Hey guys, New 20 G FW Tank with a few Questions???

Dergoma · 01-19-2010, 10:59 PM

Hey guys, i was skimming and couldnt get the answer. I work for a Dialysis Unit and i have Easy access to Reverse Osmosis Water which is the water i had intended to use in the tank and what really got me into owning a tank, all i do is water all day lol. anyways, my question is, are there steps that i need to skip? do i still need to cycle even though im using 99% pure Isotonic Water with only TRACE Minerals? Do i need to add anything to the water since the Carbon and DI tanks pretty much get Rid of all harsh metals and electrolytes? i hope you get what im trying to say? any feedback is greatly appreciated.

Judge · 01-20-2010, 05:04 PM

Hello Dergoma and welcome to ftf. We are glad you have joined and hope you will be an active member. I have never used RO/DI in my freshwater tanks, just my saltwater. No matter the water you use you will still need to cycle. There is a great article on our frontpage about the how's and why's of cycling and there is also a handy video tutorial on the subject that can be found in the "site suggestions, comments..." section. Simply put, cycling is the process of building or growing the beneficial bacteria that is needed. After reading/viewing if you have any questions please feel free to ask. We highly recommend fishless cycling. No harm to fish, does not take any longer to accomplish, and a ready supply of ammonia can be found at your handy dandy Ace Hardware store.

Dergoma · 01-21-2010, 02:31 PM

Thank you Judge, I found that Info super helpful, now i got an idea about how to do my Cycle with the R/O Water but i got a question about planting because R/O water that we Use to do Dialysis Treatment goes through 3 Carbon Tanks, 1 DI Tank, 1 Scavenger Tank, and a UV light Filter, which makes Isotonic R/O water which is just about 100% pure water. but when i do the cycle, will i need to add anything extra since it has 0 electrolytes and i know plants need NaCl and others as i was reading, and then do i need to do the Cycle with the plants in them? since ammonia should be bad for plants right?

ZeroSystem · 01-21-2010, 05:05 PM

You can add plants at any time, during the cycle or after. You're right in that completely pure water like what you are talking about is not going to be good for plants (even fish might not like it that clean!). I would probably mix the R/O water with some of your regular tap water in order to get some of the trace elements back into it. There are also plenty of supplements you could add to do the same thing, though I would think just mixing tap into it would be just as good and a lot easier. I'm not sure what type of fish you are planning on keeping but it sounds like it would be a great set up for south american fish like Angels.

Dergoma · 01-21-2010, 05:38 PM

yeah, the water in our system runs an exact <0.1 on the Chlorine and Chloramine. I was thinking of seeing if i can Mix an Angel or 2 with some Cichlids Around the same size. I was reading some Post about Angels that are Bred are Less aggressive or something i want to look into it a bit more. But back to Subject, the thing is Chlorine is supposed to be bad for the fish right? which is why i wanted to use my RO water but to mix it with tap water, doesnt that kind of defeat the Purpose? this is why im so confused about running my water then tap water and then having to do all these water Treatment things. Would putting some Normal Saline ( NaCl ) in the RO water be better? or still not enough?

ZeroSystem · 01-21-2010, 05:53 PM

Chorline is bad for fish and it's also bad for the beneficial bacteria. Using a bit of water conditioner like Prime or Amquel + would eliminate the chlorine in your tap and make it safe to use. The benefit of using the R/O water would be that you'd still have a low PH and GH which is good for south american fish like Angels or dwarf cichlids. I'm not 100% sure but I don't think adding NaCl will help, though I could be wrong.

Dergoma · 01-21-2010, 06:04 PM

BAH, now im just stuck.... its all YOUR fualt P I had read a Post that Live Plants Need NaCl.. I may be wrong i was reading till 4am

ZeroSystem · 01-21-2010, 06:48 PM

Sorry I didn't mean to get you confused! =[

I know they need various trace elements, but I didn't think that was one of 'em. I'm not a planted tank expert though, don't get me wrong! Lately I've been using just a little 5.5g with a regular flourescent light and some special 'planted tank' gravel mixed in. Seems to be working out just great, but I don't exactly know what makes the gravel so special. I assume it's loaded with lots of the stuff plants need in order to grow (carbon, potassium, nitragen, ect). If you really want to know about growing plants, make sure you roam the Planted Tank section. Jay has some amazing posts on how to grow plants with great success.

Dergoma · 01-21-2010, 06:56 PM

maybe before i move into live plants, i should concentrate on the fish first lol , prolly should just get fake plants meanwhile i get used to caring for the fish, then once im comfortable, move into live plants with fish. Might be for the best.

ZeroSystem · 01-21-2010, 07:42 PM

Haha that might be a good idea your right. Take things one step at a time. I know Judge has some great looking fake plants!