I am @#!$#@ ENFURIATED!

[Guest AbSoluTc]

Some of you know that I have been battling SUPER high nitrates (180+) for a long time now. Well, the first thing I did was to remove the nice 1/2 bed of detrius that is plauging my tank as suggested by some people in the chat room. So, I have been doing that for the past 2 hours.

 

So, now it comes time to add some new top off water. Now that I have a somewhat accurate test kit (seachem - good so far) I decided to check both of my water sources. The LFS ro/di water and my main place of getting water, the culligan machine at walmart. To my horrid suprise - my supposedly good clean water is CONTAMINATED with ungodly amounts of nitrates!

 

LFS RO/DI - 1.5 - 2.0

Culligan - 25 - 30

 

I had a damn heart attack when I saw these numbers. Granted 1.5 is better than 25, even still - I am working my ass off trying to get my nitrates down and all I am doing is adding them back in!! No freaking wonder!

 

Now, does anyone know what this means? I CAN NOT GET ANY GOOD RO/DI water in my area - ANYWHERE! None, zip, zero, NADA! I am not even going to start buying 1gallon jugs of water for top off - no freaking way.

 

Dear god - What do I do now?? I have 0 money for an RO/DI system! DAMNIT!

[Crakeur]

I never thought to test my distilled water. Although my tank has almost no nitrates so I doubt my water is bad. I do, however, have to lug those one gallon jugs, that I purchase, and the pain is felt in the back.

 

Spring for the bottled di water and sleep at night.

[rlinusc]

I am confused as to why there would be any nitrates.. No3 is a biological by product and not something like silicates or phosphates. absolut i assume you already use macro algae as a no3 export. otherwise i have no clue.

 

Linus

[Satchmo]

I too am forced to do the Gallon Jug Lug every couple weeks. I use it for top offs and water changes. No big deal. It's either that or blow $200 on an RO system and that aint gonna happen.

[Guest AbSoluTc]

rlinusc -

 

Yes, I have spagetti macro in my tank that I use to export some of my problems That too would also explain why its growing faster than the national debt!

 

Gallon jug lug. I dunno - my back is already hurting from the 5 gallon jug lugging. Oh, will it ever end.

[logicalreef]

Hey Kris, man what day you are having huh?

 

You need to find a local reefer with a lrge tank and a RO/DI system he can share. Still a leeeetle bit of lugging, but not too much. God knows I get all types showing up asking for water...hehe.

 

Peace, Bryan

[Xavier]

How much do you end up paying at Walmart? I found some real cheap distilled water at my grocery store in 2.5g jugs that were void of any contaminants. I'd have to dig up the receipt to know exactly how much it cost... can't pull it off the top of my head right now.

[Crakeur]

the gallon jug lug (love that by the way) costs me less than $4 a trip for 2 gallons. Although I have become addicted to painkillers thanks to the constant throb in the lower back area. Satch, any chance you get percacet along with needles and iv bags? I do the GJL as often as possible so that I have plenty of water in case of an emergency.

[Xavier]

I am pretty sure each one of the 2.5g jugs of distilled from the grocery store were not more then $2.50 each. It wasn't name brand stuff, but it didn't have any contaminents in it. The other stuff was going for $3-$4/2.5g

 

The only thing was, I looked a little odd with 11 jugs of water in my grocery cart. You would've thought I was stocking up for a nuclear war.

[Satchmo]

Originally posted by Xavier

I looked a little odd with 11 jugs of water in my grocery cart.  You would've thought I was stocking up for a nuclear war.

 

Same here. I get 15-20 jugs at a clip. You get some funny looks as you dock your cart at the checkout. "Don't mind me, just loading up the escape pod." I prop open the door at the foot of the stairs, manage to get 3 jugs in each hand, and the GJL begins.

 

Been using "Great Bear Purified Spring Water" for the life of my tank- 89cents/gal. Says it's RO filtered right on the label and I have no real algae issues at all. I haven't tested the water itself, but my tank never shows nitrates.

[willmsbrg]

Evening,

 

I had to reply to this.. I just filled 15 gallon jugs from Wal-Mart using the culligan dispencer.. and after reading this I thought I should test mine..

 

Mine reads 0 nitrates

 

I first started my tank using Wal_mart Distilled water.. but for my first big change I decided to get the culligan refill water at .32 per gallon..

 

I don't pretend to know much about water issues other than to test what I have.. Funny, the source for the Wal-mart is my home town municipal water shed.. not much help I guess... :*(

[Dave ESPI]

Go to yer local Hospital. Explain that you need RODI water to salvage yer "experements", or find an orderly and ask where the RODI dispenser is. you should be able to get like 5 gal a day fer free, or slip someone a fin~ and get a hook up.

Usualy the Hospitals are quite good about free rodi.

FWIW, it is the damn finest you will EVER find.......

Im just ####ed they changed the locks on the wash room. X)

[Xavier]

That's an interesting idea Dave. There are several notable hospitals in my proximity. I may have to try some "mission impossible" black ops

[Caesar]

AbSoluTc maybe that culligan machine needs a filter change? try going to another walmart and test there water.

[Guest AbSoluTc]

Perhaps it might be that machine. Dunno. The next nearest wal-mart is out of the way.

 

I dunno - it has not been a very pleasant day at all. Flat tire on the freeway, nitrates in my GOOD water, some god awful smell coming from god knows where in my car. I don't know.

[tinyreef]

sorry to hear that abs. that's the cardinal rule tho. pure source.

 

i'm with caesar. the resins on their di or ro membranes are probably used up. cheap or incompetent bastages! :

 

distilled water in the 5 or 6 gallon bottles are what i use. ($0.50~$1.00/gallon depending on the company) made my wife lug two bottles because of that fiasco last week.

 

btw what if you show the walmart store manager the readings on his water machine? ??? s/he would probably freak! maybe give you some free samples if you perform regular tests for them? it's worth a shot. at least you should get your money back.

[gobies]

Try a tap water purifier. $40 at PetStupid, $30 + shipping online.

[lizbeth]

Quit whinning and complain. Talk to the manager at Wally's and call Culligan. "Throw a fit",... I know you can (said in my best Fred Rogers voice).

 

That is unacceptable for water that is supposed to be pure, and h*ll you ARE the customer.

[Xavier]

Get some posterboard.. do up some pretty colorful graphs.. print them out and put them on the posterboard with some descriptions of quality levels. Then stick it next to the machine for ALLLLL to see

 

Then call the health dept - I'm sure they'd love to know