Some age, some don't - show and tell

[Davidzil]

Yes we are talking about H2O
Some members age their water and some don't
Lets hear some success stories with both systems(and any modifications)

[adrian31@outlook.com]

I use tap water but don't age it. My tap water is PH 5.7 (temp 78F) and after 24 hours in my 180gal (has two large pieces of driftwood) my PH is 4.5 and I keep temp at 84F.

I initially used an 'A-Z PH tester' and my readings were much higher (PH 6.8 - 7.8) and always flucuated. I recently got a much nicer Hanna PH/ORP/Temp tester (along with calibration kit) and believe this one is accurate.

I do WC 25% x 5 days, 60% x 2 days, and on the big water change days my fish love it and have no bad reactions at all. They like to gather around the fresh water coming in for some reason. I always mix in Seachem Prime and hot water during each WC. For Example, during the 60% WC I mix these in intervals when the new water is going in - one full kettle of hot water, and about 1.5 times the recommended amount of Prime.

[Ryan925]

I fill straight from the tap. I match temp and faucet and fill. I do 80%wc every other day with no issues

[Candydiscus]

Yea I go from the tap directly... 80% water changes every 1-2 days in my discus tank, the rest every week or two. Just use a infarred gun and double dose prime. I dont have the room upstairs for some trash can full of water nore would i do that lol.

[LizStreithorst]

You cant know whether or not aging is necessary until you check the drop in pH with aged tap versus aged overnight.

[Candydiscus]

Aged water where i live doesnt drop in PH, the city tap water where i live isnt that great.. Northern VA water in Prince William and Fairfax comes from the occoquan reservoir which is like 100 feet behind my house actually. Our water is high in PH, 7.5 according to my test kit and also verified by the service authoritys little scanner (had them come out to test my water the other day) we also have 2.5ppm of free chlorine in the water and they use chloramines to disinfect the system. so i have 1.0ppm of readable ammonia in the water too. Also the water is very hard and highely alkaline... You can see from the deposits all over the shower heads or from the spray on the tops of my tanks and build up of calcium on the side of the tanks.

Aging the water isnt going to do a thing to lower ph lol. All it will do is help evaporate the free flowing chlorine and ammonia. It will also de-gass the water from the winter. Winter water forms alot of micro bubbles due to the cold. You cant lower the PH of water if its high in Minerals to begin with.

[LizStreithorst]

Aging water gasses of excess CO2 which is in concentrated in water that comes from an underground source. when the excess CO2 is gassed off the pH will go up.

[DJW]

Everyone should know what the pH of their water does when it ages. Some water has excess CO2 and the pH goes up, and some water is treated with a hydroxide either for softening or to prevent corrosion in the distribution system, and in that water the pH usually goes down with aging.

[DISCUS STU]

I do 50% water changes every 2-3 days using some pretty heavy filtration and also UV sterilizers. I don't age my water as I cannot in an apartment setup though I would like to. I'm now double dosing on Prime in regard to the recommended amount.

The only issues I have are in the winter when I need to turn up the heated water in relation to the cold tap and this produces micro bubbles that adhere to the fish's skin and tends to disrupt their slime coats.

[Davidzil]

Good stuff, I am just curious what others do, and provide info for others that might not be able to age the water.
I am on the similar system to Kenny.

Candydiscus what is an infrared gun?
Are we talking similar tot he UV filter?

Stu what UV do you use and do you see a difference?

[DISCUS STU]

Stu what UV do you use and do you see a difference?

I use the Turbo Twist 3X and I definitely see a difference in my water clarity. I haven't done before and after measurements but I assume that this equates to healthier water with less potentially harmful bacteria. Between the filters, the tanks, heaters, light fixtures, and the filters it's a decent invest per tank but this works for me.

[Ryan925]

Good stuff, I am just curious what others do, and provide info for others that might not be able to age the water.
I am on the similar system to Kenny.

Candydiscus what is an infrared gun?
Are we talking similar tot he UV filter?

Stu what UV do you use and do you see a difference?

Infrared red gun is an infrared thermometer...

[GVB]

I age my water in several 55 gallon drums. I have my house water pump connected to each by a main PVC line. The main line separates into respective lines going into each drum. Each line has a valve I can use to shut off access to the pump. In each drum I also have big float valves that stop water flow into the drums when they are full. In each drum I run an airline/airstone to aerate the water and I have 300watt heaters in each. I also have waterfall pumps (shut off automatically when the drums are empty) in each which are connected to a line that connects with my fishroom's plumbing network. Each of these lines has a backflow and valve installed. I use a cap of Prime to treat the water and sometimes a bit of Discus Trace.

