Water requirements...

[schloaty]

Hi Guys & Gals,
I just got my local tap water qualtiy table. I've been buying my water since the beginning, but now I'm not so sure I need to. Check this out:

Nitrate: .63 ppm
Copper: .249 ppm
Lead: 12 ppB

These are the only possible contaminants listed in the report. Other comounds they list that were not found are nitrites, total coliform, inorganic compounds, Volatile organic compounds and radioloical (I assume compounds, but they don't say).

Is there anything they didn't test for that I sould be concerned about? My tap water seems pretty pure, and it would sure save me a lot of aggrivation if I could just use it.
Thanks for any input,
-Schloaty

 

[biggun110]

Hi Schloaty,

What did it say about calcium content? What did it say about pH? Even with the low content on the mineral and nitrogen elements you mention, you still might have hard (high calcium) and alkaline (high pH) water. Plus the total dissolved solids (tds) or conductivity of the water might be high due to adding up all the various minerals in the water. Soft acid water fish not only like low calcium in the water and a low pH but they need low tds too. I have a sneaky feeling cp's are similar as rain water is soft and acid with a low tds count.

Bobby

 

[schloaty]

Thanks for the response. I know that our PH is 7 (neutral) because we just tested it. However, I don't know about the calcium. We may have hard water, as the previous owners put in a water softener....I'll have to check with our water company on our TDS.

 

[Tony Paroubek]

Never ever water plants with water processed through a water softener. The sodium will poison the plants.

T

 

[biggun110]

Hi Schloaty,

Yeah, if they put in a water softner (the salt exchange kind) they would pretty much condemn your water as being hard (full of calcium). A 7 pH reading is pretty good so maybe the calcium is fairly low too which would mean that you'd get alot of mileage out of a home RO unit.

Bobby

 

[Tony Paroubek]

One method to increase RO performance is to run the water through a sodium water softener first. The RO filter has a much easier time blocking sodium than it does calcium. My only fear is if something goes wrong with the RO unit and the softened water hits the plants there would be a huge problem. So if you set up a system running softened water through an RO unit you really need to be diligent about monitoring quality.

Tony

 

[schloaty]

OK! I got a more detailed report from the water dept:
There is also in our water:

Calcium .2 ppm
Hardness(CaCO3) .911 ppm
Magnesium .1 ppm

Do you guys know if these levels of these mineral will have an impact?

 

[rubrarubra]

Hey Shloaty,
Here's my water, which I drink and use for all my plants, though I think it is one reason the vft's always die

:

Nitrite: 0.5-0.8 ppm
Copper: 0.17 ppm
Lead: 2 ppB
Calcium: 23 ppm
Hardness: 120 ppm
Magnesium: 15 ppm

I'm not sure why some of the our numbers are so different (especially the hardness), but yes this is what I use for all the plants.
Rubra

 

[Tamlin Dawnstar]

Most of these numbers make little sense to me. Rubrarubra, 120 PPM is pushing it.

 

[biggun110]

Hi Schloaty,

If all your mineral numbers are less than 1% that sounds like extremely soft water to me. I'd take some to a local aquarium store or buy a pH, GH and KH water test kit there and see what you get. I'd hate to steer you wrong and city water chemistry can vary from day to day and season to season.

Bobby

 

[Tony Paroubek]

Those numbers don't seem right or at least how they expressed them.. .9ppm is better than an RO unit.. which is highly unlikely. I agree to bring a sample to either a quality pet store or pool place and have them test it for TDS (total dissolved solids) the measurement should be in PPM or EC
T

 

[rubrarubra]

Yes Tamlin I know I shouldn't, but it works for most things and I hate having to constantly restock on distilled water. I might make a mini wetland/greywater system sometime to filter chemicals out of tap water. My aquatic utrics thrive in a pond that is filled with sun-treated tap water.
Rubra

 

[schloaty]

Tony, that's what I thought. Sounded extremely low. But that's what the report says...AND the guy at the water dept. in town. The measurements are actually in mg/L, and they say 1 mg/L = 1 ppm. Don't know if they're telling the truth..

We do have well water, does that make a difference?

Well, I have a few common plants that I have doubles (and tripples, etc.) of, I guess I can use them as guinea pigs, eh?

 

[rubrarubra]

Shloaty,
mg = milligram
A liter of water weighs 1 kg.
1 kg. = 1000 grams
1 gram = 1000 miligrams
so 1 mg/liter = 1 ppm

I hope this isn't too confusing...
Peter

 

[Tamlin Dawnstar]

Rubrarubra,

I did the experiment for 2 seasons, and my plants did ok outside, but there the rains would leach out any accumulated salts. I grew S. purpurea and some D. rotundifolia like this for 2 seasons. Inside it's a different story, but if you are dedicated in occasionally top watering with rain or distilled, it might be ok. Another good strategy would be to repot annually.

 

[schloaty]

Update:
Found something interesting....I measured the hardness with an aquarium tester, and go 193 ppm (they had .911) for KH...I wonder if they were doing parts per thousand? My GH was off the chart! Looks like I need a filter after all....