Will rinsing my filter with tap water kill the bacteria?

[RodneyL001]

This is an interesting thread. What has worked for me for years is never using tap water to clean my filter media. That comes from an experience that I had years ago, where I cleaned my media with tap water and got an immediate spike. For those of us that have been at this for awhile, we tend to do what works for us, if using tao water has worked for you Eddie, that is very good. Using tank water to clean my media has worked well for me, and most of the literature out there that i read would discourage using tap water, but if it works for you, I say, you can't argue against a winning game. In conclusion, I would say, if there is a greater chance of killing your good bacteria using tap water, why not go with the safest alternative?

[ifixoldhouses]

ATI says to rinse under cool runing water, running water is tap water isn't it?

http://atisponge.com/Products/HydroS...7/Default.aspx

[Eddie]

This is an interesting thread. What has worked for me for years is never using tap water to clean my filter media. That comes from an experience that I had years ago, where I cleaned my media with tap water and got an immediate spike. For those of us that have been at this for awhile, we tend to do what works for us, if using tao water has worked for you Eddie, that is very good. Using tank water to clean my media has worked well for me, and most of the literature out there that i read would discourage using tap water, but if it works for you, I say, you can't argue against a winning game. In conclusion, I would say, if there is a greater chance of killing your good bacteria using tap water, why not go with the safest alternative?

Hey, if it makes you feel safe, you got to do what you got to do. I'm glad you've had success in your methods.

And yes Brian, you are right.

[RodneyL001]

ATI says to rinse under cool runing water, running water is tap water isn't it?

http://atisponge.com/Products/HydroS...7/Default.aspx
__________________
Brian

I do appreciate the responses in this thread. It is good to know that some people have had success rinsing their media off with tap water. And although, ifixoldhouses had at least one quote that appears to contradict my position. I will stand behind my statement that "most of the literature," discourages using tap water. I think that is one of the strengths of this forum, you get varying opinions on many subjects, and then it is up to you to make the best choice. I would imagine it might be a little confusing to someone who is really new to the hobby.

[acroken]

It would be ridiculous to use a different bucket, or a different this or that for each tank if you've had all you fish for a long time in the same place. The only way this cross contamination theory makes sense is if you are quarantining fish, or regularly get new fish from different sources IMO. These fish are not that fragile. If you use common sense, I don't think you need to be as sterile as a hospital. When I get new fish, they get their own tank for a few months, if they do well, I consider them as healthy as the rest of them.

Darrell,
i am only saying what i do. if people want to play Russian roulette with their fish it is their decision. I have "common sense" and that is why i do not mix equipment. If you are only running a few tanks the risk is not so great, still i would not, but that is just me. in my case i would never risk it. Years ago i thought that if the fish were well conditioned and long past the QT stage it would be safe to use the same equipment. i lost almost all of them... 30+ tanks. Granted this was before the internet and information was hard to come by. My point is, these fish become tolerant and can fight off most of the parasitic load but when you start to introducing new pathogen to their environment things can spiral out of control very quickly. This is just my opinion.

Kenny

[ExReefer]

If you rinse your sponge under tap water to the point that clear water is being squeezed out, then you have rinsed the majority of the bacteria colony in that sponge. I do this all time. Rinse, squeeze, repeat until only clean water comes out of the sponge. It’s no big deal because I have an established tank with bacteria growing all over the sand, tank walls, and live plants. I also do lots of water changes, but nothing compared Eddie . My discus are spawning and thriving in Chicago tap water. I don’t even age the tap water.

In a small tank with a large bioload and infrequent water changes, your tank may experience a small mini-cycle from this practice. Particularly if that sponge was on the only filter in the tank.

[RodneyL001]

I would like to put the original question in context. Remember,we are in the thread entitled, "Discus Basic for Beginners." Although some of theses practices are successful for you, do you feel comfortable with saying that these practices are the most sound advise to give someone new in he hobby? Please address it from that point of view for a bit.

