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FAQs on Reverse Osmosis for Freshwater Aquariums

A nice FW set up in Germany... Ambulia and Cardinals mainly.

RO water/water softener... FW 1-11-2008
You helped me about a month ago with snails. The catfish food worked great! Still have a few stubborn snails though. But, I wanted to ask about reverse osmosis water. My tap water is very acidic (measures anywhere between 4.2-5.3) and extremely hard.
<Very odd. Are you sure? Typically hardness, at least carbonate hardness, works against acidity. It's pretty normal for municipal water to be hard and basic (alkaline), so I'm assuming your water is something different, maybe well water?>
I've bought 2 types of hardness kits, and the readings are practically off the chart. I bought a Pur filter and use that with the freshwater fish, but every time I change the water I lose a fish or two.
<Rule number 1: choose fish that like your water chemistry, rather than force your fish to adapt to your water chemistry. Rule number 2: if you have funky water (which you do) treat the water first to make it either [a] soft/acid or [b] hard/alkaline. Those are the options preferred by most fish.>
(I have pearl Gouramis, Rasboras, gobies, ghost shrimp, and neon tetras) It's the shrimps and Neons that have a hard time through the water changes. I've read that peat moss softens the water.
<True, but oh so slowly and very unpredictably.>
How long does that take?
<Depends on the peat, how much water, how hard the water is, temperature, etc., etc. Usually not practical.>
I usually fill the bucket up (I change 5% water/55G tank- less deaths) weekly and let it age for a couple of days. I use dechlorinate chemicals, so I know that's not the problem. I even used Prime, thinking maybe nitrates. If I put peat moss in the bucket for 2 days, would that be long enough to soften the water? Would it also help with pH?
<Nah... forget it. Too much work. My recommendation here would be to work to raise the pH, which is much much easier to do than lower the hardness. All you need to do is filter the water through crushed coral for a couple days. Or better yet, add a mix of Epsom salt, marine salt mix, and bicarb, thus:
Per 5 gallons/20 litres
* 1 teaspoon baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)
* 1 tablespoon Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate)
* 1 teaspoon marine salt mix (sodium chloride + trace elements)
This will create something roughly equivalent to Lake Tanganyika. Mix plain tap water with this stuff, perhaps at a ratio of 50:50 to start with, until you get something that comes out as hard and basic (pH 7.5). The elevated carbonate hardness (measured in degrees KH) will act against acidity. Although hardly ideal for South American fish, this will work great for fish that like hard water: rainbows, livebearers, Goldfish, African cichlids, etc. There are various barbs and tetras that do well in hard water, too. A bit of research will reveal these. The x-ray tetra is one of the best.>
If not, I saw RO units at Lowe's the other day. Are these the same as the RO units in fish catalogs? I read that RO puts the pH around 7.0, but would the water become more acidic?
<An RO unit doesn't change the pH as such, but it removes the buffering capacity of water, so that it becomes very prone to pH changes. Because tanks tend towards acidification, very soft water usually becomes acidic very quickly. See here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwsoftness.htm
>
I've read that when you add chemicals to change the pH, it doesn't work for very long and the pH goes back to what it was before you treated it.
<Changing the pH without changing the hardness (specifically: buffering capacity) is indeed a waste of time, and not that kind to the fish, either.>
If the RO water is better in the long run, there is a carbon filter (this is the Lowe's model I was reading), would I still need carbon filters in the fish tank?
<No-one really needs carbon in a freshwater aquarium. It's largely a gimmick/holdover from the past. Haven't used them in 20 years.>
The last time I changed the water I used a gallon of distilled water mixed with 5 gallons Pur filter water and no deaths. But, I use distilled water for the saltwater tank and going this route (both tanks with distilled water) would become a little more expensive. Would RO water be the same as distilled?
<Not quite, but admittedly much more cost effective. Do read here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_2/cav2i4/RO_systems/reverse_osmosis.htm
>
Hope you understood all this, I'm still confused about how ask all this,
Thanks, Robin
<Hope this helps, Neale.>