[atlantadiscus]

I never aged until my recent move- water comes out at 8.4-8.6 and drops to 7.4-7.6 after aging.I have found using a 642gph pump in the 32 gallon brute container speeds this ph drop to as little as 3-4 hours so I just place the container in the bathtub and fill with showerhead then pump it into aquarium 3-4 hours later.Could probably skip using the container and just fill a clean,soap residue free bathtub with water and age right in it-maybe would take even less time to age due to the vast surface area?

[Pices]

I age 2 barrels 24 hours with heaters, not because of pH swing. I just don't want microbubbles. I do 80% WC daily. My bathroom isn't pretty anymore, but my fish are beautiful!

[Ryan925]

I never aged until my recent move- water comes out at 8.4-8.6 and drops to 7.4-7.6 after aging.I have found using a 642gph pump in the 32 gallon brute container speeds this ph drop to as little as 3-4 hours so I just place the container in the bathtub and fill with showerhead then pump it into aquarium 3-4 hours later.Could probably skip using the container and just fill a clean,soap residue free bathtub with water and age right in it-maybe would take even less time to age due to the vast surface area?

Good info

[DJW]

I used to drop a pump in the barrel, then I installed bulkheads and valves near the bottom of the barrels that go to a pump on the floor.

Well water comes out at pH 7.1 and goes up to 8.5. An airstone works for 24 hours, or I can add a circulating pump when I'm in a hurry for water. Now it all goes through RO but still needs to be aged because the extra CO2 is still there.

[atlantadiscus]

I am playing around with container fill water temperature in order to avoid using a heater{would never get cold water up to 83F in the 3-4 hr time it takes to stabilize ph} If I fill with 90F water,it is just about perfect at 84F after 4 hours......one less thing to worry about.Timed it today,total of 14 minutes to drain/fill/replace floss and rinse matting.Discus were extremely skittish when I lowered pump into aquarium today and flew around crashing into walls,strange fish as you would think they would be use to it by now and most times are.

[brewmaster15]

Liz is spot on with the aging. Some people are lucky with their water. They can go straight from the tap and no aging necessary because their water contains low gas levels. I can easy do 100% straight tap from my Co2 rich well water and kill a bunch of fish here.:( I've done it, not pretty. I have to age it. My last house was on Municipal water, just add dechlor and go for it. It was great. Moved here and killed a bunch of fish learning my new water.

I can do 30% straight tap with minimal stress most of the year but winter. Winter is tricky as the water hold more gases.

I have too much CO2 here. If anyone tells you pH doesn't matter, they don't have a well with CO2. Its your best indicator of a water that needs aging. My well water is pH 5.8 to 6.5 out of the tap depending on the time of year..when aged its 7.6-7.8 Thats all due to dissolved CO2, and a low kH. Discus could thrive at any of those pH's but they really don't like living in them changing all day long and that CO2 is not exactly great for them to take in over the Gills.

Its really easy to test your water. Measure your pH out of the Tap. Then fill a bucket and aerate with a pump for 24 hours.. measure your pH again. How do they compare. If close, great! you probably are one of the Lucky ones. If you go from a low pH to a High pH, you probably have CO2 in your water source.

hth,
al

[Ryan925]

Liz is spot on with the aging. Some people are lucky with their water. They can go straight from the tap and no aging necessary because their water contains low gas levels. I can easy do 100% straight tap from my Co2 rich well water and kill a bunch of fish here.:( I've done it, not pretty. I have to age it. My last house was on Municipal water, just add dechlor and go for it. It was great. Moved here and killed a bunch of fish learning my new water.

I can do 30% straight tap with minimal stress most of the year but winter. Winter is tricky as the water hold more gases.

I have too much CO2 here. If anyone tells you pH doesn't matter, they don't have a well with CO2. Its your best indicator of a water that needs aging. My well water is pH 5.8 to 6.5 out of the tap depending on the time of year..when aged its 7.6-7.8 Thats all due to dissolved CO2, and a low kH. Discus could thrive at any of those pH's but they really don't like living in them changing all day long and that CO2 is not exactly great for them to take in over the Gills.

