Why NOT to do water changes after a storm...

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Discuss all topics related to saltwater / reef tanks.


jnelson1983
 
Posts: 38
Joined: Wed Apr 22, 2009 9:39 pm

Why NOT to do water changes after a storm...

by jnelson1983

Thursday, the farmers in the area spread fertilizer on their fields...

On Friday, we had a major rainfall.

I did a water change last night (saturday) of only 25-30%. Used tap water like always (with a filter on the faucet) Added AmQuel Plus to take out the chlorine and other miscellaneous stuff out of the water..

2 hours later, I had to empty the cup and there was a brownish color to the waste in the cup...smelled like fertilizer.

Busted out the test kit...
The amonia in the water (which for the last 2 years has been undetectable) was at 2ppm (the darkest color on the scale)..

I began to panic.

4 hours after the water change, my 3 lionfish were all breathing VERY heavily.
**Emptied cup another 2 times by this point**

2 hours after that, my 2 large Lionfish were dead.

The smaller one is still breathing very heavy...

None of my fish will eat.



Hope noone else has this happen. I've used the water from my faucet for years with no issues ever. So has my uncle, my mom and 4 other friends with fish tanks. All with no issues whatsoever.


fihsboy
 
Posts: 1837
Joined: Wed Mar 19, 2008 4:20 pm

by fihsboy

Ro unit is the only way to go, sounds like your in the country. Certainly a must then. Im sorry for your losses.


jnelson1983
 
Posts: 38
Joined: Wed Apr 22, 2009 9:39 pm

by jnelson1983

Nope... Live in the city. Guessing there was enough runoff to royally mess things up. No other explaination makes sense.


fihsboy
 
Posts: 1837
Joined: Wed Mar 19, 2008 4:20 pm

by fihsboy

dang thats not good.........did you report it to your supplier? Thats searious. if it kills fish.........think what it could do to you.


lionlord3502
 
Posts: 158
Joined: Sat Nov 10, 2007 8:04 pm

by lionlord3502

dude i second that id call the water treatment plant and posibly the epa if the cemicals are that nasty to git in to the tap water something has to be done save water sampols for evidence.


kelbri
 
Posts: 118
Joined: Tue Dec 02, 2008 9:24 pm

by kelbri

I agree. Sorry for your loss, but here's to hoping it doesn't get any worse. You might as well be drinking a bottle of windex.


Snowboss4492
 
Posts: 2098
Joined: Sun Jan 27, 2008 11:24 pm

by Snowboss4492

yeah man..........................i lived out in KS for quit a few years and the farms out there have destroyed the natural aquifers with anhydrous amonia and other forms of fertilizers that very few places are even allowed to drill water wells, pretty sad just to get that bigger ear of corn or another bushel of wheat and then let the government pay you not to grow next year............we humans are our own worse enemies ..............

Boss


kelbri
 
Posts: 118
Joined: Tue Dec 02, 2008 9:24 pm

by kelbri

The best part is, up here in Saskatchewan, we have a huge operation that mines the stuff that goes into fertilizer. It's not a renewable resource (like diamonds, coal and oil, millions of years to create it), so we're eventually gonna run out of it (last estimates I heard were within the next 20-30 years), and now that we have been using the stuff so much, there aren't many areas that can actually grow crops (decent crops) without it. We become so enthralled with the "easy road", we forget that it can be done with a little sweat. You said it Boss, own worst enemies....

Why NOT to do water changes after a storm...

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