Considering transitioning to RO

[BLK]

Hello,
The fish I’m most interested in prefer softer water but My tap water is hard.
I’m considering using RO and curious of those who use RO, what things have come up when transitioning to and maintaining the process that you would advise a beginner? Any Recommended readings?

thank you, happy fishing!

 

[PheonixKingZ]

I use RO water for my reef tank, and the unit I have now is great.

https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=L&ai=DChcSEwji5YLekubyAhVYHq0GHS49Bl4YABAFGgJwdg&ae=2&sig=AOD64_2_hq_1I2CmHWRgvUMyRXEc5IyrCg&ctype=5&q=&ved=2ahUKEwiv5fndkubyAhXrFzQIHVQKCwEQwg96BAgBEB4&adurl=

Super easy to use and setup.

 

[itiwhetu]

How hard is your hard water, You can soften water naturally which means your water still has the mineral content in it.

 

[BLK]

Thanks Pheonix.
We have several readily available 5 gallon containers of RO for drinking, which we refill regularly, that think will suit us okay for now. Any

How hard is your hard water, You can soften water naturally which means your water still has the mineral content in it.

How hard is your hard water, You can soften water naturally which means your water still has the mineral content in it.

Hi Itiwhetu,
My water hardness is 12 -200ppm with a pH of 8.2. I realize using RO means I need to supplement the beneficial minerals. What are natural ways to lower hardness that you recommend? Thanks!

 

[Avel1896]

I use RO water for years, a 5 steps system and I'm happy with it.

My water hardness is 12 -200ppm with a pH of 8.2.

What is precisely your KH ? This is the most important parameter that will allow to know which volume to change in osmosis water : it is necessary to lower the KH to 1 or 2 to modify the pH.

 

[Byron]

Before going down the rather involved road of RO, let's clarify the GH. A GH of 12-200 ppm is a huge range (unless there was a typo?). But even if 200ppm is correct, that is equivalent to 11 dH and that is only moderately hard. There are many fish suited to this, so we should know the fish species.

 

[BLK]

Before going down the rather involved road of RO, let's clarify the GH. A GH of 12-200 ppm is a huge range (unless there was a typo?). But even if 200ppm is correct, that is equivalent to 11 dH and that is only moderately hard. There are many fish suited to this, so we should know the fish species.

 

[BLK]

okay,

GH = 200
KH = 120
PH = 8.2

Pearl Gouramis
Celebes Rainbow
Zebra Danios

After the fact I discovered that hardness is only well suited for the Celebes.

Thanks.

 

[BLK]

okay,

GH = 200
KH = 120
PH = 8.2

Pearl Gouramis
Celebes Rainbow
Zebra Danios

After the fact I discovered that hardness is only well suited for the Celebes.

Thanks.

Can I make it work for everyone in the tank?

 

[Avel1896]

If you're speaking in ppm, it is :
GH = 11.2
KH = 6.75

pH = 8.2 make me think that something (soda ash?) is added to water source.

 

[itiwhetu]

With driftwood and peat and then heavily plant the tank, only perform 25% water changes weekly and your pH will come down to below 7. All good.

 

[BLK]

Adding more input to the mix, I ventured outward And spoke to 2 different aquarium store owners (avoided employees ) both of whom were less concerned about my water hardness of 200, and instead moderately concerned about the pH of 8.2. They both felt it worth while to lower it and mentioned the product Neutral Reg 7 by seachem. I’m going to look more into this product particularly it’s safety.

 

[itiwhetu]

I have never liked pH up or pH down products. It is to easy to get the calculation wrong and put the tank into pH shock.

 

[BLK]

I have never liked pH up or pH down products. It is to easy to get the calculation wrong and put the tank into pH shock.

With driftwood and peat and then heavily plant the tank, only perform 25% water changes weekly and your pH will come down to below 7. All good.

Aha, okay. Would rather do it naturally, than with chemicals. I have Mopani wood. Will that lower pH in the same way driftwood does? I’ll figure out how to incorporate the peat Moss into my tank.
Next big lesson: planting my tank! For another thread at another time.
I’ve learned so much over the last couple days. You folks are awesome! Thank you

 

[itiwhetu]

Aha, okay. Would rather do it naturally, than with chemicals. I have Mopani wood. Will that lower pH in the same way driftwood does? I’ll figure out how to incorporate the peat Moss into my tank.
Next big lesson: planting my tank! For another thread at another time.
I’ve learned so much over the last couple days. You folks are awesome! Thank you

Not peat moss but peat as in earthy stuff. You need to find out some information about Mopani wood I know nothing about it.