SludgeMunkey
New member
Less a discussion and more a heads-up:
Check your aquarium/pond water phosphate levels! Mine have been through the roof ever since I moved to Nebraska. I was never able to determine why as I often cannot see the forest for the trees.
I knew that our tap water here was loaded with silicates, which I remedy by the addition of horsetails (a semi-aquatic plant) int the sand and gravel stage of hacked critter my water treatment system. This easily helped lower "brown algae" numbers which are actually silicate base diatoms.
After suffering HUGE cyanobacter, dinoflagellate, and green algae blooms in my outdoor enclosures and ponds, I was shocked to find out that our local tap water phosphate levels are through the roof @ 8ppm +/- 2ppm !!!! (Due to water volume required I am forced to use tap water and the garden hose for my outdoor ponds, tanks, and enclosures...I cannot collect enough rainwater and snow melt to get through the summer here...)
A bit of research and college level chemistry led me to aging all tap water with my usual regimen plus the addition of aluminum oxide to remove the obscene levels of phosphate.
Edit: Please note I used our municipal water reports for the last ten years AND the Aquarium Pharmaceuticals brand phosphate test over a period of six months to gather accurate data.
I had no idea our phosphate levels were so high. Until the last month or so, phosphate was just not a component of water chemistry I ever bothered to examine. If blooms of the type I described above are an issue for you, test your phosphate levels!
If you have a problem like I do, which is a big issue in water supplies in agricultural areas, you need to invest in a good aluminum oxide or iron 3 oxide neutralizer. You local water chemistry will dictate which version to use.
Please note that for maximum effect and minimal risk to you amphibians you need to age with the previously mentioned oxides BEFORE you treat with chlorine/chloramine/metal neutralizers. This takes much more time, but is safest for your critters.
Due to volume I am forced to buy bulk aluminum oxide "gravel" (purchased as 35lb sacks of sandblasting media on eBay), but small scale (aquarium) testing shows that Seachem Brand PhosGaurd is the best OTS product for the average, non-basement dwelling science geek.
Check your aquarium/pond water phosphate levels! Mine have been through the roof ever since I moved to Nebraska. I was never able to determine why as I often cannot see the forest for the trees.
I knew that our tap water here was loaded with silicates, which I remedy by the addition of horsetails (a semi-aquatic plant) int the sand and gravel stage of hacked critter my water treatment system. This easily helped lower "brown algae" numbers which are actually silicate base diatoms.
After suffering HUGE cyanobacter, dinoflagellate, and green algae blooms in my outdoor enclosures and ponds, I was shocked to find out that our local tap water phosphate levels are through the roof @ 8ppm +/- 2ppm !!!! (Due to water volume required I am forced to use tap water and the garden hose for my outdoor ponds, tanks, and enclosures...I cannot collect enough rainwater and snow melt to get through the summer here...)
A bit of research and college level chemistry led me to aging all tap water with my usual regimen plus the addition of aluminum oxide to remove the obscene levels of phosphate.
Edit: Please note I used our municipal water reports for the last ten years AND the Aquarium Pharmaceuticals brand phosphate test over a period of six months to gather accurate data.
I had no idea our phosphate levels were so high. Until the last month or so, phosphate was just not a component of water chemistry I ever bothered to examine. If blooms of the type I described above are an issue for you, test your phosphate levels!
If you have a problem like I do, which is a big issue in water supplies in agricultural areas, you need to invest in a good aluminum oxide or iron 3 oxide neutralizer. You local water chemistry will dictate which version to use.
Please note that for maximum effect and minimal risk to you amphibians you need to age with the previously mentioned oxides BEFORE you treat with chlorine/chloramine/metal neutralizers. This takes much more time, but is safest for your critters.
Due to volume I am forced to buy bulk aluminum oxide "gravel" (purchased as 35lb sacks of sandblasting media on eBay), but small scale (aquarium) testing shows that Seachem Brand PhosGaurd is the best OTS product for the average, non-basement dwelling science geek.