Bandi Posted September 30, 2010 Report Share Posted September 30, 2010 I spent 5 days in Calgary with my mom and left my husband to care for all the fish during my absence. He phoned me up a few days ago to tell me we lost several fish from a colony we keep (total of 16 died when all was said and done) and a couple from another tank. He tested all water perameters and found them to be within the correct range and was baffled. The next day he got thinking about what the two tanks that lost fish had in common. Then he remembered he bought a new rubber hose to better service our needs in the fish room. He did water changes to both these tanks using the new hose to refill the tanks. Could this be the culprit? Is there something to be said about spending the big bucks and buying a Python hose from the fish store? We got to thinking...we have been heavily into fish for 1.5 years now and have always used an old rubber hose to service the tanks. We have never before had a massive dye off before now. Could a new hose contain contaminants that olders hoses have already washed out? Any insight would be appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BettaFishMommy Posted September 30, 2010 Report Share Posted September 30, 2010 (edited) garden hoses, from what i have read, are treated with anti-mildew agents on the inside. that could be the culprit. i've always used the tubing from my gravel vac or clear plumbing tubing from home depot. Edited September 30, 2010 by BettaFishMommy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
t-man Posted September 30, 2010 Report Share Posted September 30, 2010 Do you have well water or town? If it's town, did your husband treat the water after he changed it. It could have been something in the water or heavy chlorine. Sometimes even well water can have contaminants. Lots of variables but IMO I don't think it would have been the hose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RD. Posted September 30, 2010 Report Share Posted September 30, 2010 Could a new hose contain contaminants that olders hoses have already washed out? Absolutely. As previously mentioned, some garden hoses can contain anti-mildew agents, as well as excessive heavy metal content, such as lead. http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Consumer/story?id=3369894&page=1&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312 Sorry to hear about your fish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
t-man Posted September 30, 2010 Report Share Posted September 30, 2010 (edited) Could a new hose contain contaminants that olders hoses have already washed out? Absolutely. As previously mentioned, some garden hoses can contain anti-mildew agents, as well as excessive heavy metal content, such as lead. http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Consumer/story?id=3369894&page=1&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312 Sorry to hear about your fish. Who new!! I guess thats why you are called RD, research and development. LOL Try this link and then she can decide for herself. http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=226791 Edited September 30, 2010 by t-man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted September 30, 2010 Report Share Posted September 30, 2010 I also use a rubber garden hose - it's got to be at least 8yrs old. In order to make sure there's little to no bad stuff in the line, I drain all my tanks first (runs about 120 gal through the hose), hopefully flushing out any crap. I also add about 20% more Prime than necessary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanGofCalgary Posted September 30, 2010 Report Share Posted September 30, 2010 As a policy I don't use vinyl or rubber garden hoses. All my hoses are the 'drinking water safe' types that you can buy for motor home/cottage useage. Typically they are white, or sometimes blue, but the color isn't a guarantee, just how the industry tries to differentiate them. With that said, some fish are not going to be as susceptible to this as others. Some will be hyper sensitive. Whether or not this caused it? I would guess very possibly, and I buy too many sensitive fish to take that chance. I have other far more interesting ways to kill them off. Also, as a note, keep in mind that the older the hose is, the more likely all the chemicals that might be leaching out are gone. So an 8 year old hose might have killed some fish when it was first used could be fine now. Personally, for the amount that some fish cost me, and the cost of these drinking water safe hoses, I don't like to take the chance. just one mans opinion. Peace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bandi Posted September 30, 2010 Author Report Share Posted September 30, 2010 Well, thank you all for your quick response. I guess we have learned something through this. Too bad learning has to be so costly, on a number of levels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairdeal Posted October 1, 2010 Report Share Posted October 1, 2010 As a general rule of thumb I change my rubber hose about every 2 years. There is a good reason that many are treated with anti mildew, mold, etc chemicals. Unless you can get every last drop of water out of the hose after use these creepy crawlies with eventually invade the hose and start to build up. Kinda like cholesterol of the hose. I use rubber as it doesn't kink up and become a pain in the derierre trying to keep water flowing through it but at the same time these are the ones that the Chinese manufacturers put lead in so it doesn't kink up. You can get untreated hose and without the lead but it takes time to read all the labels and make sure the hoses are safe. I've tried the hoses from the home improvement stores but found them to be difficult to keep uncoiled and laying flat on the ground. The last time I tried them there was also no labelling whatsoever so determining what they were made of and what they contained was impossible. I would rather spend extra for a hose I know for sure is fish safe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hustler Posted October 2, 2010 Report Share Posted October 2, 2010 I have never even thought of this..... all my tanks 180's 230's 300 ect have all been filled with my garden hose..... even the koi pond at moms..... garden hose..... Thats scary to think about now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
punman Posted October 2, 2010 Report Share Posted October 2, 2010 I use a "proper pet store" hose for my tank upstairs but it is too short for the basement tanks so I have been using a green garden hose down there for the last four years:frontosas, cyprichromis, featherfins, tropheus. Lots of "sensitive" fish and the garden hose does not seem to be a problem. I tend to go with the cheaper ones as they are more compact to store indoors. I have not lost an adult tropheus in the three years I have been keeping them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jet_ran Posted October 2, 2010 Report Share Posted October 2, 2010 I spent 5 days in Calgary with my mom and left my husband to care for all the fish during my absence. He phoned me up a few days ago to tell me we lost several fish from a colony we keep (total of 16 died when all was said and done) and a couple from another tank. He tested all water perameters and found them to be within the correct range and was baffled. The next day he got thinking about what the two tanks that lost fish had in common. Then he remembered he bought a new rubber hose to better service our needs in the fish room. He did water changes to both these tanks using the new hose to refill the tanks. Could this be the culprit? Is there something to be said about spending the big bucks and buying a Python hose from the fish store? We got to thinking...we have been heavily into fish for 1.5 years now and have always used an old rubber hose to service the tanks. We have never before had a massive dye off before now. Could a new hose contain contaminants that olders hoses have already washed out? Any insight would be appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jet_ran Posted October 2, 2010 Report Share Posted October 2, 2010 Maybe he forgot to add the dechlorinator or the sudden change in temperature between the tap water and the temperature in the fish tank could be the factor. I always age my water with a heater in the container. Hope the tips helps. Sorry for the loss Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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