Ro/di Water

[cooltop]

okay made my first batch of RO water. Can I add this straight to the tank or do I need to add anything to the water before putting it into the tank

[Loman]

Good evening. Not sure what your non RO/DI water parms are but if you use RO water for freshwater then you need to add the trace minerals back into the water. There are many different brands that do this and can be found at most any LFS. RO water without trace elements will not support life for very long.

With all that said - if I might ask why are you going the path of RO water for the freshwater tank. It is almost never really needed in that setting (salt is a very different disucsion)

[LiVe4fIsH]

Hey Cool,
If you plan on just using RO water for your tank, then I think it would be best to purchase some sort of nutrient source to add back into your tank. RO is stripped of any nutrients that help support your healthy fish. For instance, when I do a w/c I have my RO water source ready to add back into my tank, and before I add the water back into the tank, I add my nutrient source into my tubs that are holding the water and give it about 30 seconds to dissolve into the water and then add it into the tank. Add only what the bottle calls for. If you need a specific brand, I use KENT cichlid liquid chemistry mix. Its a great source of providing natural water chemistry to african cichlids and other rift lake fish. KENT also makes a liquid chemistry mix for community fish.

-Izzy

[cooltop]

Well just got a salwater tank and now I have one and just thought that since I was going to have clean water for the salt why not use on the fresh. Also my water test shows 200ppm on the test so I thought that would just be good for the fish for some fresh clean water

[Loman]

200 ppm is high. You can certainly use it and it will be clearer etc. You do need trace minerals or you will develop big problems. The only downside is the cost.

[Jay]

What we are really talking about here is GH and to some degree KH.

A reading of 200 ppm (I assume a GH reading) is somewhat hard but not harmful. The problem is your hobby test kit is is representing the reading as CaCO4.
You know that your Ca level is acceptable but you do not know what or even if you have sufficient levels of the essential trace minerals.

As Loman and others have pointed out this is a crucial tank parameter often overlooked by beginners.

The mineral salts (electrolytes) missing in RO water are essential for cell function in fish and critters. This makes straight up RO water unable to support life for long.

[cooltop]

I was using a TDS meter that came with the RO Unit