Its really easy to test your water. Measure your pH out of the Tap. Then fill a bucket and aerate with a pump for 24 hours.. measure your pH again. How do they compare. If close, great! you probably are one of the Lucky ones. If you go from a low pH to a High pH, you probably have CO2 in your water source.

hth,
al

How many points do you consider as close Al?

[LizStreithorst]

I'm not Al. I'm Liz. I have just a .4 swing in pH. I thought that it wouldn't matter. I found out by observing the fish over time that it mattered. They didn't get sick, I could just tell by the way they acted. I started aging and the fish were comfortable.

[Ryan925]

Hi Liz. Quite apparent you're liz, screename and all. Thanks for sharing

[brewmaster15]

Lol...:)

Realistically.. It doesnt take much to stress them out. If you do a water and they are stressed, and you've ruled out chemicals... try smaller water changes. If they arenot stressed try aging your water. If you can do big water changes after aging water you will see an apparent ...its night and day effect.

If the waters parameters are similar... the fish barely notice you are doing a water change. Thats really what you want in an ideal situation,Imo.

Stress factors should always be minimized in your tanks..aging your water is one way that can be done....if your water changes are stressing your fish out. Commercial hatcheries use gigantic degassing towers for this purpose as its important to the health of their stock. Theres a lesson there.:)
Al

[adrian31@outlook.com]

I'm not Al. I'm Liz. I have just a .4 swing in pH. I thought that it wouldn't matter. I found out by observing the fish over time that it mattered. They didn't get sick, I could just tell by the way they acted. I started aging and the fish were comfortable.

Hi Liz,

Can you explain in more detail the difference in how they acted when you started aging your water? I wonder how much not aging is affecting my fish? They seem pretty healthy and outgoing. I'm assuming my tap water (from a Desalination plant) is low in dissolved gases, but there is a big PH difference between my tank water and the tap water I use each WC.

Kenny

[LizStreithorst]

Hi Liz,

Can you explain in more detail the difference in how they acted when you started aging your water? I wonder how much not aging is affecting my fish? They seem pretty healthy and outgoing. I'm assuming my tap water (from a Desalination plant) is low in dissolved gases, but there is a big PH difference between my tank water and the tap water I use each WC.

Kenny

I can't put my finger on it, Kenny. I watched the fish in every spare moment and realized that they weren't acting as happy as they should have been

[adrian31@outlook.com]

I can't put my finger on it, Kenny. I watched the fish in every spare moment and realized that they weren't acting as happy as they should have been

Liz,

I guess I should be thankful my water works as well as it does. In my limited experience I probably haven't seen mine or any Discus fish at their best. I might try it sometime to see the difference.

Kenny

[Ryan925]

Hi Liz,

Can you explain in more detail the difference in how they acted when you started aging your water? I wonder how much not aging is affecting my fish? They seem pretty healthy and outgoing. I'm assuming my tap water (from a Desalination plant) is low in dissolved gases, but there is a big PH difference between my tank water and the tap water I use each WC.

Kenny

I believe you would know if the water was bothering them by their behavior. They could be shy, skittish, flashing etc. When I am refilling my tank my fish often hang out right in the outflow of the python. When I fill I dose prime directly below opening of python then start the fill process.

[atlantadiscus]

Wait a minute,you are Liz? I thought Liz was liz,says so on her screen name, or is Al Liz? so confusing.

[LizStreithorst]

Wait a minute,you are Liz? I thought Liz was liz,says so on her screen name, or is Al Liz? so confusing.

Screw you head back on correctly, atlanta. I am one of the minions. Al is the guy with the power.

[adrian31@outlook.com]

I believe you would know if the water was bothering them by their behavior. They could be shy, skittish, flashing etc. When I am refilling my tank my fish often hang out right in the outflow of the python. When I fill I dose prime directly below opening of python then start the fill process.

Ryan,

Yeah my fish do that too. They seem really good with my WC. Once I was distracted and didn't add the Prime until WC was 90% done; fish were all up at top trying to breath air (this was with my first group in my 55gal). Used to do that all the time with SA cichlids found out that doesn't work with Discus. Learned so much with that group.

Kenny

[Rapture]

My water is 8.2 before and after aging. I do have some aging barrels now, anyway, and use aged water for baby discus and breeder tank. For my main tank, I use tap water from the sink, into a carbon filter and then into the tank. I dose sodium thiosulfate at the recommended amount for the total aquarium and sump volume. I try to match the temp as close as possible, or a little cooler. I thought aging barrels would be a big pain, but I do like them. I have 3 and right now only use 1, I need to figure out how to link them together so I can use more aged water.

