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Using RO water

6K views 12 replies 5 participants last post by  Andrew 
#1 ·
Do i need to add anything to the RO water to make it fish safe?
 
#3 ·
The reason i am using RO water is because pretty soon i am going to be doing a saltwater and i will need RO anyway
I do not have my own ro filter but i get it from a vending machine at a grocery store i keep it in 5 gallon jugs It is 39 cents a gallon so thats pretty sweet
My dad recemended i use it because we have well water and we have a water softener(adds salt)and we were not sure if it was good for the fish.
Is there negetives to using ro water?
Should i stop using ro and just use my well water?
 
#4 ·
i agree!! R/O water is the way to go with aquaria, that way you are completely in control of the water chemistry you are not victim to the spikes of pollution in tap water.

You will have to harden the water, i use mineral salt from sera and i then boost the hardness with KH plus from sera, the harder the water the more CO2 it will absorb before pH crash sets in.

I dose every 5gallon of r/o water with a palm of mineral salt, 7ml of KH plus, 7ml of plant fertiliser.
 
#7 ·
trreherd said:
and y do you use plant fertalizers?is it for the plants or is there a different reason?
Not really necessary with the sufficient nutrients available in your tank however they can be added to ensure enough supply of nutrients.
In my case, I stopped using ferts.:mrgreen: Yet my plants are still growing like crazy.:blink:

Every lfs and even chain stores should carry them in stock.:wink2:
 
#8 ·
Well i use fert for plants because i am using R/O water which has nothing in it, mineral salt is really for the fish so their scales function correctly, but it also helps open pours of plants. The fert is the food for the plnts, fih waste can only do so much, plants need iron to grow well. If you dont have enough iron in your tank you will see your plants turn yellow or pale green.

You probably wont see it in aerage stores even in america, you will prob have to go to a dedicated aquatic store, or buy it online.

Take care of your plants and they will take care of your tank for you. I always say there is a difference between your plants surviving and just growing toward the light, and your plants thriving where they are happy at the level they are planted and grow along/out as well as up. I know my tank would not look as good if i didnt use fert, and it wll improve further when i start to use ada daily fert.
 
#9 ·
You will see the better high end RO/DI filters in the high end LFS/LPS. Places like Petsmart or Petco only buy those cheap filters that does not remove allot of the minerals. Since you will eventually go with salt water, look into buying an RO/DI unit that removes 99% of the particulates in the water. These units are at minimum, 3 stage units. Don't forget, RO/DI units produce the water in gallons/liters per day, so it will take a LONG time to produce enough water to fill a tank. So you can select between 30 GPD (Gallon per day) or 60 GPD units for example. Therefore, you will need to store the water, so make sure you look into a water storage container. You can use food grade water drums, but they are usually expensive. Most people just use garbage cans made by Rubber Made.

FYI, RO/DI units produce allot of waste water, so it's normally best to plumb the system close to a fresh water pipe and also a drainage pipe. Allot of people I know use the waste water created, which contains allot of the minerals, for their planted tanks, FW aquariums, watering household plants. I even know a guy who raises CBW (california black worms) with the waste water.
 
#11 ·
I'm going to put my 2 cents in too hope you don't mind......
If you are going to buy a RO unit spend the extra $$$ and get one that doesn't waste water....it will save you money in the long run! The more your well pump comes on the more your (or your dads) electric bill will be. Trust me on this one, I have a 50gal a day RO unit (at it's best) and I use a lot of water! I'm also on a well! Another good point to make is with only a 50gal a day RO unit I always have to thank ahead. The Deion 200R RO unit puts out 200gal a day and you can regenerate the resin filters. (in other words your well pump will not come on as must saving you money and you have a lot more usable water)Here is a quote from petsolutions.com

petsolutions.com said:
Deion 200R

This three-stage tap water filtration system produces pure water without producing any waste water. The first stage is a carbon prefilter to remove chlorine and other organic matter. The second stage is a Cation resin capable of removing positively charges ions (calcium, magnesium, and other metals) from the water. The third stage is an Anion resin that will remove all negatively charged ions (phosphates, silicates, carbonates, bicarbonates, chloride, and nitrates). The result is removal of 99% of all ions in tap water giving pure water for use in any type of aquarium application. Each resin has color indicators to signal exhaustion. Since the resins are in seperate chambers, they can be regenerated and reused over and over. Capable of producing 200 gallons per day, with regeneration of the resin, it costs just pennies per gallon to produce pure water. Easily connects to a faucet and includes Jaco tubing to direct the water flow.
 
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