reverse osmosis water for guppies

[Desperado070]

I'm gonna buy a reverse osmosis filter and was wondering what I need to make it good for guppies.
I also already got seachem equilibrium (increases GH) and guess I also have to buy the seachem alkaline buffer?

Is there anything else I'm gonna need?

Then another question, what would be safe to increase, for example me GH is now 7, would I have to increase that by 1 after every water change until the target has been reached?
same for KH?

 

[utahfish]

I'm gonna buy a reverse osmosis filter and was wondering what I need to make it good for guppies.
I also already got seachem equilibrium (increases GH) and guess I also have to buy the seachem alkaline buffer?

Is there anything else I'm gonna need?

Then another question, what would be safe to increase, for example me GH is now 7, would I have to increase that by 1 after every water change until the target has been reached?
same for KH?

Go to rotolabutterfly.com they have a nutrient calculator one can use. Seachem equilibrium is meant to bring water to 7.0 dgh for planted tank. RO water of course is zero DGH so one would have to double the dose to get the DGH around 14 for livebearers. Or one can just purchase the ingredients in equalibrium and dose to dgh yourself. Equilibrium is calcium sulfate magnesium sulfate and potassium sulfate( potash) and some iron sulfate and manganese The potassium iron and manganese doesnt have any effect on the DGH its mainly for the plants, the Calcium and Magnesium are what raise DGH. While equilibrium uses calcium sulfateCalcium Chloride can be purchased cheaper in 2 gallon buckets at swimming pool stores for about 10$ or one can get calcium sulfate at most gardening stores. magnesium sulfate is just Epsom salt that can be purchased at any drug store for cheap. If one chooses to go that way, again rotolabutterfly.com dosing calculator us fairly easy to use. Also keep in mind when mixing calcium chloride and magnesium sulfate to dissolve seperately as when mixed together they bond and becone hard and difficult to dissolve. Or one can just use equilibrium also dont worry about the alkaline buffer waste of money. The equilibrium will raise the KH as well. I use the calcium chloride instead of calcium sulfate because its less expensive and dont need the ecxess sulfate already in the potassium iron and manganese sulfate.Iron sulfate is useless iron to plants as they have a tough time utilizing it but thats beside the point. Good luck.

 

[Byron]

My first question--is there a reason you think RO is needed? If your tap water is now GH 7 (is this dGH, or ppm?) it would be much less effort and expense to just increase the GH with the tap water. RO does waste a lot of water.

Second question--are there any fish species aside from guppies here?

To your question on the Seachem Equilibrium and alkaline buffer...no. Equilibrium is not sufficient for fish. Seachem's Replenish is intended to increase GH for fish needs [this is one method, there are others that may work better and be considerably less expensive once we know the data]. As for the alkaline buffer, Seachem says this is for planted tanks, not fish.

We should be able to better respond once we know the above info, and also please give us the GH, KH and pH of your tap water.

 

[Desperado070]

DH from the test kits that is dGH right?

My water parameters are:

PH 7.8
KH 4 or 5 = 71 -89ppm (it says until blue, but 4 is light blue, 5 dark)
GH 7 = 125ppm

guppies only and ramhorn snails

It is double, at the moment just want the best for me fish as soon as posible.
But the prime is also something I wanna get rid of because that stuf is just poison.
And i'm not really wanting to test me water for those every time I need to do a water change.

So what would be an easy way to increase, lets say KH by 2 and GH by atleast 5 so I end up with KH of 6 and a GH of 12 to begin with for now?

 

[Essjay]

With the KH tester it's the colour change you need not the depth of colour. With the API KH tester, for example, the KH is the number of drops where the colour changes from blue to yellow.

How are you testing your GH, with strips or a liquid tester? If it's liquid, which make?


Since you want to make the water harder you don't need RO, you need hardness minerals. The usual recommendation is to add Rift Lake Cichlid salts. These should be added to the new water at every water change before it is put in the tank.



If you don't like Prime, just switch to another water conditioner. I use API Tap Water Conditioner.

 

[Byron]

DH from the test kits that is dGH right?

Probably. The API kit says one drop is 1 dGH.

PH 7.8
KH 4 or 5 (it says until blue, but 4 is light blue, 5 dark)
GH 7

The pH is fine. GH at 7 is low for livebearers so this can be increased. You want at least 10 dGH, but higher is no problem as you only have guppies and snails, and these are harder water species.

