Ok, I'm in trouble! NO WATER!!

[korbi_doc]

:( Well, here in Tennessee, water problems are everywhere! We made it thru the terrible storms, all seemed ok, then disaster for my small town...huge break in a water main on sat..still not even near being fixed...I've been in Fl with my terminally ill sister & came home last pm to problems...but , fortunately horses have enough water for awhile..it's the fish I'm concerned 'bout...made the 50% W/c before I left last Fri, & have enough stored water right now to do another, but it's been 5 days now & just worried 'bout not being able to change water every 48 hrs as I was doing before...every one seems ok now, but when the repairs (being told maybe next week??) are made I'm sure the water will be contaminated for a time, so how do I prepare for that one?? We've read 'bout the posters here who have lost fish over this.... guess I'll start hauling water in with my barrels & truck..will need help with that one, lol....& yes, I've read Ardans post 'bout this....

Sure would be nice to get a shower..no way yet tho...&, I'm eternally grateful for all my friends who've kept things going while I was away....(even feeding the fish, horses & dog, lol)

This too shall pass!! (hopefully soon) & then of course, I see the devastation in Nashville & other towns up north, so have to keep this in perspective......

Dottie ;)

[LizStreithorst]

Oh Dottie, as if you don't have enough to deal with.

I'd do a big WC today and then cut way way down on feeding. When the water comes back on you can PP it before you use it. That should kill any pathogens. Be aware that the water companies often add chloramine after water main breaks.

[erikc]

OMG, I'm so sorry to hear about this.

I would definetely cut down on the feedings as Liz said. I'm not sure on what kind of stock you have but I have left my wilds 2 weeks without feeding or water change and they don't come out badly from it (in fact it was a holiday for everone around ! ). But do a water change before ! If you have any juveniles, concentrate on them.

As for the water, you will need some barrels to prepare it in. PP and after an active charcoal filtration will help. Let's see what the water experts say ....

[boonseong]

I hope you are alright. I saw the news on the flooding and my heart goes out to all the citizens who were affected.
I lived in Nashville for a couple years and it's still pretty close to my heart.

In a way, we are pretty fortunate that we have discus. In their own way, they are very hardy fish and will do fine if you don't feed them for a few days. Less feeding = less waste production = less ammonia/nitrates.

[dean9922]

WOW!!!! Good luck with everything and hopefully all goes well and your discus make it thru everything OK!!!!

[John_Nicholson]

I would completely stop feeding anything over 4 inches right now. They can go a long time without food. Water quality is the main thing. Good luck.

-john

[reefenthusiast]

Sorry to hear about your water situation. It didn't occur to me that you folks would experience water shortage because of the terrible rain storm. Talk about irony. I can't give you anymore advice than what other folks have already done. I do wish you, your family and pets the best and may things get back to normal soon.

James

[gwrace]

Oh Dottie, as if you don't have enough to deal with.

I'd do a big WC today and then cut way way down on feeding. When the water comes back on you can PP it before you use it. That should kill any pathogens. Be aware that the water companies often add chloramine after water main breaks.

I use an ozone generator to pre-treat storage water before it goes into the tanks. That may be another alternative for you until your water conditions stabilize.

[JaredP]

If you reach a extreme situation, and can find food grade barrells in Georgia (Im in Gainesville), I reckon Saturday I can fill them and run them up to you. I believe I could carry 4 or 5 55 gallon plastic barrels in the truck. Unfourtantly I do not have a container that I could afford to loose.

[GoingDiscus]

Thats bad, are you able to get to a lfs that sells ro water? Or I might would look for someone that has a well, you`ll have to test that water after all that rain tho I know here after a good rain my water isnt good...
Hope things get better for ya`ll

[ZX10R]

I live in Bowling Green, KY about 45 miles north of Nashville we got a huge amount of rain also I believe around 12". It was not as bad as Nashville here but we do still have many roads and houses under water. If you need help holler I live about 4 hours from Shiloh, TN

Good Luck
Sean

[srusso]

What about bottled water? That humans drink... couldn't she get the 5 gallon ones with the little spout in the bottom... a few of those could get you through with one extra WC before next week... maybe costly but... I am sure your already getting it for yourself... sorry that really sucks, hope they get you fixed up soon. :(

[TonyAPBTx]

Based on the fact that your fish are doing fine now and you don't know when your water is going to be back to normal, I would hold off on the water change.

If you notice any change in the fish/tank such as a build up of algae, obviously poop itself, gunk, etc then change it. If the fish appear sluggish or clamp, obviously change it.

If you could be 2 weeks without normal water even 1 emergency water change may not get you through the time if you do it too early, you may be without options.