Exreefer, I must admit, I am a little jealous, I am a transplant from the South Side of Chicago, living in Asheville NC for about 20 years. Have you ever been to a lfs called Old Town Aquarium. I won't start an argument now, but I bought two of my acrylic tanks from there almost 30 years ago, and they are still going strong, but sorry I digress.

[ExReefer]

I would like to put the original question in context. Remember,we are in the thread entitled, "Discus Basic for Beginners." Although some of theses practices are successful for you, do you feel comfortable with saying that these practices are the most sound advise to give someone new in he hobby? Please address it from that point of view for a bit.

I feel comfortable because a "beginner" in the context of keeping discus should mean the individual is already an experienced hobbyist (just not with discus). At least I hope so.

[TankWatcher]

I usually don't rinse my filter sponges under running water, but I would do so without worrying, because I have so much other cycled media in my canister & on tank decor/surfaces that the if anything did die off, it wouldn't matter. Plus, manufacturers instructions are to throw the fine sponges out fortnightly anyway, so I'd have no bacteria on a new sponge.

The reason I don't tend to wash them in running water is a) habit and b) it's so easy to rinse them in old tank water at the same time as a water change - saves me walking over to the sink (lazy)

I do rinse the pre filter sponges on the filter intake under running water. Because they are often washed in between a wc, it's easier to walk across to the sink for that task, rather than removing a bucket of water specially.

But I wouldn't feel comfortable rinsing the eheim hard media (Substrat Pro, Ehfimech) etc in water from the tap. I only have 7 tanks and they are not always all in use (4 of them are QT's). A plastic bucket only costs around $1 and they store easily, one inside the other. If you store one bucket, 7 buckets takes up hardly any extra space. A permanent texta labels them so I know which is which, same as each gravel vac is labelled. But 30+ tanks, well that would be a whole different ball game. Storing 30 buckets would be beyond me (but so would storing 60 gravel vacs, as each of my tanks has 2 of different sizes).

Whether or not I need to wash it in old tank water, I don't know? Before this thread, I always thought I did have to? It's what "everyone" told me to do and just about everything I read said the same - so I just accepted this is what I must do. Yes, I've read the odd instruction on a package saying to rinse under running water, but that has always seemed the exception to general advice, rather than the rule and so paid it no mind. The same as I paid no mind to my filter's instruction to throw out the sponge each fortnight (I do replace it after a while though, when it starts to break down).

Obviously rinsing under tap water works for some, as Eddie's tanks are full of younguns. Those sensitive wrigglers wouldn't make it there was a problem.

My water comes out of the tap with both ammonia & nitrate, so I feel that even my used aquarium water is better for tank cleaning than "clean" water from my tank would be.

[reefenthusiast]

I rinsed mine under running tap water as well and never had problem with it. I say do what you are comfortable with.

James

[Eddie]

I rinsed mine under running tap water as well and never had problem with it. I say do what you are comfortable with.

James

Ditto!

[alpine]

I have rinsed under Tap water , I have rinsed under tank water , I have heard expert discus keeper talk about rinsing under Tap water . An expert in biology will sort things out for all of us . I have heard of hydro filters idle for months dry and put back to work and still have bacteria present for biological filtration !!!

Roberto.

[tcyiu]

Not all tap water is the same.

Telling new hobbyists that they can use tap water, without qualifying that statement is potentially harmful. Especially to those who may live in areas like mine where you can gag at the smell of chloramine coming out of the tap.

My advice to anyone looking to use tap water, test the water for chloramine/chlorine BEFOREHAND.

Tim

[Eddie]

Especially to those who may live in areas like mine where you can gag at the smell of chloramine coming out of the tap.

Tim

Actually Tim, mine is probably alot higher than yours. The whole house smells like bleach when you turn on the faucet.

[RodneyL001]

Not all tap water is the same.

Telling new hobbyists that they can use tap water, without qualifying that statement is potentially harmful. Especially to those who may live in areas like mine where you can gag at the smell of chloramine coming out of the tap.

My advice to anyone looking to use tap water, test the water for chloramine/chlorine BEFOREHAND.

Tim

Thanks for summing this one up quite well Tim!!!

Kingfisher, what did you decide to do?