1
6
K O I C A R P
A N N T E L F O R D
ratings are based on warm water/free
chlorine testing, its effective performance
life will be far shorter than expected,
when treating colder, UK tap water
containing chloramine, for fish use.
Fishkeepers often rely on resins to
reduce dissolved toxic metals for koi
protection. There are many resins
on the market. Some perform better
than others, but their exhaustion pattern
is similar.
DISSOLVED METAL REDUCING
RESINS
Figure 5 (p17) illustrates how the
effective life of resins is shortened by the
amount of dissolved toxic metals in the
water. The larger the amount of these
metals, the shorter the resin life.
All, and higher, values of total
influent dissolved toxic metals shown in
Figure 5 can be found in UK tap waters.
Even reducing relatively small amounts
of dissolved toxic metals has led to koi
health improvement.
Figure 5 shows clearly that no resin
cartridge will treat the same amount of
water on all the different tap waters in
the UK for efficient koi protection. If an
estimated long effective life is given for a
dissolved metals reducing resin, then
that life will be based on very small
amounts of metals in the water. If larger
The third test in Figure 8 was
undertaken on a new and separate
cartridge. The flow-rate was increased to
1.5 UK gallons per minute. It was found
that after only 1,700 UK gallons of
water treatment, the cartridge could be
seen as exhausted.
Whatever the height, or the diameter,
of an activated carbon cartridge – if its
a relatively small amount of water had
passed through the cartridges, the results
demonstrate that on this type of tap
water the cartridge’s reduction of total
chlorine was low. At its best-recorded
performance level of 27.9% reduction,
the activated carbon block left about
72.1% of the total chlorine remaining in
the ‘fish’ water.
TOTAL
CHLORINE TESTING OF ACTIVATED CARBON BLOCK CARTRIDGES ON UNHEATED UK TAP WATER
Cartridge Size
Flow Rate
Amount
of Water
Amount
of
Amount of
Reduction
About
10” Height
Passed
Through
Total
Chlorine
Total
Chlorine
Performance
by about 2.5”
Cartridge
in
Tap Water
Left
in Water
in Diameter.
Before Treatment
After Treatment
RESULTS
Test
parameters
0.7 UK gallons
Sample value recorded
0.43 mg/l Total Chlorine: 0.31 mg/l Total
Achieved 27.9%
1st
Sample:
per minute
after 42 UK gallons of
Consisting of a mixture
Chlorine: Consisting
Reduction.
Taken
from
(Less than 1 US
water had been passed
of Free Chlorine and
of a mixture of Free
Therefore cartridge
Purifier
(A)
gallon per minute)
through the cartridge.
Chloramine.
Chlorine and
left 72.1% Total
Chloramine.
Chlorine remaining
in the treated water.
Test
parameters
0.7 UK gallons
Sample value recorded
0.43 mg/l Total Chlorine: 0.32 mg/l Total
Achieved 25.6%
2nd
Sample:
per minute
after a total of 819 UK
Consisting of a mixture
Chlorine: Consisting Reduction.
Taken
from
(Less than 1 US
gallons had been passed
of Free Chlorine and
of a mixture of Free
Therefore cartridge
Purifier
(A)
gallon per minute)
through the same cartridge
Chloramine.
Chlorine and
left 74.4% Total
as above (Sample 1).
Chloramine
Chlorine remaining
in the treated water
Test
parameters
1.5 UK gallons
Sample value recorded
0.45 mg/l Total Chlorine: 0.46 mg/l Total
No significant
Sample
Taken
per minute
after a total of 1,700 UK
Consisting of a mixture
Chlorine: Consisting
change in Total
from
Purifier (B)
(Approx. 1.8 US
gallons had been passed
of Free Chlorine and
of a mixture of Free
Chlorine
(Separate test to
gallons per
through the cartridge.
Chloramine.
Chlorine and
concentration.
samples 1 & 2,
minute)
Chloramine.
new cartridge used)
Data based on independent, UK, NAMAS
accredited laboratory test results, testing undertaken on unheated UK tap water.
Unaltered tap water was used; no additional chlorines were added for testing purposes.
Note: The total chlorine in the tested tap water is less than the previously established UK average for total chlorine of about 0.50 mg/l.
1 x US gallon is the equivalent to about 0.83 UK gallons.
Tap water varies greatly in the UK.
Some needs a bit of tweeking whilst
others need more drastic intervention