[brewmaster15]

Screw you head back on correctly, atlanta. I am one of the minions. Al is the guy with the power.

Lol..

Im a minion too. I serve all the discus nutz here..Im not worthy...Im not worthy!

[brewmaster15]

My water is 8.2 before and after aging. I do have some aging barrels now, anyway, and use aged water for baby discus and breeder tank. For my main tank, I use tap water from the sink, into a carbon filter and then into the tank. I dose sodium thiosulfate at the recommended amount for the total aquarium and sump volume. I try to match the temp as close as possible, or a little cooler. I thought aging barrels would be a big pain, but I do like them. I have 3 and right now only use 1, I need to figure out how to link them together so I can use more aged water.

Easy. Run a pvc pipe to the bottom of each and connect at the top. They will all drain together:)
Al

[Rapture]

Easy. Run a pvc pipe to the bottom of each and connect at the top. They will all drain together:)
Al

I'm still trying to grasp the physics of plumbing and gravity. A visual would be really helpful. I keep thinking that the weight of the water will push too much water out of the bottom of the first barrel and overflow the others.

[Fish Tank Travis]

This seems like a good place to ask but how do you all age your water? I have a 55 gallon barrel set up in the closet of the room I have my tanks in. My plan is to just keep it full and heated. Then, I will just use the water whenever I do a water change. Does this sound like it will work or should I just be filling the barrel in time to let the heater heat the water up and let the ph settle?

[Rapture]

The purpose of having the barrels is so that you can agitate the water for about 24 hours. I refill mine after water changes and then use it again the next day.

[Fish Tank Travis]

Is it bad to let it sit for a few days, in the instances that does happen?

[Rapture]

No, I have air going to mine though so it doesn't stagnate.

[Fish Tank Travis]

Do you think an air stone or a small pump would be better?

[Neptune]

When I first started I was filling right out of the tap.

1. This fish flicked their pects for about an hour after, stress bars really came out but they settled in after an hour or so.
2. Don't have any idea if related, but right after one big water change I had my biggest fish do the crazy dash and smash. It never recovered and is one of the two loses I have had since starting with discus.

Now I do 1/2 tap and 1/2 RO water in a 30 gallon drum. I heat and aerate for about 24 hours for a 60% water change at least every other day. I do part RO because I have whole house softened water and don't want the salt in the tank. Probably doesn't make any real difference but I feel better.

The fish stay out, they bite me while I'm doing the WC, no stress bars and in fact they lighten up a little bit after a WC. In general, they just look and behave a lot better for me after aging the water.

I don't check my water parameters very often, going to be honest, I have not checked my aging barrel pH with my tank, but the fish say its OK.

[Fish Tank Travis]

So, for those of you that age your water, when do you add the dechlorinator? Do you add it to the barrel as soon as you fill it? Add it to the barrel just before you do a water change? Add it to the tank just before you add the aged water? Or, do you not add any at all?

I'm very curious about this because it seems like the chlorine presence in the water while its aging will help keep bacteria from growing in it.

Again, thanks for your advice.

[Neptune]

So, for those of you that age your water, when do you add the dechlorinator? Do you add it to the barrel as soon as you fill it? Add it to the barrel just before you do a water change? Add it to the tank just before you add the aged water? Or, do you not add any at all?

I'm very curious about this because it seems like the chlorine presence in the water while its aging will help keep bacteria from growing in it.

Again, thanks for your advice.

correct, i add in the display tank. Probably don't need to at all unless you have chloramines.

I also take a day off of water changes every once in awhile and let the barrel dry.

[xxalanxx]

Do you leave the cover opened when aging water in a barrel? I bought this barrel from Amazon and it has a cover and a lock ring. https://www.amazon.com/Eagle-1656BLK-Black-Lever-Capacity/dp/B00MPHYCQ4/ref=redir_mobile_desktop?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&ref_=ya_aw_od_pi

Should I leave the cover opened so the air can go in ?

[Neptune]

I would-- you want the chlorine and CO2 to escape as easily as possible!

[Dhavalsp]

Straight from tap (same temperature as tank 85F) using a pipe for most of the year. 30 mins aging in winter(Oct -Mar) to let the microbubbles dissipate, the winter process is oldschool - 5 gallon buckets and sore shoulder...