If you get to the point where you have 2 options, then do 1 now and use the other for an emergency.

For now, I would consider the water you have saved as emergency water and only use it as such. It may be an emergency situation in TN (I'm in WV we got quite a bit but not what you guys did obviously) for the people, but your discus don't have a clue and are happy now; ride that out.

[korbi_doc]

;) Wow, thank you all for your thoughts & help in a questionable situation...you guys'n gals are just the greatest & I do appreciate your assistance....nice to know we have friends to rely on...





Oh Dottie, as if you don't have enough to deal with.

I'd do a big WC today and then cut way way down on feeding. When the water comes back on you can PP it before you use it. That should kill any pathogens. Be aware that the water companies often add chloramine after water main breaks.

Thanks Liz, I'm gonna do that, never thought 'bout the PP..& it will be hard to pin'm down as to what they'll do to the water, but I'm definitely gonna try....


If you reach a extreme situation, and can find food grade barrells in Georgia (Im in Gainesville), I reckon Saturday I can fill them and run them up to you. I believe I could carry 4 or 5 55 gallon plastic barrels in the truck. Unfourtantly I do not have a container that I could afford to loose.

Jared, you are a good guy, thanks for that, but I'm in Tn, not Fl, was just down there to support my ill sister...flew home last nite to this deal...lucky to have friends here that took care of critters for me...she just can't do W/Cs, lol....

I do have another option...when I use the 2 55g barrels up, the water dept has water available by hose that I can fill them back up with...they would have to be kept in the truck, heated & aerated & then pumped from the truck to the tanks...this could be done, just would be hard work, but possible, lol.....



Thats bad, are you able to get to a lfs that sells ro water? Or I might would look for someone that has a well, you`ll have to test that water after all that rain tho I know here after a good rain my water isnt good...
Hope things get better for ya`ll

Nope, no lfs here in the boonies, & I do have an R/O from yrs in NJ, but the membrane can't be good any more...will have to look into that again...will have to test & maybe set up a filter for the incoming water later....When I came down here to Tn, wanted to have a well for the horses & the fish like I had in NJ, just too expensive with no guarantee it would work....wish I had it now, lol.....


I live in Bowling Green, KY about 45 miles north of Nashville we got a huge amount of rain also I believe around 12". It was not as bad as Nashville here but we do still have many roads and houses under water. If you need help holler I live about 4 hours from Shiloh, TN

Good Luck
Sean

Thank you Sean, I do appreciate the offer...& y'all up north had it much worse than my area...


Based on the fact that your fish are doing fine now and you don't know when your water is going to be back to normal, I would hold off on the water change.

If you notice any change in the fish/tank such as a build up of algae, obviously poop itself, gunk, etc then change it. If the fish appear sluggish or clamp, obviously change it.

If you could be 2 weeks without normal water even 1 emergency water change may not get you through the time if you do it too early, you may be without options.

If you get to the point where you have 2 options, then do 1 now and use the other for an emergency.

For now, I would consider the water you have saved as emergency water and only use it as such. It may be an emergency situation in TN (I'm in WV we got quite a bit but not what you guys did obviously) for the people, but your discus don't have a clue and are happy now; ride that out.

Thanks Tony, good points to consider....did a W/C on the juvies in the 125g & they are fine...all eating, color good, & normal looking activity.....

& I just got the good news that the water will be back in the next 12 hrs....so, now I can W/C the rest of the tanks & use the stored water tomorrow...(so glad I filled the barrels before my emergency trip)...when the water is back, I'll have to visit the dept & try to extort the info from the very reticent old buzzard who is in charge...he has claimed before "only chlorine", but I don't trust him at all....like Liz & John suggested, I'll have to cut down feed & treat the water... water dept has suggested running it for 24 hrs before using it....fingers crossed!!

Thanks again all!! you've been an inspiration!! Dottie

[korbi_doc]

:D Well, the water has returned!!..& it's lookin' pretty clear, not as red as expected from sediment!!....now, it's testing & gettin' back to normal.....

Thanks all, Dottie

[ZX10R]

:D Well, the water has returned!!..& it's lookin' pretty clear, not as red as expected from sediment!!....now, it's testing & gettin' back to normal.....

Thanks all, Dottie

That is good news

[Jhhnn]

It's a very good thing that the water's back... amazing what we take for granted, huh?

In your place, I'd be concerned that the provider may have boosted sterilization chemicals substantially because of human health concerns...

Other than that- yippee!

