher nitrate levels. 
I've got several samples to take to the water dept tomorrow. One from my house, one from a neighbors, one from my 55 gallon tank. 

Any other thoughts or advice??


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## L.West (Apr 26, 2013)

Jenniferinfl said:


> Reverse osmosis will remove nitrates. I need to get one myself.
> 
> You don't want to be drinking water that high in nitrates either.



How much does an ro system cost. I only rent this place - is there a portable type RO system


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## L.West (Apr 26, 2013)

I just got back from my visit to the water filtration plant - OMG I felt like Erin Brockovich LOL

Anyway, they were clearly on the defensive awaiting my arrival. I brought them two samples - one from my tap and one from my 55 gallon tank.

He immediately tells me that they sent a "crew" out yesterday to take a sample of the water from in front of my house - and it was 4.90 mgL which is well within legal limits. So I proceed to hand him my two samples - he asks me if they are from the same source - "I simply said no", he didn't like that response to much either.

He proceeds to test the tap sample first and determines it is 4.70 mgL. Then he tested the second sample from the 55 gallon fish tank and tells me it is showing a reading of 1.0 mgL. Ok so based on these findings - I would be better off drinking from my fish tank instead of my tap.

My neighbor is also taking a tap water sample to a neighboring citys plant to be tested today - anxious to see if their results show 4.70 mgL also. I was told today that MG/L is the same as PPM - is this correct. 

I guess my question to you guys is - where do I go from here. Do I assume they know what they are doing and my nitrates in my water really are 4.70 mgL and my API test kit is totally wrong. I just don't know what to believe. How could many test from the API Kit all come back the same result on tap water and then I test my tank and get a totally different reading - this tells me that the API test kit is working just fine.

Your thoughts.


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## vreugy (May 1, 2013)

could you get your water from a different source? Maybe a friend in the country. I know from experience, well water can be high in nitrates but you might get lucky. How about the local lfs? Worth a shot anyway. Hope it all works out for you.

Hope you have a great day


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## L.West (Apr 26, 2013)

vreugy said:


> could you get your water from a different source? Maybe a friend in the country. I know from experience, well water can be high in nitrates but you might get lucky. How about the local lfs? Worth a shot anyway. Hope it all works out for you.
> 
> Hope you have a great day


This wouldn't be feasible since I change three tanks each week and how would I transport upwards of 75 gallons of water??


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## snowghost45 (May 13, 2013)

Has there been any road construction in your area lately? I'm not an expert, but I do know when there is work done in the area that it can effect the water. Might explain the green color not sure about the nitrates.


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## L.West (Apr 26, 2013)

The discoloring is gone now - they attributed that to the fire dept opening up the hydrants or something like that.

My main concern is wondering why my api test kit is telling me there are high nitrates present when the water filtration plant mgr assures me that there is not.


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## L.West (Apr 26, 2013)

Ok, I've had two different Municipalities do a Nitrate test on my tap water.

Here is the results: One said it was 4.70 mgL and the other said it was 3.93 mgL

So, based on these findings - both values provided are well within legal and safe limits for me and my fish. 

What I don't know is why the API Test Kit continues to give a 40ppm reading.

Does anyone have any suggestions on this.


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## lonedove55 (Jan 25, 2012)

L.West said:


> I just got back from my visit to the water filtration plant - OMG I felt like Erin Brockovich LOL
> 
> Anyway, they were clearly on the defensive awaiting my arrival. I brought them two samples - one from my tap and one from my 55 gallon tank.
> 
> ...


3rd paragraph: Did they take the sample from the meter or from an outside or inside faucet (located IN or ON the building itself). Your tap water _*may*_ be getting contaminated in the line between the meter and the house/apartment building. 

4th paragraph: Yeah, they can get pretty defensive sometimes. LOL

5th paragraph: Was the sample from your neighbors tap or yours (taken from* inside *the house? If it was a sample from your neighbors faucet, I'm still thinking it could be the water line is somehow getting contaminated between the meter and the house... a small crack can leach any number of contaminates into the pipe. We had a similar experience with our well water once. 

