Boiling Water For Aquarium Use 01-01-06
Hi crew.  
<Hello>
Just a quick question about water treatment.  I have a 38-gallon reef system with various pieces of coral, live rock and crushed coral for substrate.  The system has been running for over 6 months.  Every thing in the tank in thriving including a bunch green hair algae that’s been growing on my live rock for a while now.  The algae never really bothered me, as a matter of fact; it kind of made the reef system look better.  But it’s getting to the point know where it’s beginning to grow very tall and I have to keep trimming it every week.  I’ve been saving my pennies to buy an RO water filter.  Hopefully that will remedy my algae problem.  My LFS suggested that I boil my tap water and store it.  They stated that boiling tap water works as good as an RO unit.  What do you think?  
<That is completely false.  RO units remove organics and heavy metals from the water. Boiling your water will actually concentrate those elements as the water evaporates. A good example would be the ring inside a coffee pot, usually a calcium/lime build up. Boiling your water will do nothing for your algae issue. RO will help, but you will also need to make sure your tank has undetectable nitrates and phosphates to "snuff" out the algae.>
Your advise will
be greatly appreciated.
Elvin – Milwaukee, WI
<Glad to help, Travis>

Dechlorinators etc.
Hi,
<Hello!>
I was wondering about the chemicals used to detoxify tap water. I have a  marine fish/reef tank and I use the chemical such as Amquel to detoxify the chloramines and chlorine for the water I use for changes and topping off. Now I heard these are not good and contain some type of polymers and other bad chemicals, is this correct?  
<To my knowledge, dechlorinators do not contain anything harmful. However, you could achieve the same result by aerating the water in a container for a week or more. If you give the water oxygen and turbulence, the bad chlorine and chloramines will dissipate on their own. Dechlorinators don't remove anything from the water...they simply neutralize it. For more information, do a word search containing the word "dechlorinaters" at Wetwebmedia.com For a reef tank you will likely need RO/DI water.>
And another question I have is with the bio-balls in my wet/dry filter. Do these cause the nitrates to raise?
<Yes>
I've heard of people taking the bio-balls out if so what do I use?  
<Live rock inside the main display to the tune of 1-2 lbs per gallon and/or continue to use the wet/dry. Just submerge the balls instead of allowing the water to trickle over them.
Thank you, Tim
<You are most welcome! David Dowless>

Definitive answer on chloramine?
As I have learned on your site (along with a multitude of other things...thanks), I have been aging my water in a trash can for about a week before using it for water changes. Because of the chloramine in tap water, I have also been using a product to detoxify it. I know I have read that such products are unnecessary if water is aged for about a week; however, being a novice aquarist with a sponge for a brain I'm reading everything I can. What I have read is: ["1) Chloramine is present in toxic quantities in virtually/actually all city water supplies, 2) It takes a good week or so to "dissipate" by "setting", "aeration", "hopeful wishing", or other such means"...] but also I have read ["chlorine will dissipate in open air but chloramine never will... a chemical bond that must be broken (with a de-Ammoniating product.. most conditioners)"] What is the definitive answer on this? Thanks. --Charlie
<All are "so" except the last statement. Chloramine will/does dissipate with exposure to the air, aeration in a week. You can get/use a chlorine/chloramine test kit (colorimetric assay) and check this out for yourself if you'd like. Bob Fenner>

Re: he says...she says...know a good divorce lawyer? (Water Changes)
Greetings!  
Please settle a dispute before we go to blows.  =)
We're planning a water change for next weekend on our 90g reef.  I had planned to go to the store and buy about 15g of purified water and mix it with Instant Ocean and aerate it the night before we do the water change. My husband says to save the money on the purified water...he's saying if we fill up 2 5g buckets of water on Thursday and leave the tops off, that all the impurities and chlorine and garbage will "burn off' in time for the water change.  I've read your faq but haven't seen this argument before.  I guess the other option would be to go to the LFS and buy some of their water?  Any ideas are appreciated.  Can you come out here to California and help?  heh heh
<For the most part your hubster is partly right this time. Most everyone can "get as much benefit" as they're going to by pre-mixing and storing their synthetic... made with simple tapwater... by mixing, circulating it for about a week before use. Please see here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/water4maruse.htm and the linked FAQs (at top, in blue) beyond. Bob Fenner>
Have a great weekend...go raiders!
mo

Garden hose use
Any reason why I should NOT use a new clean garden hose (with the ends cut off) to transfer salt water to my display tank when I do a water change?
Thanks,
Michael
<Some have a "funny" vinyl smell and taste to them when new, but all I've ever seen were labeled as safe for moving water for human consumption, so I don't see a difficulty. Bob Fenner>

Garden hose toxicity
Thanks Bob!
I noticed that most garden hoses have a Calif Prop65 warning that they contain chemicals known to cause cancer in humans.  But I suspect I would have died as a child if that were truly a big issue.
Michael
<Ha! I suspect I would as well. Also, if one reads, writes on the Internet (long enough), am very sure they will die! Bob Fenner>