This is a clear case of where a calcareous substrate will solve your problems. You can use the sands made for rift lake cichlids. Marine sands may have sodium chloride (sea salt) and you do not want that. Years ago I used a dolomite substrate. There are also aragonite sands which may be missing the magnesium though there is a product CarribSea makes that has crushed coral and aragonite and added magnesium sulfate. Once you have one of these substrates, that is the end of soft water issues. The GH will lower a tad at water changes (temporary) but the long-term buffering will not make this a problem.

The other method is to use the rift lake salt mix (mineral salts, again not common sea salt in this) and prepare the water outside the tank at every water change. More work and expense.

 

[utahfish]

DH from the test kits that is dGH right?

My water parameters are:

PH 7.8
KH 4 or 5 (it says until blue, but 4 is light blue, 5 dark)
GH 7

guppies only and ramhorn snails

It is double, at the moment just want the best for me fish as soon as posible.
But the prime is also something I wanna get rid of because that stuf is just poison.
And i'm not really wanting to test me water for those every time I need to do a water change.

So what would be an easy way to increase, lets say KH by 2 and GH by atleast 5 so I end up with KH of 6 and a GH of 12 to begin with for now?

Go to rotola butterfly calculator like i suggested earlier. GH is measure of calcium and magnesium. Calcium sulfate or chloride and magnesoum sulfate are all easily obtainable.
If one has a measuring spoon and a bucket one can dry dose pretty simply.
I use RO water not just because i live in a hard water area and have soft water fish but because i dont trust all the other crap in my tap water from fluoride arsenic lead chromium phosohates nitrates and who knows what else. With RO water i know exactly whats in the water, which is whatever i put in it. The nutrient calculator on rotolabutterfly.com is simple to use. If not the next easiest way to increase GH is through calcium carbonate from crushed coral, some people will use those bird cuttle bones some use crushed egg shell but with those its a crap shoot as the levels arent as stable ir measurable. Which is why i use calcium chloride and magnesium sulfate to remineralize my RO water. I also dislike using prime.

 

[utahfish]

With the KH tester it's the colour change you need not the depth of colour. With the API KH tester, for example, the KH is the number of drops where the colour changes from blue to yellow.

How are you testing your GH, with strips or a liquid tester? If it's liquid, which make?


Since you want to make the water harder you don't need RO, you need hardness minerals. The usual recommendation is to add Rift Lake Cichlid salts. These should be added to the new water at every water change before it is put in the tank.



If you don't like Prime, just switch to another water conditioner. I use API Tap Water Conditioner.

Most Rift lake salts have sodium chloride in them. Seachem cichlid salt uses magnesium chloride and calcium sulfate. It also has potassium and iron alumminum and selenium zinc and iodine which have nothing to do with GH or are needed for guppies.
The easiest way to raise GH is by adding calcium and magnesium in a meaurable form. I use calcium chloride and magnesium sulfate because its the least expensive of the cal/ mag combinations. All the other trace minerals are in liquid fert like flourish. Rift lake salts are specifically designed for rift lake cichlids not to mention they are expensive and as far as i know there isnt a guppy mix though if there is im sure its a waste of money as well.

 

[Essjay]

I thought that, but Colin_T always recommended Rift Lake salts so I, perhaps foolishly, assumed they were OK.

 

[Desperado070]

Actually same thing here, I don't like a substrate or crushed coral in some way or another in the tank because I don't know what is going on.
It is the same for cycling tanks, hence why I cycle me tanks fish-less with ammonium chloride powder, I know what I put in so I know what comes out.
With corals it could be fine if you do weekly changes but if you miss a week or two because of reasons, if not longer, who knows what it is doing.

With prime I don't mean just prime, I mean all water conditioners so yes in the end i'm gonna need to go RO anyway.

I'm still getting me head around what is what, started this all a year ago with no knowledge whatsoever beside leaving it stand for 6 weeks...
But yes since 5 (females) turned out to be 83 by now? started with a 5 gallon, got now 2 30 gallons and 1 60 gallon. (not to mentioned me smaller tanks but those are offline atm)
I'm not saying they doing bad on me tap water, I just know they can do better after the little experience.