You stated that you are using purigen in your tanks...that will explain the lower nitrate level of the tank water.

I truly hope this problem will work itself out.


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## L.West (Apr 26, 2013)

Lonedove: The sample the water dept "says" they came on got wasn't even taken from my exact property - just in the vacinity.

The samples I took to them were from my tap in my kitchen and my neighbors tap.

They are saying that the water I brought them was fine - see latest post about their findings.

This has truely been a nightmare for me. I tend to be sorta OCD and a perfectionist so needless to say I was so upset worrying about how in the world I would keep my fish if I couldn't use the darn tap water.

I'm still don't understand why the API test kit is showing the nitrates but I have been assured by two different Filtration Plants that the tap water from my tap is indeed safe.


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## L.West (Apr 26, 2013)

Ok just when I think I can put this issue to rest - I decided to test some bottled water. The bottled water showed 0 nitrates. My tap water is still showing 40 ppm. 

This certainly shows that the test is giving me accurate results.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

MG/L is basically eaqual to ppm.Did you watch them conduct the test?How did they test:liquid,digital,some other "miracle method".
I would look for an indepent testing source(if the price is right) and see what someone who won't catch blame has to say.
It's a far cry from 4 to 40 ppm and I'm confident you have done accurate test on different sources.


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## jamnigh (Apr 24, 2013)

+1 agreed there. Or I would take your test in to them along with a unopened bottle of water, a sample of your water, and a sample of your tank water or a water sample from them, and do your test with them there. See what they say.


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## L.West (Apr 26, 2013)

They were not real receptive to me even questioning the water quality. 

Where could I go to have a 3rd party not affiliated with any city to test this water. This is sooo frustrating. 

As far as their equipment he put some sort of glass tube into the sample water and it vibrated really fast - then a thing that looked like digital scale gave him the readout.


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## jamnigh (Apr 24, 2013)

not sure where in Michigan you are but you can try there guys

AquaTest Laboratories : Water testing in Oakland County and throughout Michigan


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## jamnigh (Apr 24, 2013)

actually here...I believe this is a list of different 3rd party companys all over Michigan

Water Analysis Services in Michigan (MI) on ThomasNet.com


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## L.West (Apr 26, 2013)

Thanks jam nigh, I found one on that list within 30 minutes from my home. I requested a quote from them for one sAmple nitrate test 

Does anyone have any idea what this will cost??

Thanks


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## lonedove55 (Jan 25, 2012)

This might open a huge can of worms, but you can contact your state agency that oversees the quality control of municipal water companies:

DEQ - Community Water Supply

And here is a list of maximum allowable levels in public drinking water per EPA regulations:

Drinking Water Contaminants | Drinking Water Contaminants | US EPA

It still may be that your tap water is getting contaminated in the pipe that is between the meter and the house/apartment you are renting. If that is the case, then it is the landlord/property owner's responsibility to fix the problem. If it were me, I would contact my landlord first and let him know of the problems you are having, before spending money on independent water testing as the tests are probably not cheap.


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## L.West (Apr 26, 2013)

Lone dove - what really co fuses me is that I took a sample of my tap water to two different water filtration plants and had them test it - they both came back with fairly close results and both places telling me that they are not seeing nitrates. This part of this whole nightmare is what just doesn't make sense

Let's say there is a problem with my outside water pipe - wouldn't the water dept have seen a problem in the sample that they tested??

But, I can believe that my test kit is wrong when I can test bottled water and show 0ppm levels and then test my tap and see 40ppm levels. 

I have got to get to the bottom of this or my tanks can't get their weekly water changes.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

How about having a LFS test your tap.I do think you're testing correctly ,but like you really don't have a good explanation.
Ro units are easily installed and removed and some can be attached to faucets(which will be a huge burden since they take DAYS to produce even half(you would mix and not use straight RO) of the water you need.Mine is hooked up to a hose bib in my basement.You also need a large storage vessel to hold water while it is being made(I use 44 g rubbermaid garbage can.A good RO will pull most of everything out,with the addition of deionizing you would have the "purest" water going.I got mine from Bulk Reef Supply,it caame with 3 different types of plumbing connections to make almost any installation easy.


