Meeting Notes

January, 2010

Water Workshop

"Take care of the water and the fish will take care of themselves." ~ Sherry Mitchell

There were 48 people present with 72 items in the mini-auction.

Club member Gerry Hoffman started the meeting with a short Power Point presentation on the History of PVAS. Since 2010 is the club's 50th year, Gerry will be giving members "history lessons" throughout the year that focus on everything PVAS. His presentation this month centered on the club logo and how it has changed over the years. Gerry went through slides of all the club t-shirts and memorabilia that have borne the club logo throughout the years. He also presented stitched logos on Lands End clothing for the club, bearing the new logo. A group order will be put together in a few months.

The meeting focused on water and combined a talk by Jeanne Bailey, a representative from Fairfax Water with a hands-on workshop. Member Rick Dotson also pitched-in with a short talk on pH and water quality.

Jeanne gave a thorough presentation about Fairfax Water, which is regulated by the Fairfax Water Authority and is the largest water utility in Virginia. It is also the 26th largest utility in the country.

Fairfax Water has 17 million gallons of off-site water storage in West Virginia. This means that Fairfax County has very few restrictions in times of drought. The reservoir is 225 miles away, and it takes 9 days for the water to get downstream to Fairfax County in times of need. The reservoir has been only been used twice in the last 30 years. Recreational water users don't like it when the water level goes down, so the water level is managed so recreational users get used to the changing water levels in West Virginia.

Not everybody in Fairfax County is serviced by Fairfax Water. Some are served by Falls Church, private wells, and other means. Over 1.5 million Fairfax Water customers throughout Northern Virginia are served by two intakes in the Potomac River and three intakes at the Occoquan Reservoir to get the best possible water supply.

There are five steps to water treatment:

(1) Coagulation. Chemicals are added to the water to gather together the water particles and debris.

(2) Flocculation. Dirt particles bind together and increase in mass. Alum is the most basic flocculant and is the one most common flocculants used around the country. Poly Aluminum Chloride is just a tweak on alum, and it is used by Fairfax Water for coagulation.

(3) Sedimentation. Particles naturally settle in sedimentation basins where they can be drawn off.

(4) Filtration. The water is run through large charcoal filters to further remove organic particles. Each filter must be cleaned every 48 hours with reverse flow used to clean the carbon filters. The carbon filters last about two to three years. Carbon has lots of nooks and crannies. Three tablespoons of carbons (palm size), flattened out like paper, will cover the surface of an aircraft carrier.

(5) Disinfection. Ozone is used to break apart chains of decomposing organic compounds. Chlorine and ammonia are also used for disinfectant purposes and to make the water safe to drink. Ammonia is added nine months of the year (not added in April, May, or June). From April to May, spring flushing cleans out the pipes and fire hydrants. Low levels of phosphates are also added to prevent metals (lead and copper) from dissolving in the water.

After Jeanne’s presentation, club member, Rick Dotson gave a talk about chemical factors that effect water quality in aquariums and pH. An interesting point he made is that the pH scale is logarithmic, so a one degree change in pH can result in a very large change for the fish.

pH Preferences of Common Tropical Fish

• Plecostomus 5.0 – 7.0
• Discus 5.5 – 6.5
• Neon Tetra 5.8 – 6.2
• Clown Loach 6.0 – 6.5
• Tiger Barb 6.0 – 6.5
• Angelfish 6.5 – 7.0
• Boeseman's Rainbowfish 6.5 – 8.5
• Goldfish 7.0 – 7.5
• Julidochromis ornatus 8.0 – 9.0

http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/waterchemistry/a/waterph.htm

Rick mentioned that a fish-keeper can lower water hardness with peat moss, ion exchange pillows, or RO water. He also stated that adequate oxygen is the most important water quality issue in aquariums. Moving water creates an abundance of oxygen in the water, which keeps the water surface clear, feeds biological bacteria and aids with the decomposition of waste. In warmer water it is important to increase oxygen for the fish, so add an air stone!

Rick noted that tap water is the best water for aquarium fish. Water from creeks or other "wild" sources can contain parasites, water from roof runoff can contain air pollution and debris, and RO water must have some minerals added back before use.

After the presentations by Jeanne and Rick, participants who brought samples of water from their tap and from an established tank went around the room and tested their water with test strips, and drop kits donated by API. API donated ALL the test kits for the water workshop portion of the meeting. Club president, Sherry Mitchell told members that life-time member, Ray "Kingfish" Lucas was instrumental in getting API to donate dozens of tests for the workshop. Thanks Ray and API!

Participants filled out a water quality worksheet with results for each of their samples and Rick took the sheets so he could parse the collected data for publication in a future issue of Delta Tale.

The workshop was a terrific success and was followed by a doorprize which Robert Truong won, and a raffle. The mini-auction had 72 items. The next meeting is on February 6th and will feature Harry Chow from the National Aquarium with a 3-D presentation on the history of the aquarium.

Prepared by Mark Harnet and Sherry Mitchell