Saving of aged water

[spiffer]

Hey guys, wondering if any of you have had experience with saving aged tank water in capped air tight bottles for later use?

I'm wondering if the water stays viable for later use or will it go bad and become leas beneficial then freshly dechlorinated tapwater.


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[CowBoYReX]

I like your train of thought. I can't say though, maybe someone else has tried it?

[Urban Aquaria]

Usually for aging water, its the gas exchange at the water surface that help to release excess chemicals like chlorine and other stuff. Some people also run air stones in the aged water to create more surface agitation to accelerate the process.

If you keep the water in an air tight bottle, the gas exchange would be limited so the effectiveness would probably lower.

In addition, the chloramine content in tap water is much more stable and still stays in the water even after you age it, so still better to treat it with de-chlorinater solution before storing the water.

[spiffer]

Thanks for the reply guys

UA: think i might have used the wrong term, I Was referring to storing of already mature tank water in bottles for later use, such as in an emergency, like if my tank sprang a leak or smth. I'm sure any beneficial bacteria in the water would die off quickly from the lack of aeration and food, but i'm wondering if this would still be a better alternative to using fresh dechlorinated tap water.


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[BFG]

I do not know if its feasible as what ever in that water may die and contribute to the ammonia, nitrite, nitrate level and become a soup of toxic water.

[CowBoYReX]

Companies store bb in air tight containers for purchasing with some amount of shelf life. The question is how do they keep it alive? Mature tank water or some other type of food? I like this gets my brain turning, lol. Like how do they keep bb alive when it's aerobic and in a sealed container. I also wonder what would happen to the parameters? Would they zero out, stay the same, or rise? Last thought for now, would it cause anaerobic bacteria to take over? Would that cause the water to sour due to hydrogen sulphide...
It's worth playing around with I think.

[Bern C]

Thanks for the reply guys

UA: think i might have used the wrong term, I Was referring to storing of already mature tank water in bottles for later use, such as in an emergency, like if my tank sprang a leak or smth. I'm sure any beneficial bacteria in the water would die off quickly from the lack of aeration and food, but i'm wondering if this would still be a better alternative to using fresh dechlorinated tap water.


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XD I know this is not related but I just wanna share my view, so hope you don't mind.

I doubt all the organism will die off unless you sterilize the water or there are 0 food source for organism, else they will form an ecosystem in the airtight bottle. There are alsoanaerobic organism that doesn't require oxygen to survive. Air is a source of contamination of water with organism, so minimize the sterilized water exposing to the air will minimize the introduction of organism into the water.
Some zooplanktons are quite hardy also. I had airtight bottle of green water that have copepod surviving in it for months or forever. I am preserving some microfex culture in airtight container with just a few pieces of peat moss and exposing to very little aquarium light.

[Urban Aquaria]

Thanks for the reply guys

UA: think i might have used the wrong term, I Was referring to storing of already mature tank water in bottles for later use, such as in an emergency, like if my tank sprang a leak or smth. I'm sure any beneficial bacteria in the water would die off quickly from the lack of aeration and food, but i'm wondering if this would still be a better alternative to using fresh dechlorinated tap water.

Oic... yeah, i guess instead of "Saving of aged water", should be "Saving of old tank water".

Well, the method of storing old tank water in sealed bottles may not keep naturally occuring beneficial bacteria alive for long (since the majority of nitrification bacteria species live attached to surfaces and usually need a constant supply of food and oxygen to sustain and multiply, otherwise they gradually die off)... but i guess this method can at least keep old water of parameters closer to your original tank conditons for future use.

Like what Bern mentioned, lots of tiny microfauna/zooplankton like rotifers, cladocerans, and copepods will usually still live and multiply in the old tank water too. If conditions are right, after a while you may see the sealed container teeming with lots of different tiny microscopic critters.

Btw, it'll be best to store the old tank water in opaque containers away from light... 'cos i have kept old tank water in clear containers outdoors to experiment culturing rotifiers (as microfood for fry) and the containers usually end up growing lots of algae too.

[BFG]

Companies store bb in air tight containers for purchasing with some amount of shelf life. The question is how do they keep it alive? Mature tank water or some other type of food? I like this gets my brain turning, lol. Like how do they keep bb alive when it's aerobic and in a sealed container. I also wonder what would happen to the parameters? Would they zero out, stay the same, or rise? Last thought for now, would it cause anaerobic bacteria to take over? Would that cause the water to sour due to hydrogen sulphide...
It's worth playing around with I think.

I believe they have control on what type of beneficial bacteria strain they are selling. Also, I have not read that anyone who bought this product actually test it to know that they have a live product to prove it is what it is. The quality of the strain as well as the purity can only be achieved in a controlled manner.

Using aged tank water might not have the desired end product.