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## L.West (Apr 26, 2013)

Luckily both my Oscar are still pretty small - it might buy me a few extra days before I absolutely need to do a water change. I usually do them every weekend.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Try running your tap for 5 minutes(to help flush) and then test again.


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## L.West (Apr 26, 2013)

Just great - now my 75 and 55 are showing .25 ammonia. So in order to get the ammonia down I will have to use my tap water that will raise their nitrates. This absolutely sucks!!

My tanks always have stable params. Although I did maintenance on the HOB on the 75 gallon last Sunday - may have thru something off. Although I didn't touch the 55 gallon tanks filter. 

Do you all suggest I do the water change since ammonia is worse than potential nitrates. 

Please advise. 

Thanks


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Seachem prime can be used to convert ammonia to less toxic form.Possibly this would be better than a waterchange.Read instructions on prime,and remember that after using prime IT WILL STILL REGISTER ON YOUR TEST,ALTHOUGH IT WILL HAVE BEEN CONVERTED.


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## L.West (Apr 26, 2013)

How long do I g like this - avoiding water changes?? I may never get to the bottom of this nitrate mystery.


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## L.West (Apr 26, 2013)

I understand that one capful treats 50 gallons but what dose do I use to bring down the .25 ammonia reading.


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## snowghost45 (May 13, 2013)

You could contact EPA, or see if they have a local office in your area. If the city or town is covering something up they certainly are not going to tell you. I lived on a farm and the farmer was putting dead cows on top of the ground in the back of the farm, he just covered them in some dirt and also had leaking diesel fuel tank. I reported him to the EPA and the came out and investigated. I filed a complaint via email.

:fish-in-bowl:


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## lonedove55 (Jan 25, 2012)

L.West said:


> Lone dove - what really co fuses me is that I took a sample of my tap water to two different water filtration plants and had them test it - they both came back with fairly close results and both places telling me that they are not seeing nitrates. This part of this whole nightmare is what just doesn't make sense
> 
> Let's say there is a problem with my outside water pipe - wouldn't the water dept have seen a problem in the sample that they tested??
> 
> ...


I forgot about that. You're right...that doesn't make any sense. I'm with coralbandit on this one...have you're LFS test and see what they come up with. And I agree as far as letting your tap run for awhile to flush out the plumbing before using it or running the test. As for using a RO unit, I'm trying to steer clear with that one myself. I have very hard water, ph is very high, and my KH is also high, which limits which fish I can keep.

Now ammonia? Well, that just sucks... When it rains it pours!


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## L.West (Apr 26, 2013)

I had to go to walmart in a neighboring town so I decided to get a water sample from their drinking fountain and tested it. It shows 0ppm nitrates. 

I am not nuts - no one is going to convince me that there isn't a problem with our water. It's not just my house - all my neighbors are getting the same readings.


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## jamnigh (Apr 24, 2013)

Bring it up to your landlord, see what they say. I would try to contact a higher up in either your town/city if possible and take the samples and tests to them.


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## L.West (Apr 26, 2013)

Since it's the weekend I am dead in the water (no punn intended). 

I called and left a message with the DEQ in Lansing MI

I am so stressed out about. I'm on borrowed time here - my fish need to have their tanks cleaned before too long.


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## jamnigh (Apr 24, 2013)

I would try doing what Bandit said, use the Seachem Prime. If anything, its something to help buy some time.


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## L.West (Apr 26, 2013)

Yes I did put the 1ml dose in both my tanks that is supposed to take care of 1ppm of ammonia. I only had .25 so I assume that was enough. How often do I need to re dose


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## jamnigh (Apr 24, 2013)

That I am honestly not sure on. I would assume that should make you fine till at least Monday when you can try to get more answers.


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## L.West (Apr 26, 2013)

Should I reduce the amount of food to help keep the tanks clean for as long as possible


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## jamnigh (Apr 24, 2013)

That cant hurt. Fish can go quite a few days without eating and be fine.