The liquid test kits are from Colombo, a dutch brand which except if you live in the uk you never heard of.
Basically just the API test kit re-branded... (in mine opinion works even better than the JBL set, had that one to)

@utahfish

I read over it the first time, so I could use this to increase me GH for now? (seachem equilibrium)
It is not about the price, just yet, I have a big pot of this already so and once we go RO we gotta change the plan anyway.
First you tell me not to use it, secondly you tell everything to increase GH is inside there?!?

Guaranteed Analysis Amounts per 1 g
Soluble Potash (K2O)	23.0%
Calcium (Ca)	8.06%
Magnesium (Mg)	2.41%
Iron (Fe)	0.11%
Manganese (Mn)	0.06%

(To raise mineral content/general hardness (GH) by 1 meq/L (3 dH), add 16 g (1 tablespoon) for every 80 L)
so how can it be meant to bring the water to GH 7 ? it says it increases the GH, no where does it says only until 7...

And at the begin I was wondering that if I go to RO would seachem equilibrium and an alkaline buffer be enough. for now it is a waste the alkaline but what if you got RO and you start with GH0 KH0?

 

[Desperado070]

It is easier to just explain something in an easy way than to expect someone with no knowledge to understand you calculators.
I need to increase my GH by atleast 3, can I do that at once or do I have to increase by 1 after every water change?

I GOT seachem equilibrium, would that do? if not, why not?
(if not) What would work? (name brand etc etc... and no i'm not gonna mix sht i don't know sht about)

 

[seangee]

I use a product called Salty Shrimp GH/KH+. It has everything needed in a single product and dosage is simple.
Adding one scoop for every 10 litres raises the GH by 6, so you would use half of this.
if you simply add it to the water you are adding the GH will gradually increase at a safe rate. (only dose for what you are adding - not what is already in the tank.)

I don't like Seachem equilibrium because (in addition to what @Byron has already posted)

1. Seachem says you need 2 products and have to experiment to get the balance right
2. it does not dissolve properly
3. It makes the water yellow

 

[Byron]

It is easier to just explain something in an easy way than to expect someone with no knowledge to understand you calculators.
I need to increase my GH by atleast 3, can I do that at once or do I have to increase by 1 after every water change?

I GOT seachem equilibrium, would that do? if not, why not?
(if not) What would work? (name brand etc etc... and no i'm not gonna mix sht i don't know sht about)

I already outlined in post #3 that Equilibrium is not the right additive. It does not provide what the fish need, it is geared for plants. Raising the GH to "x" does not mean we are providing the fish with what is required, unless we use a product specifically intended for that purpose.

If you use mineral salts designed for hard water fish species, you must mix the water outside the aquarium, and then add it when it is at the intended GH. In the case of hardwater fish as here, the sooner you get them into suitable water thee better, so once you have the correct product(s) just increase the GH of the replacement water to the intended level. This will dilute in the tank obviously, but the next water change will increase the overall GH more, etc.

 

[Desperado070]

I already outlined in post #3 that Equilibrium is not the right additive. It does not provide what the fish need, it is geared for plants. Raising the GH to "x" does not mean we are providing the fish with what is required, unless we use a product specifically intended for that purpose.

If you use mineral salts designed for hard water fish species, you must mix the water outside the aquarium, and then add it when it is at the intended GH. In the case of hardwater fish as here, the sooner you get them into suitable water thee better, so once you have the correct product(s) just increase the GH of the replacement water to the intended level. This will dilute in the tank obviously, but the next water change will increase the overall GH more, etc.

Yes you did, but someone else told me first not to use it and then "or you can just use Equilibrium" so yes it wasn't very clear.

Was thinking about changing 20% every time until they are close if not at the level I want them. (every day or every other day)

So today the trip to the fish store, they said guppies are fine and they don't really need the extra minerals.
First the GH+ and KH+ until I mentioned the shrimp salt so from there on I had the option to buy two, "shrimp king shrimp salt GH+/KH+" and "shrimp king sulawesi salt GH+/KH+".
So I've got "shrimp king shrimp salt GH+/KH+", already tested it in a 10L bucket, did 50% of what they said and me water already looks much better.
Even the PH did only change a little bit which I was afraid for at first...
PH 7.8>8 KH 4>6 GH 7>11.

So does this have the right minerals, "shrimp king shrimp salt GH+/KH+"?

 

[Desperado070]

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