[Urban Aquaria]

Companies store bb in air tight containers for purchasing with some amount of shelf life. The question is how do they keep it alive? Mature tank water or some other type of food? I like this gets my brain turning, lol. Like how do they keep bb alive when it's aerobic and in a sealed container. I also wonder what would happen to the parameters? Would they zero out, stay the same, or rise? Last thought for now, would it cause anaerobic bacteria to take over? Would that cause the water to sour due to hydrogen sulphide...
It's worth playing around with I think.

Thats an interesting topic that i've been researching about too... from what i've read online, most of those bottled bacteria solutions utilize various specially selected strains of bacteria which can lay dormant or in spore form for a long period of time, and only activated when introduced into aquarium water conditions. Those don't need food or oxygen in their dormant/spore form so have a long shelf life.

On the otherhand, i've seen companies selling the actual real living bacteria species too, but those types of bacteria have to be stored in a nutrient solution (so that they have food to sustain themselves) and they have to be kept refrigerated (to lower their metabolism and prolong their lifespan). I guess LFS aren't so keen on those types of live bacteria products due to their much shorter shelf life and additional storage conditions.

[happydanio123]

I use "Aged" Aquarium water for watering my potted plants and I must say aquarium water has numerous benefits on these plants! However, keeping these bottles of water might breed mosquitos if not capped tight so I won't try to keep water for more than a week. However, it's an interesting idea and perhaps I'll try that one day!

[BFG]

I use "Aged" Aquarium water for watering my potted plants and I must say aquarium water has numerous benefits on these plants! However, keeping these bottles of water might breed mosquitos if not capped tight so I won't try to keep water for more than a week. However, it's an interesting idea and perhaps I'll try that one day!

That is a great way to recycle water . Using the nutrient rich water to feed to the terrestrial plants, how many of us are actually doing this? I believe we have a part to play in our little island, we have very little resource, every little thing that we could change to help the environment is a good thing. Helps us to save money on watering the plants.

[wisfox]

I totally do this, both for my indoor plants and - with pond water - some of the outdoor ones, too.

Why not, right?

[tetrakid]

...
... On the otherhand, i've seen companies selling the actual real living bacteria species too, but those types of bacteria have to be stored in a nutrient solution (so that they have food to sustain themselves) and they have to be kept refrigerated (to lower their metabolism and prolong their lifespan). I guess LFS aren't so keen on those types of live bacteria products due to their much shorter shelf life and additional storage conditions.

Anyone can also set up a business specializing in selling live bacteria starter colonies for aquatic hobbyists. What is needed is a big tankful of suitably sized sponges. In my opinion, this is far superior than dried bb sold in canisters or packets.

Of course for it to be viable, one would need to first acquire good knowledge of all aspects pertaining to the 'craft'.

Hobbyists are all eager to quickstart their beloved setups without the often agonizing long wait. Thus there is a ready market for the product.

[tetrakid]

@Spiffer

I swear by clean and aged (few days old) tap water. I have seen my new fish enjoy and survive in it countless times in years. ( I have also seen healthy and hardy fish die within hours when put in a container of fresh water from the tap).

Thus, I don't see any point in keeping 'mature' tank water. For what you know, that water may not even be optimal for the fish existing in it, especially not forgetting that one needs to do water changes to reduce toxicity. Also, preserved tank water may deteriorate in time due to changes brought about by the many micro-organisms present in it, and thus may become very toxic to fish.

[spiffer]

@Spiffer

I swear by clean and aged (few days old) tap water. I have seen my new fish enjoy and survive in it countless times in years. ( I have also seen healthy and hardy fish die within hours when put in a container of fresh water from the tap).

Thus, I don't see any point in keeping 'mature' tank water. For what you know, that water may not even be optimal for the fish existing in it, especially not forgetting that one needs to do water changes to reduce toxicity. Also, preserved tank water may deteriorate in time due to changes brought about by the many micro-organisms present in it, and thus may become very toxic to fish.

Thanks that's what i thought too, in the end i've just been storing aged tap water (few days old) in bottles and pouring my old tap water on the trees in my neighbourhood


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[tetrakid]

Thanks that's what i thought too, in the end i've just been storing aged tap water (few days old) in bottles and pouring my old tap water on the trees in my neighbourhood
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Yes, waste water from water changes is good for watering garden plants, but the nutrient content (nitrates, tds, etc) may be low if it's from a planted tank.

It's good to always have a big container for storing aged water, eg a jerican, bucket, or a big drum. But make sure it is covered with netting to prevent mosquitos breeding or dead insects, etc contaminating it. For this reason, it is good not to leave aged water for too long. Use it up within a week or so.

Aged water is also great for use when starting a new tank seeded with live bacteria. If fresh tap water is used to start a new tank, it will take hell of a longer time for bacterial propagation to get going. This is because any added bacteria will immediately be killed by the chemicals present in the fresh tap water. Thus, even with ammonia present, bacterial propagation will be severely inhibited. This is worthy of note.