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## L.West (Apr 26, 2013)

I went out and shopped for water storage tanks. My best option would be to get a 300 gallon tank to keep in my basement and have water trucked in once a month. This water would strictly be used for my fish tanks. 

It's an expensive option but I clearly don't have time on my side. I am sure it will take months if not a year to fight the politics with city government. I can't wait for that. 

I looked at pumps at Tractor Supply - they had a 1/3hp pump that was overly capable to handle the job I would need it to do - just wondered what you all used for pumps if you have a similar situation. 

I plan to go buy water on Monday to get my tanks taken care until I can get the holding tank in place.


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## L.West (Apr 26, 2013)

Does anyone know if a brand new stainless steel beer brewing vat would be okay to use as a water storage tank.


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## Flip (Jun 17, 2013)

Yes, a stainless mash tun would be ok.


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## L.West (Apr 26, 2013)

Just an update - today June 23rd, the nitrates appear to be coming down. I am registering about 30 ppm. Still not acceptable but a good sign that this may straighten out.


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## L.West (Apr 26, 2013)

I heard back from API. They said that as long as my test kit was current with a good date on it (which mine has a date 2018) and I was following the testing directions (which I am to the letter) that they said they have never seen a test kit give a false high reading - if anything if it was faulty it would more than likely give a false low reading. 

I am going to continue to test today and tomorrow and hope the nitrate levels continue to drop. Maybe our water engineers realized they screwed something up. I was told that the water in the lines would need to flow thru and eventually good water would return. I sure hope this is the case. 

Just wanted to update everyone


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## lonedove55 (Jan 25, 2012)

That sure is good news! I've let my tanks go for 10-11 days between water changes without apparent problems..Every day life has a way of interfering with the best of intentions.


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## L.West (Apr 26, 2013)

Lonedove, I wouldn't be too concerned at this point but I noticed a small spike in ammonia on both my tanks. The only reason I can determine was the last maintenance I did on them - may of removed some beneficial bacteria by cleaning the filter media and caused a mini cycle. Sometimes this happens when I squeeze out the sponges but normally I do water changes every 7th day and that water change usually sets everything back to normal but of course with this water problem I couldnt do my water changes.

I added 1ml of Prime to delute the .25ppm of ammonia I was getting. But, I still don't know how often I am supposed to add the prime in this amount -is it once or do I need to do it daily.

Please help me out on this.


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## L.West (Apr 26, 2013)

Just another update....I heard back from the DEQ this morning - they were very receptive to my concerns and seemed very interested in what I had to say.

I spoke directly with what they call a "special agent engineer" who told me that the water plant in question has had many violations over the years and he was very interested in getting in there to see what was going on.

He said that based on our telephone conversation - he could tell that I knew what I was talking about in regards to water parameters - thank god - someone taking me seriously.

I requested that they send a 3rd party into that plant to do water testing. I also told him that if the water at the filtration plant is not showing the 40ppm nitrates then someone needed to find out how our neighborhood was indeed registering those nitrates. Maybe its a problem with a water line damaged and seeping contaminants.

I told them I would like nothing more to be proved wrong about this but I need to hear this from someone who is not directly involved with my city.

I am proceeding with getting a water holding tank and having water trucked in on a monthly basis since I can't be assured that this won't happen again.


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## snowghost45 (May 13, 2013)

Well that's great that someone is going to investigate. Sorry to hear that this place has had violations in the past. Guess we will have to start calling you Erin. LOL Keep us posted on what they find out. I'm curious as I am going to school for Occupational Safety/Environmental Health and I find this very interesting. It makes me angry when big brother tries to contaminant the environment and the population and they think they can get away with it.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

In this link seachem says prime disapates in 24 hours.So possibly dosing every other day will work for you.They also say you can use 5X the dose for nitrItes,so I'll guess it could be hard to overdose.
Seachem. Prime FAQ


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## lonedove55 (Jan 25, 2012)

Good for you! Glad to see someone taking the next step. Yeah, I live in a rural community and the water treatment plant near here (not where we get our water from, thank God!), failed their water quality tests numerous times in the past, so now they over-chlorinate the water. It's truly disgusting...you can literally smell the strong chlorine in it just running the tap...wouldn't want to drink that! 

