R/o Water

[stanleo]

I have been using 100% R/O water and not treating it with anything for 18 months. I have not had anything die until the last 2 months and I have lost an angelfish, 2 neon tetras, 2 orange tetras and a cory. and all my assassin snails. I was in the chat room and someone said that using straight R/O water was a bad idea. Is he right? And what should I do about this die off I am having. It seems like they are getting a swimbladder infection. for days they swim like they are going against a current trying to reach the top of the tank. But only 1 fish gets it at a time. Its very weird. Please help!

 

[Tuxyu3]

Using pure RO (presumably full-on RO/DI?) water without supplementing it with anything will remove beneficial vitamins, minerals and other things fish and plants need for long-term good health. I would not be willing to hazard a guess at whether the use of RO water is a major factor in the illness of your fish without a more detailed description but it can not be helping. There are several supplements that people use to replace the good things removed during the process of creating RO water, you should be able to find them pretty easily.

 

[fluttermoth]

Yes, he's right. All animals and (plants, for that matter) need a certain amount of minerals in their surroundings, as well as in their diet, and there won't be any in RO water; also it may be affecting their osmotic potential (basically, the fish will be constantly absorbing water; more than they've evolved to deal with), so that could certainly be effecting their health.
 
It's difficult to be sure if that's the cause of your deaths, though; there are so many other factors that could be relevant.
 
How big is your tank, what filtration are you running, what's your maintenance regime (water changes, exact details of how you clean your filter) and do you have any test results for your water (pH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate)?

 

[Joshwainwright]

I don't know much about it but I presume you're supposed to treat it in some way and possibly filter it? A number of forum users use runoff water though so maybe they will come across the thread and be able to help

 

[Shelster]

I use RO water and buffer it with a product called tropic Marin.
http/www.tropic-marin.com/web/english/produkte/re_min_t.htm

If its tropical make sure you don't accidentally get the marine fish one.

As the PH is also very low I buffer it too.


http/www.waterlife.co.uk/waterlife/72buffer.htm

Do you have water test kits?

Your PH may well be off the scale?

 

[DrRob]

RO is very soft, so is prone to pH swings, and, as stated above, lacks various minerals that the fish and other stock need.
 
There are a multitude of ways to cut RO water with things to get a better result. Some mix with tap water (which, for me, partly defeats the point) others add proprietary salts. Personally I add powders in my own recipe based on stuff from the EI fertiliser regieme with a few extras.

 

[stanleo]

I put carbon and iron suppliments in the tank weekly for my plants. Is that enough? My Ph stays constant at 6.5 everytime I test and the ammonia and nitrite is 0 but the nitrate was at 50 a week ago. I have been doing 20% water changes daily and when I tested today the nitrate was at 20. Am I doing the right thing? And you ae right the R/O makes the water very soft. Should I add something that will up the hardness? And to answer some other questions, its a 29 gal aquarium with a canister filter that is rated for a 75 gal tank. Thanks for the advise. Glad I got on this forum.