VeipaCray wrote:Algae Control
So where do phosphates come from?
(some material sourced from http://freshaquarium.about.com/od/water ... phates.htm)
All established aquariums have Phosphates. It's when phosphate levels rise that algae growth is promoted. Phosphates naturally occur as wastes are broken down within the aquarium. In addition to being internally produced, phosphates can enter the aquarium from external sources. Everything from food, to the chemicals used to buffer the water, to the water itself can contain significant amounts of phosphate. Phosphate sources include:
- uneaten food
- plant decay
- dying algae
- fish feces
- dead fish
- carbon filter media
- aquarium salts
- pH buffers
- kH buffers
- water itself
How do we remove Phosphates?
- Uneaten food - we can remove from the water.
- Plant decay - can be removed from the water.
- Dying algae - catch 22. We kill the algae and it serves as a food source for more algae..well sort of.
- Fish feces - proper aquarium filtration systems and water changes will take care of this.
- Dead fish - If your turtle hasn't already consumed the fish, it can be netted and removed.
- Carbon filter media - Replace it regularly or switch to the eco-friendly reusable synthetic version made by Seachem called "Purigen". It doesn't leech phosphates.
- Aquarium salts - depending on your setup this might be a necessary evil. (ie shared turtle / cichlid environments)
- PH buffers - shouldn't really be needed for turtle environments as RES are fairly tolerant to a wider PH range when compared to fish.
- kH buffers - (kH = Carbonate hardness via alkalinity) same as PH buffers. These however might again be needed in a shared cichlid environment
- Water itself - see below.
If there's phosphates native to the water we use, how do we ever win the algae battle?
If you're using tap water for your turtle's habitat, chances are it's high in phosphates. Many water treatment facilities artificially add phosphates to the water to protect the pipe systems and prevent mineral build up.
We have two ways to remove phosphates from the water, mechanically or chemically.
The mechanical removal of phosphates from the water is done one of two ways. With an Reverse Osmosis (RO) system or via steam distillation. We can buy RO water or distilled water at the store. This is not the most cost effective solution, but it's certainly an option. Your grocery store will generally sell both distilled and RO water. Distilled water is available in plastic jugs and marked as distilled water. Sometimes in the fine print on the jugs, the distilled water will say something to the effect of "RO process" which means it's really RO purified water being sold as distilled water. Many grocery stores have a machine where for a monetary amount you can refill plastic jugs. This machine is an RO system. RO systems work by forcing water through a membrane that traps very fine impurities in the water. The membrane is flushed and away go the water impurities. Over time RO membranes need to be replaced. Who knows what condition your local store's RO membrane is in or when it was last replaced (if ever). Generally speaking, using store RO water is still better than using your home tap water. Local fish stores that cater to saltwater or reef keeping hobbies will also usually sell RO water. The RO systems at local fish stores are usually maintained well as the fish stores are fighting the same algae we are.
For us turtle keepers to do this ourselves in a practical cost-effective manner, we're talking about RO systems at home. There are many choices available online and at your local hardware stores. RO systems are relatively easy to install and range in price. One of the benefits of having an in-home RO system is that it can be used for more than just your turtle. You can purify your own drinking water, save money on buying bottled water, get almost perfectly clear ice cubes… etc.
Using straight RO water in an aquarium is probably not a good idea as the water is extremely soft and can cause the PH level to drop below the acceptable range for a healthy turtle. If you use RO water or distilled water, you can buffer the water with a phosphate-free product like Kent's "RO right" or Brightwell's "Remineraliz". This will add some minerals and salts back to the water. Now you have water that is free of phosphates, fluoride, lime, and other compounds but is able to sustain a PH for healthy turtles.
The chemical process for removing phosphates involves a filter media made of granular ferric oxide (GFO). GFO can be purchased in generic bulk form or by it's name brand "Phosban". GFO can be added to filter media bags and placed in our aquarium filtration systems or it can be in a separate filtration unit designed specifically for GFO called a reactor or phosban reactor. Over time GFO will become exhausted and need to be replaced.
There are other phosphate absorbing products and chemicals available that we can use. Phosphate absorbing pads have a short useful lifespan. Phosphate pads have another issue… when they are exhausted of their phosphate removing powers… they can actually leech phosphates back into the water column. Liquid phosphate removal chemicals are not recommended for use in your turtle aquarium. Remember your turtle drinks the water he or she lives in.
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