Glad coralbandit chimed in on the Prime (thanks!). I honestly didn't know how much you should dose (xxml prime to neutralize xxppm of ammonia). Still, probably not a long term solution, but good to know in situations such as yours.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

You can find the 2x a year results of your municipal water suplpy if you know their name.All be it confusing they have to post results of all test and they have too test.
Only got to wonder if they are honest?


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## L.West (Apr 26, 2013)

Just got off the phone with the EPA - they were really helpful. They are sending me a test kit so I can send them a sample of my water and for $18 they will test it and email the results.

It was explained to me about how some water contains interferences and this would cause false readings.

I plan to send this sample out and whatever they determine I will have to accept as Gospel. I can't take any more stress from this - haven't slept in days with worry about my fish.


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## L.West (Apr 26, 2013)

Update on the Tap Water Saga: I got the results back from the State of MI. They confirmed that the Nitrates in the water were minimal at 2.3mgL and perfectly safe.

So after all this - I have to assume that my test kit is just giving me a false reading. Although I am still puzzled by the fact that I can do water changes on my two large tanks on the same day and then test for nitrates in the tank and one tank will read like 10ppm and the other will automatically read 40ppm immediately after a vac/water change. So, it just doesn't make sense to me and I have no way of really knowing what my nitrates are.

I just wanted to let you all know how this ended. I have been staying away from testing for Nitrates since I can't trust what I will see. I just make sure my tanks get a 50% water change/vac every 5 days.

Thanks to everyone who chimed in on this and tried to help - I appreciate it.


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## jamnigh (Apr 24, 2013)

At the very very least I am really glad to know that your water is safe!!


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## snowghost45 (May 13, 2013)

That still seems to be a large water change. With what have you have told us, have you thought about going a step higher? EPA?


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## L.West (Apr 26, 2013)

I've talked to every agency known to man - the EPA asked me to address it with the DEQ who then had me deal with the state. The DEQ said that if the test from the state came back as showing any problems then the DEQ would take the necessary steps to find out what was going on. But, since the state says everything is fine - it is now moot point.


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## Raymond S. (Jan 11, 2013)

I thought this might be of interest to you...
Tenn. Official Warns Residents That Water Quality Complaints Could Be Seen As Terrorism ? Consumerist
It may be in your best interest to get independent test done BEFORE continuing to HARASS...LOL the water company.
These are said to be tested to remove nitrates as fast as ammonia unlike other plants which go for the ammonia first and when it is depleted then go after the nitrates.
50 50 Leaves Giant Duckweed Live True Giant Version Aquarium Tanks Floater | eBay
I just scoop some out each week to keep it to a minimum.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

When it comes to present ammonia, doing the water change even with higher nitrates is better than not. High nitrates can kill fish no doubt and not good for them, but it is not something that would happen over days, a week, or month, this applies to prolonged exposure. Ammonia can kill in a few hours as its toxicity is much higher.

I would look into a nitrate filter if it were me or find every nitrate hogging plant out there and have in my tank. If you were unsure of your testing kit did you test a sample of bottled water? Sorry, didn't read the whole thread.

FWIW, planted tank guys with high light tanks deal with rising nitrates (throughout a week of dosing nitrates) constantly. I have had values of 100+ppm for months and no fish losses. Eventually that had to change of course, but it took quite a while to show any real affect.


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## L.West (Apr 26, 2013)

I've run test on bottled water, neighboring communities water and they always tested fine for nitrates.

I am being told that some sort of "interferences" in our source water is causing me to get these false readings.

So it is my understanding that although I get nitrate readings on the test kit - they are not really there. 

I just make sure I do my weekly water changes and hope for the best. Both my fish seem healthy but then again they are both very young also.


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