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RO water to bring down PH?

5K views 7 replies 4 participants last post by  Zoidburg 
#1 ·
Does mixing RO/DI water with tap water help to bring down PH or not? I am trying to get the PH down for some CRS but it is at 7.4 but i have stratum so it does seem to get it any lower, I was thinking of mixing half RO/DI halp tap to get it down to a better level?
Also thought the tank was done cycling as the nitrate is about 120+ but there is still about 0.03 Ammonia after getting the LFS to double check my water, if i do a large water change would it be safe to add some shrimp or not?
 
#2 ·
That depends on what is in your aquarium. Your RODI water should have a PH around 7, but it's also been stripped of its capacity to buffer against PH swings based on what is in your water column - if you have limestone rocks your PH will now be more prone to rise, or if you inject CO2 your PH will be more prone to drop

I use 100% RODI on my water changes and have to reconstitue it with both a GH and KH booster; it's the KH booster (potassium bicarbonate) that prevents a large PH drop due to the large amount of CO2 I inject into the water column
 
#3 ·
When it comes to Crystals, your best bet is to use pure RO/DI water with a GH booster in a tank with buffering substrate.


Unless you can get Crystals that have been raised in tap water and you can match those parameters, you are likely to kill your shrimp. They might live for a few months, but they wont breed.
 
#4 ·
And to further add to what @Zoidburg said, it also depends on quality you want to keep and how much you are willing to spend.

My CRS tank is generally around 7.4-7.6, and I only source new shrimp from people raising them in similar parameters to me. Unfortunately, this makes it harder for me to add new bloodlines to my colony.

You do need to know your GH/KH regardless, and if you mix RO, you'll probably need to add GH booster to get the GH up between 4-6 dGH (I shoot the high end).

I think if you are starting out or have terrible water, all RO with remineralizer and a buffering substrate is going to give you the best chances at success. I'm not willing to spend that kind of money, so I've had to spend more time and effort to keep my colony strong.

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
 
#5 ·
Got a new test kit last night, they had no GH/KH tests left though:-(, it looks like there is ammonia in the tap water, with API close to 0.25, and that is why there is still some in the tank even after doing a huge water change to get the nitrate down after the cycle! I have kept fish here for years with out ever using water conditioner since i was on a well, now on town water and got prime even though they don't add chlorine etc. But it looks like at best Prime only detoxes Ammonia for 24-48 hours, even after adding prime i still got an Ammonia reading right after doing a WC so is it safe to even add some Neos to a cycled tank if i am adding that much Ammonia back into the tank with every WC?

For the CRS I can use strait RO water and add minerals, I was looking at nutrafin KH booster in the LFS yesterday but they don't seem to have GH booster and did not have a GH/KH test kit. But they did test it since i have Stratum and not Aquasoil etc will it keep the PH from swinging? I don't plan to use CO2.
 
#6 ·
Your tank should be able to convert ammonia within 24 hours if it's cycled... no water conditioners remove ammonia, only make it harmless for inhabitants. It's hard to say if you are measuring ammonia or chloramines in the tap.


May need to go with remineralized RO/DI for all your tanks.


Stratum should be fine for keeping crystals as long as you go with remineralized RO/DI.
 
#8 ·
In low amounts, especially with a pH below 7, it may not harm shrimp. Still, not a good idea to have ammonia in the tank if you can help it.


Water conditioners that detoxify ammonia would make it safe as long as the bacteria in the tank can quickly convert it to nitrites and nitrates. (aka YES) However, you may need to then worry about nitrites and nitrates raising in the tank. This may result in a tank that isn't stable as you'll need to do frequent water changes. (unless you have a bunch of plants, such as floating plants, to eat up the excess nutrients) Not healthy.


Hence, having the suggestion of using remineralized RO/DI water. It will help keep your tanks more stable if you don't have to worry about a source of ammonia from your tap.
 
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