Chloramine

[Joel Wadleigh]

Hello fellow catfish growers. I live in Austin, Texas and I'm in the early stages of cycling my outdoor flood and drain aquaponic system in preparation for catfish and I've hit some snags.

I've been putting goldfish in the tank to increase the nitrogen levels and they've been dying very quickly. At first I thought it was maybe poor acclimation or extreme cold at night, but I've since learned that comet goldfish should do fine at 60 degrees F. I tested the chemistry of the water and found that pH, alkalinity, hardness, and ammonia were all fine, but chlorine was a little high. After looking into what is put in the tap water here, I learned that chloramine is the only disinfectant added. My tank has mostly tap water in it. I thought the chlorine in it would off-gas if I let it sit, but if it's chloramine, I think it's probably persisting since it is a much more stable compound in dilute solutions. My question is, how would you guys treat tap water to get rid of chloramine? I've heard that using sodium metabisulfite or potassium metabisulfite are good ways to remove chloramine, but I'm concerned about whatever sulfur products that might leave in the water. I've read superchlorination will break up the chloramine so it will off-gas, but putting a huge does of bleach in my system doesn't sound very pleasing, even if it is supposed to all off-gas. I've also read that boiling tap water for a while will remove chloramine, but that sounds expensive and time consuming.

Help!

- Joel from Austin

[Joel Wadleigh]

I think this is what I will do, I just have one question for anyone who knows the answer: will sulfites pose a long term risk to my microbes? will it gas off? how long?

TCLynx said:

What stephen says is why I would just use the water conditioner chemicals to break up the chloramine to let the chlorine outgass and then the ammonia would be there to start cycling.  Since trying to pump system water through a filter is kinda tough and chloramine needs a long residence time in a charcoal filter in order to be dealt with so I don't think pumping through the filer fast would work very well and it could be really hard on the pump too.

Once the initial water is dealt with, I think a simple hose end carbon filter might provide just enough help to allow you to do small top ups without too much worry.

[TCLynx]

Small amounts of sulfur are plant nutrients and needed for life.  Many people have used the water conditioners in systems.  I wouldn't want to have to use them all the time for big water changes but I think for initial start up it might be the best option and then if you set the system up with a top up float valve that will only let small amounts of water into the system at any one time (provided there is no catastrophic leak) you will probably be in good shape.  And there are those hose mount carbon filters that might not totally take care of chloramine but it will probably help a little especially if you are only topping up small amounts slowly each time like through the top up valve.

[Joel Wadleigh]

That's interesting! I'm curious why you add so much water. Are you losing >15% of your tank level per week, or are you doing water exchange? What's the purpose? In my experience, if I don't expose any water streams to air, I don't lose very much water at all.

Rick Op said:

Joel Wadleigh said:

About how often do you add that might water, Rick? Is your tank around 300 gal, like mine is?

Um, less than once a week. It's an in-ground concrete-lined (read: 8.2 pH), ornamental, ~900 gallon or more goldfish pond.

[Rick Op]

I have a leak, and the 300-gal growbed is also sagging on one side (which was making the crack/leak bigger until I drilled stress relief holes) - need to find an adhesive that bonds to Rubbermaid Structural Foam!

[TCLynx]

I believe the Rubbermaid structural foam is actually HDPE plastic so there may be few adhesives that truely bond well to it.  Better support would be my first recommendation to keep it from sagging then you may be able to plug up or seal cracks or holes even without a good adhesive bond.

[Phil Slaton]

I catch rain water in 275 gallon IBCs here in Washington.  My fish only get rainwater and only after it is tested.  I add it as needed to maintain the level.  My water testing never shows a problem except that I have to aerate because the water stands for a while.  So I have a separate water holding tank that I pump the rain water into by submersible pump and hose.  I then aerate it for several days and then pump it into the IBCs after testing.

The fish have been known to sing and dance to, "Singing in the Rain ... "

Out at the breeding pond which fills with rain water run off in the evenings I play Barry White songs - just kidding!

[Phil Slaton]

5.8 to 6.8

We do not deal with mosquito larvae.  In the pond we have quite a few daddy long legs and tadpoles all the time they seem to deal with them.  Not many mosquitos around.  As for the 16 - IBC grow tanks, only a few are populated and I have not given thought to mosquito larvae being a problem for catfish or koi.  Are they?  I just assumed since they were omnivores that they would eat anything that swam by and get away with itl. Think I should get some bi-carb for them?

As for Jimmy Buffet songs, they now drink quite enough.  But perhaps the Buffet songs would put them in a better party mood in their flower pots at the bottom of the pond!

[Phil Slaton]

and tons of dragon flies.

[Rick Op]

Phil Slaton said:

and tons of dragon flies.

Yes, dragonflies really like mosquito larvae.
And Philip Glass music, esp. the longer works. I would have expected them to have a shorter attention span but go figure.
My toads aren't picky about the music, when it's breeding time of course they make their own. Their babies keep the whole yard swept clean of fleas I think. The catfish are still immature and don't breed yet, I can't wait for them to grow out of the Party Rock Anthem phase and learn to appreciate some nice Marley or something.

[Phil Slaton]

Folks, I will tell you something about Aquaponics.  I have climbed the ladder of big time corporate America; I have engaged in all the bs.  Built one of the few very successful foreign medical professionals recruiting agencies - in 10+ years over 750 nurses, medical technologists and physical therapists - mostly nurses - deployed to U.S, hospitals.  My dear wife runs that business today.  But nothing I have done in my over 45-years of working for a living has been as satisfying as Aquaponics.

[TCLynx]

I don't think mosquito larva would be a problem for the fish, it is more about the mosquitoes being a problem for us people and any accessible standing (not moving or aerated) water without fish or other predators to eat the larva will breed mosquitoes.

[Phil Slaton]

Gotcha - The rainwater does not stand that long un-covered. It is collected through an adapter that is clamped or screwed onto the downspout outflow from the gutter, into a new section 2'' fire hose into the top filler of an IBC 275 gallons.  When it is filled, which is right away here in NW Washington, the lid is screwed onto the thread filler hole and the filler hose is transferred to the empty IBC beside the filled one.  If the water is not used in a couple weeks after filling it is released through the bottom ball valve that has a garden hose nozzle fitting on it, into a bioswale by garden hose and gravity.  From  there the water is filtered through the bioswale and goes underground through a 12'' corrugated ASB pipeline to a sump where it is lifted by a 3 Hp pump and deposited into the breeding pond.  If the pond gets too high [and it hasn't in 7-years] it has a screened spillway that releases the water, not the fish, into a creek that runs down hill from the pond on the property.

If mosquito larvae are present, they get one h ell of a ride to oblivion as fish food into the pond.