Aquascaping Answers: Water Softners

Each week in Aquascaping Answers, I do my best answering your aquascaping and aquascaping related questions. Just leave your question in the comments section!

Well I didn't get any questions on last week's post (which was pretty big anyway!) so I'm going to dig up a question that I got in my email for this week:

How do you avoid a temperature change when doing the water change? I can't use tap water because we have a water softener. I can use the outside faucets, because they aren't on the softener, but then I can't control the temperature. This is an 80-gallon tank, so that's too much water to heat on the stove.

If you can't use your tap water (which I'll touch on later), the only other way is by investing in some big containers that you can fill up via the outside taps and leave inside so they warm up to room temperature (which should be somewhat close to your tank temperature). You may have to leave them overnight. You can also throw an old aquarium heater and a power head into them to speed up the process if you have an extra.

This sounds like it may be a lot of hassle to do weekly though, so I'd test your tap water and see what it looks like. You may be able to use your tap water after all. Well water and water in rivers and streams contains magnesium and calcium. A water softner just swaps out magnesium and calcium for sodium. Test pH, GH, and KH and see if it's within limits or at all similar to your tank water. I'm guessing the tank was originally filled up via the outside taps? If the water in the tank is much harder, and the tap water is softer, but within reasonable limits, I'd simply do a series of small water changes with tap water, maybe a few gallons a week, to acclimatize the fish and plants to the new tap water. Keep testing and once your tank water is about the same as your tap water, you should be ready to start doing water changes from the tap.

In the end, it's much easier to acclimatize your fish to your water chemistry than the other way around. Most fish and plants will do fine in stable water conditions, no matter if they are hard or soft. The key is to minimize large changes. Good luck!

Ask a question about aquascaping, keeping aquatic plants, plant-friendly fish, lighting, CO2, fertilizing, or any other aquarium plant related question in the comments to this post, and I'll answer them in next week's edition.

Aquascape of the Week: Renee So's "Morning Glory"

This tank won second place in the small tank category last year in the AGA aquascaping contest and I just love how Renee has used moss to create such a unique aquascape. The moss shapes remind me of trees or perhaps even giant mushrooms. Check out more images and details of the tank at the AGA site.

UK to get Sustainably Harvested Aquarium Fish

Going along with our recent post on how you can "green" up your planted aquarium, according to Practical Fishkeeping, you will soon be able to purchase sustainably harvested aquarium fish in the UK. Called Project Mamiraua and based in Brazil, the project aims to "ensure the long-term protection of fish diversity within the reserve by encouraging the local communities to act as 'custodians of the forest'."

I have a feeling we'll be seeing a lot more of sustainably harvested fish in the future, since many developing countries have realized that over harvesting fisheries, which causes them to collapse, basically wipes out an important source of income. Take the Galaxy Rasbora for example. Paying a little extra for fish wouldn't really bother me either if I knew they were sustainably caught. What about you? Would you pay a little extra for sustainably caught wild fish?

Aquascaping Answers: Surface Film and CO2 Safety

Each week in Aquascaping Answers, I do my best answering your aquascaping and aquascaping related questions. Just leave your question in the comments section!

Lots of good questions this week, so I'll jump right in:

I have seen a CO2 test by tetra in a LFS, I have also read its possible to measure CO2 with PH and hardness. What is the best and more accurate way of testing CO2?

You're right, you can get a general idea of CO2 levels from pH and KH (carbonate hardness). However this method is rough at best, since it assumes that there are no other acids or bases present in the aquarium. The most accurate way of testing CO2 levels that I have found is to use a drop checker. These are tiny glass or plastic tools that stick onto the aquarium wall and have a pocket of air separating a reagent from the aquarium water. The CO2 in the aquarium water travels through the air pocket and causes the reagent to change colors depending on the amount of CO2 present. These are generally fairly easy to make yourself, since the reagent is simply a fixed KH 4 and pH test solution mixed together, or you can buy a nice looking glass one for under $15. The only drawback of these is that they can be somewhat slow to react since the CO2 has to travel across the air pocket and into the reagent. But they are by far the most accurate method.

I have a 5lb CO2 tank. Do I need to take any safety precautions? I read the MHDS and it says that the space should be well ventilated. That is tough. What do you do? Would a carbon monoxide detector pick up CO2 before I suffocate?

If you can, I would follow the MHDS recommendations by all means. However, "well ventilated" can be a window or door to the outside. We all breathe out CO2 (and back in again) and it's present in the atmosphere, so unless your CO2 tank is in a small sealed area and your system is leaking drastically I don't think it should be too much of a problem (on a 0-4 scale it's listed as a "1 - Slight hazard"). The issue arises in a sealed or nearly sealed area where the CO2 levels can rise so far that it limits the amount of CO2 your body can get rid of. This is exactly the same thing that happens to fish when CO2 is too high. You would (like the fish) probably notice something was wrong (rapid breathing, headache). I don't think a carbon monoxide detector will detect CO2 though.

I think a more important safety measure is to make sure the tank is secure at all times with a chain or rope so it cannot tip over (causing liquid CO2 to enter the regulator and explosively decompress). This especially goes for transporting it. I've heard many stories of driving with a CO2 container not properly secured that hits something and opens the valve, instantly flooding the car with CO2. Or, even worse, if it falls over and hits something, breaking the valve off, it could become a very, very dangerous gas-propelled missile. Just be safe and realize you are dealing with a highly compressed gas in a pressurized container.

My 100ltr planted Cube has developed a surface film of algae, I tried the usual paper towel trick which does lift it but its back in an hour or so. I don't want to agitate the surface obviously but what else will work? I did introduce a new food recently so I'll stop that first. Any other suggestions?

This surface film is a build up of organic waste and proteins. I'd try reducing the amount of food you feed your fish if it's thick enough to bother you. Usually, it's just a slight film, but in bad cases it can get thick and may pose a risk to your fish since it can prevent gas exchange. The only way to get rid of it is to use a paper towel (like you've been doing) or to change your filtration so it agitates the water slightly (but not enough to waste all your CO2). One of the most effective tools to do this with is the ADA Lily Pipes. They are shaped to create a tiny vortex which sucks the surface scum off the surface. A similar effect can sometimes be achieved by placing a powerful outflow just beneath the surface far enough to eliminate ripples (or aimed slightly downwards to achieve the same thing). Good luck!

Ask a question about aquascaping, keeping aquatic plants, plant-friendly fish, lighting, CO2, fertilizing, or any other aquarium plant related question in the comments to this post, and I'll answer them in next week's edition.