[korbi_doc]

Absolutely John, I am worried that is the case with the provider, & as I stated earlier, this old buzzard is not what you'd call communicative....(red neck)..so, I can try to get the info, but that is a huge MAYBE!!.....chlorine I can take care of, the rest is a big ?....the water is very clear today, & does not smell of chlorine....but, have to be cautious.....did a 50% yesterday with the good (stable) water from before I left, so I may wait few more days to do another....

Dottie


It's a very good thing that the water's back... amazing what we take for granted, huh?

In your place, I'd be concerned that the provider may have boosted sterilization chemicals substantially because of human health concerns...

Other than that- yippee!

[LizStreithorst]

It's not he fault of him being a Red Neck, Dottie. He's just a miserable crabby old coot who takes pleasure in thwarting people You should be legally entitled to this information. Why not put the fear in him and tell him that unless he gives you the information you will contact your lawyer. That if your expensive fish die you will sue the municipality. (I must be in one of my fighting moods)

I still believe that if you PP the water and treat it with a big dose of Prime (I think that Prime neutralizes chloramines. I have never had to deal with chloramines so I'm not 100% sure) the water will be safe to use for fish.

I have a decent water company here. They can't always lay their hands on the info I have asked for, but they have tracked it down and sent it to me. They will notify me if there is ever any huge change in the water or they add something other than chorine. I introduced myself as Liz Streithorst of Full Circle Tropicals and told them that changes in the water could ruin my business:o) All I had to do was fill out a form.

[Jhhnn]

Prime definitely neutralizes chloramines- I use it all the time because Denver water has chloramines. Good stuff.

The legal limit for chloramine concentrations in drinking water is 4mg/L, iirc, so a 50% overdose of prime for a few weeks should prevent any issues.

Other products that effectively neutralize chloramines include amquel+, cloram-x, and safe, the powder form of prime...

Amquel+ is definitely pricier, if that's what you can get, but not a big deal because using it isn't forever...

I"m lucky, because information-wise, the Denver Water dept is top notch- check it out-

http://www.denverwater.org/

[LizStreithorst]

You are lucky to have a good water company. You're in a big city that depends on surface water. Therefore they make a big deal of giardia and crypotsporidia and the steps they take to prevent it from contaminating your drinking water. When I lived in Mobile AL I received an annual water report. I might also have been able to find it on line, if I'd looked.

Dottie and I live each live in the middle of nowhere. My water company, Southwest Jones County Water, serves very few people. All of Jones county has a population of less that 70,000 people. My water company serves only the southwest part.

Those of us in sparsly populated areas have to deal with these people on a personal basis. I'm lucky. My water people are accomodating. Dottie is less lucky. She gets to deal with a huge PITA old coot. There are laws (as your water company pointed out). Dottie has a lot on her plate right now, but I'd love to see her go higher (congresman?) and let her dispelasure be known.

I still think that a good PPing and a big dose of Prime will get her through.

[korbi_doc]

Wow Liz, that's great that you have that kind of relationship with the water wizards!! Just to know they will come up with the info in reasonable time is very comforting!!

I will try to get thru to them here in the boonies, maybe the "crabby old coot" is better than few yrs ago when I arrived here, lol....I'd be willing to fill out any form for the info....he told me then they did not use chloramine, but need to reaffirm that....really just concerned 'bout the bacteria & the heavy metals....the rest should be ok, & yes I should use PP...need some H2O2 too, lol.....thanks gal

Dottie




It's not he fault of him being a Red Neck, Dottie. He's just a miserable crabby old coot who takes pleasure in thwarting people You should be legally entitled to this information. Why not put the fear in him and tell him that unless he gives you the information you will contact your lawyer. That if your expensive fish die you will sue the municipality. (I must be in one of my fighting moods)

I still believe that if you PP the water and treat it with a big dose of Prime (I think that Prime neutralizes chloramines. I have never had to deal with chloramines so I'm not 100% sure) the water will be safe to use for fish.

I have a decent water company here. They can't always lay their hands on the info I have asked for, but they have tracked it down and sent it to me. They will notify me if there is ever any huge change in the water or they add something other than chorine. I introduced myself as Liz Streithorst of Full Circle Tropicals and told them that changes in the water could ruin my business:o) All I had to do was fill out a form.

[korbi_doc]

John & Liz, I have plenty of Chlor-am-x that I've not needed for long time, & it does take care of chloramines & ammonia too....will definitely use that & probably can store/heat for at least 48hrs.....they finished & flushed on thurs, so tomorrow will be day 3 & the water does look good & clear, so maybe I'll start filling'm up.....

Thanks, Dottie

[nc0gnet0]

As long as your pretreating the water why not use just straight bleach? That way you don't have to worry about the bulk of your prime being spent neutralizing the PP.