Additionally, my WC schedule goes from 80% daily to 50 % every other day in winter. I feed sparingly in winter to compensate for reduced WC.

[xxalanxx]

Will the chlorine & CO2 trap in the water if I keep the cover? I want to keep it closed to reduce the noise coming out because my barrel is in living room so I want to keep it as quiet as possible.

If I still see bubble in the aged water after 16 hours, does it mean my aeration is not strong enough to release the CO2 in the water? Do I need to have a stronger pump?

[Phillydubs]

Straight from tap (same temperature as tank 85F) using a pipe for most of the year. 30 mins aging in winter(Oct -Mar) to let the microbubbles dissipate, the winter process is oldschool - 5 gallon buckets and sore shoulder...

Additionally, my WC schedule goes from 80% daily to 50 % every other day in winter. I feed sparingly in winter to compensate for reduced WC.

Dhaval,

There are a million ways to avoid that 5 gallon bucket and the sore shoulder.... Trust me I was stubborn and fought it for years. Since I switched it has been heaven. Best move I have made in the hobby by far...

[Phillydubs]

Will the chlorine & CO2 trap in the water if I keep the cover? I want to keep it closed to reduce the noise coming out because my barrel is in living room so I want to keep it as quiet as possible.

If I still see bubble in the aged water after 16 hours, does it mean my aeration is not strong enough to release the CO2 in the water? Do I need to have a stronger pump?

Keeping it covered is fine, I do it. Just factor in that the heat will be trapped and retained so you may have to adjust your therm to level out.

Yes, if you are still seeing then you arent moving enough water or you need a bigger pump. What do you use to move the water? Powerhead or an airstone?

[Neptune]

Ya, the gases will eventually escape just not as quick. As Philly says, more agitation will help both with removing the chlorine faster and the micro bubbles.

[xxalanxx]

I was using this http://www.ebay.com/itm/740-GPH-Submersible-Pump-Aquarium-Fish-Tank-Powerhead-Fountain-Water-Hydroponic-/262025259243, but the noise it generated was very loud, so yesterday I switched to Tetra Whisper filter
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=12085&cmpid=03cseYY&ref=6194&subref=AA&cmpid=PLA_G_6194&gclid=Cj0KEQiA_KvEBRCtzNil4-KR-LIBEiQAmgekFwcKLN-dYBpSjOwKukbSM2EyaNoaz_QyAM36JjawPOIaAr1_8P8HAQ

I guess I will give it another 24 hour to see how it goes. If the bubble is still there, I will have to go back w/ the powerhead

[Phillydubs]

I was using this http://www.ebay.com/itm/740-GPH-Submersible-Pump-Aquarium-Fish-Tank-Powerhead-Fountain-Water-Hydroponic-/262025259243, but the noise it generated was very loud, so yesterday I switched to Tetra Whisper filter
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=12085&cmpid=03cseYY&ref=6194&subref=AA&cmpid=PLA_G_6194&gclid=Cj0KEQiA_KvEBRCtzNil4-KR-LIBEiQAmgekFwcKLN-dYBpSjOwKukbSM2EyaNoaz_QyAM36JjawPOIaAr1_8P8HAQ

I guess I will give it another 24 hour to see how it goes. If the bubble is still there, I will have to go back w/ the powerhead

So you are using that in water filter now to move water??

Just get a goo air pump and a big air stone, that is all I sue and it works flawlessly

[xxalanxx]

Yeah, I put an insulation foam in the barrel which floats so I can hang the filter on it (just the filter to create some aeration, there's no filter cartridge in the filter)

Thanks for the suggestion of using an air pump. I will try that too.

Out of curiosity, how long does it take in your setup to age the water?

[Phillydubs]

Air pump is simple and cheap... see how your method works now that you have the equipment but if not go the other way...

I age my water 24 hrs - but my water is pretty good out of the tap, I am pretty lucky...

[CammieTime]

I age 2 barrels 24 hours with heaters, not because of pH swing. I just don't want microbubbles. I do 80% WC daily. My bathroom isn't pretty anymore, but my fish are beautiful!

This is exactly what I do, but just with one barrel. I age to avoid the microbubbles, mostly because they make the sponge filters float to the surface about a half hour after the water change, so you have to remember to go back to the tank and take care of that. My bathroom is ugly too.