Awesome news, thanku
I will get some asap
A species only 60L tank
- Thread starter redpanda
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I will get some asap
Retired Viking
Fish Connoisseur
I hope to have fry so I dropped my water PPM down to 50ppm. I am lucky in the fact that I am on city water that is run through their RO plant. City well water is 228-235 but the lake water is run though the RO plant and my tap water is at 134ppm. I just happen to live in the right part of town. Many bottle water suppliers have RO water. There is a refill station that I can refill my 5 gallon water jugs. They are the same jugs that are on top of water coolers.
Be cautious of spring water. That is not pure water and will contain minerals so you will have to look at the analysis on the label. And its quite fashionable for spring water to be hard because some quack started a craze by saying that you should only drink highly basic water - and loads of people believe that.
It also means you have to stick with the same brand - and if its a "budget brand" even then be careful as they may get their spring water from different sources. RO or distilled water is your best bet as you know exactly what you are getting that way.
It also means you have to stick with the same brand - and if its a "budget brand" even then be careful as they may get their spring water from different sources. RO or distilled water is your best bet as you know exactly what you are getting that way.
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Ooh thanks for the tip, I shop at asda so was going to buy from there but I will be careful! So I want just water no added minerals etc?
Yes, that's right. Next time you are in Asda look at the labels on the bottled water and you'll see how much they contain - look for calcium and magnesium as they are the hardness minerals.
It is pure water that is used to reduce hardness - reverse osmosis (RO), distilled, deionised etc.
It is pure water that is used to reduce hardness - reverse osmosis (RO), distilled, deionised etc.
This is a screen shot of Asda's own brand still water..... should the calcium and magnesium be as low as possible or is this ok?
This would be a lot easier for me to get but if it's not good enough I will keep trying to find a way to get ro water.
Maybe my local pet shop could help me, or I could find a family member who would drive to pick it up for me hmmm
Attachments
I would prefer to use something with zero calcium and magnesium to lower hardness. Those levels will give a hardness round about 7 to 8 dH.
Until I can sort out some ro water will this still be better than my tap water?
I'm sorry, I am getting confused with all the numbers
Sorry for the confusion.
To summarise:
Your tap water hardness is 16 dH. Bronze cories can go as high as 11 dH while pygmy cories can only go up to 9 dH. Your tap water is too hard for them.
The Asda water has a hardness somewhere between 6 and 9 dH. This is a good hardness for cories.
But it would need to be all bottled water not a mixture or the hardness would still be too high, certainly for the pygmies.
Using all Asda water would mean using 30 litres a week to do water changes on a 60 litre tank - that's 15 bottles. And there's the other consideration mentioned by seangee - Asda may not stick with the same water supply, they may change it.
The other problem in changing from your tap water to Asda water and later changing back to your tap water mixed in with some form of pure water is that you would be switching back and forth between waters with different chemistry. This is not very good for fish. If this was my tank, I'd stick with all tap water until you can sort out some RO water.
To summarise:
Your tap water hardness is 16 dH. Bronze cories can go as high as 11 dH while pygmy cories can only go up to 9 dH. Your tap water is too hard for them.
The Asda water has a hardness somewhere between 6 and 9 dH. This is a good hardness for cories.
But it would need to be all bottled water not a mixture or the hardness would still be too high, certainly for the pygmies.
Using all Asda water would mean using 30 litres a week to do water changes on a 60 litre tank - that's 15 bottles. And there's the other consideration mentioned by seangee - Asda may not stick with the same water supply, they may change it.
The other problem in changing from your tap water to Asda water and later changing back to your tap water mixed in with some form of pure water is that you would be switching back and forth between waters with different chemistry. This is not very good for fish. If this was my tank, I'd stick with all tap water until you can sort out some RO water.
ClownLurch
Fish Gatherer
There’s smallish RO water converters on eBay and amazon for under £50 new. Problem is they waste more than twice the water they RO. Best to get it plumbed so that the waste is saved for watering the garden.
We are gonna get ours eventually plumbed to a temporary plywood board that’ll attach to garden tap fitting and fill RO container and big garden water container at same time. Then disconnect it until reqd next week. Keeping a emergency container full just in case. It’s January I’m worried about!
We are gonna get ours eventually plumbed to a temporary plywood board that’ll attach to garden tap fitting and fill RO container and big garden water container at same time. Then disconnect it until reqd next week. Keeping a emergency container full just in case. It’s January I’m worried about!
Treestone
Fish Fanatic
If you live in a good area, mixing rainwater is a good option
Thanku to everyone for your help
good news!!!! I have found somewhere to get ro water from now and I have also found a willing person to go get it for me
So I have ordered more pygmys to increase my total and I will be using mostly ro water in their tank.
I'm thinking at least a 50/50 split between ro and treated tap water? Then after that my subsequent water changes will be split the same ie if I take 40L out I will replace with 20L ro and 20L tap.
How does that sound to everyone?
good news!!!! I have found somewhere to get ro water from now and I have also found a willing person to go get it for me
So I have ordered more pygmys to increase my total and I will be using mostly ro water in their tank.
I'm thinking at least a 50/50 split between ro and treated tap water? Then after that my subsequent water changes will be split the same ie if I take 40L out I will replace with 20L ro and 20L tap.
How does that sound to everyone?
I followed your advice and waited till I found ro water thanku for explaining it so clearly
Hope my lil guys are happy with their new water!
Treestone
Fish Fanatic
Theortically sounds good but its always good to test it before you use it, great news you've found a source of RO water
.Yes definitely will test it first, I trust the aquatic shop I got it from but you can never be too careful!Theortically sounds good but its always good to test it before you use it, great news you've found a source of RO water
New babies come on Friday and I have some cherry shrimp ordered aswell any advice for which tank they should be in? The half and half tank or the big tank with harder water fish?
Or their own tank all together I have a 40L they couldbe on there own in if needs be? But I would prefer not to have yet another tank up and running I need a bigger house for all my tanks, no one warned me how addictive fish are!!!!
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