NSW and heavy metals?

[MartinM]

Hello, I’m wanting to purchase NSW from a vendor that specializes in providing it for aquarists. However, I’ve heard reports about heavy metals in NSW due to metal boat bilges being used to store and transport the water. The vendor only filters with micron filtration and UV sterilization, so if I used this water I’d want a relatively convenient way to minimize the risk. Is there a particular granular media or resin I could/should use to remove harmful heavy metals? I would also imagine if effective, it would also remove trace elements?

Or, is the risk of excessive heavy metals relatively low?

I’m asking because my choices for NSW mix are somewhat limited in my country, and I’ve had really good experience with NSW when I lived elsewhere, so I was hoping to use this.

Thank you!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Which company?

Any effort to remove metals may also remove metals you want.

 

[jfoahs04]

Is there any way to get your hands on a small volume of water from them and conduct an ICP test or two to see if there's even an issue to begin with? I'd worry that blindly treating for heavy metals would negate some of the benefits of using NSW as you'd eliminate some of the "good stuff" too. Doesn't seem worth it without identifying a problem to start with.

Metals leeching from the bilge/storage certainly seems plausible. But it's hard to say without knowing the company, the type of boat(s) they use (specifically, the material of the bilge), how they transfer the water from boat to storage, how they store the water onshore, etc.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

FWIW, the Catalina waer company actually posted their data, and it was terrible. That was a long time ago, but their marketing guy must have been asleep at the switch. lol

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Still posted:

Aquarium Salt Water | Real Ocean Saltwater | Commercial Saltwater | Buy Saltwater

Catalina Water Company provides Real ocean saltwater for home and commercial aquariums, buy saltwater for your aquarium

www.catalinawater.com

Calcum 0.004 ppm. Seriously, what a moronic report for seawater. I sure hope it is not accurate. lol

 

[MartinM]

Thanks all, that was my thought as well.

This is the company: https://www.bluelab.jp/products/detail.php?product_id=50

After a phone inquiry it appears that they don’t have control over what boats are used, so I suspect they are resellers. I’d have to ICP every batch before a water change to be safe, which would be impractical.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Thanks all, that was my thought as well.

This is the company: https://www.bluelab.jp/products/detail.php?product_id=50

After a phone inquiry it appears that they don’t have control over what boats are used, so I suspect they are resellers. I’d have to ICP every batch before a water change to be safe, which would be impractical.

Oh, didn't see you are in Japan. lol

I don't recall hearing anything about that product before.