Betta and ADF, sys., RO water use, 11/25/2007
Hello All,
Thanks in advance for the advice. Normally I am asking marine questions, but I have a few probably very silly questions about a Betta tank. I have a six week old, cycled, 3 gallon Eclipse tank with a male Betta and one African Dwarf Frog. Parameters are Ammonia/Nitrite: 0, Nitrate: less than 20, pH: 6.0, and nearly zero on DH and GH. The tank has live plants and a one inch gravel bottom. So, the first question: I use RO/DI water instead of using a conditioner on tap water. Is this okay or are my DH and GH readings too low from filtering out too much?
<Always mix some tap water with the RO water; by itself, RO water isn't acceptable for most fish. Aim for between 5-10 degrees dH. For a Betta, there's absolutely no advantage to using RO water anyway, since these fish are very adaptable and provided extremes are avoided couldn't care less about water chemistry. Moderate hardness and neutral pH is probably the ideal.>
I had assumed the RO/DI was better, plus it is convenient since we have the unit set up for the salt water tank, but now I am wondering.
<Very soft water causes problems with acidification and lack of stability.>
Second question: When I come into work in the morning, the tank is usually around 77 degrees F. With the light on during the day, the temperature usually creeps up to about 80 or 81. Is this too much fluctuation over a 24 hour period?
<It's fine for a Betta. Certainly "within the margin of error" for what a wild Betta would be exposed to.>
Should I try and bump the heater up to keep is closer to 80 at night?
<No point if the fish is otherwise fine.>
Of course then it would still fluctuate up to 83 or 84 in the day then. Third question: I have read your FAQs on ADF, but was still unsure about a few things. I have only one, are they social and should be kept in multiples?
<I think they are better termed "sociable" rather than "social". They don't form schools as such, but provided they aren't overcrowded you can keep several in a tank and not have problems. A gallon of water per frog is often recommended, and seems about right.>
I feed about 2 bloodworms (still need to get other "meaty" stuff, frog is new) every 2 to 4 days. Should this be sufficient?
<Depends on the size of the frog, the quality of the bloodworms being used, water temperature, and so on. Provided the belly is gently convex but not bulging, you're fine. I'd be feeding this half a dozen bloodworms every day and seeing how things go from there. If they get portly on this, skip a day or two per week. If they look thin, I'd feed slightly more food, perhaps across two meals per day. There's no hard-and-fast rule to how much to feed any animal; to some extent you need to observe and react accordingly. Provided you don't give the frogs so much they look like bowling balls with legs, then the issue isn't overfeeding per se, but water quality.>
I know it is hard to say without seeing the frog, but does that sound like a reasonable amount of food?
<A bit too little, too me.>
Any other advice is always appreciated! Thanks!
Michele
<Cheers, Neale.>

Discus setup and R.O.; Tank Mates For Discus 8/26/07
Hello crew, Have put up posts on the public forums but no reply as yet and tbh would appreciate a fairly quick reply if possible. Since the volume output production of my R.O. unit is slow, a trickle, it is best at the moment for me to perform one 15 litre w/c per day which over the course of a week equals a 50% w/c on both tanks. This equates to a 7 - 8 % w/c each day. Is this low level change ok to do or are the benefits minimal?
< This depends on where you water chemistry is now and where you want it to be. If you are trying to lower the pH then it probably won't do much good. If you are trying to lower to total dissolved solids then you should be fine.>
I'm getting two huge tubs soon so I can just turn it on and walk away for a couple or few hours without having to tend to it all the time.
Last of all, my father and I have decided to take the direction of our main display tank to a Discus setup. I have read Bob Fenner's article called "The cichlid fishes called Discus". I'm trying to find out if the temps for them would be too high for Syno cats, eupterus and nigriventris. Mr. Fenner gives an example of suitable fish companions for Discus, was wondering if there was a particular exact source (or your recommendation) for a few more species. I don't think I'll be able to get the pH low enough for cardinals.
We appreciate that these fish need extra special care and fully intend to create as perfect and suitable environment for them as possible, low lighting, correct plants, right GH and KH etc.
Many thanks team. Steve.
< The Synodontis cats get big and are big eaters. I'm afraid that they would bully the discus away at feeding time. Look for tankmates that can tolerate the same water conditions and will leave the discus as the dominant species in the tank.-Chuck>

Converting from r/o water to tap water in my discus aquarium-BIG pH difference! – 07/03/07
Hi guys. First, thank to all of you who have so graciously answered my previous questions. I have learned a LOT from reading on this website and from the experts here.
<Welcome>
I am very interested in converting from r/o water to tap water in my 55 gal discus aquarium. They need minerals, etc that they have not been getting from the r/o water,
<Mmm, good... Yes... some... all depends on a few factors... What your source water is "made of", how "wild" to cultured your Discus are...>
and I need to improve my water change method. Pouring r/o water into the tank by the gallon is really old now after 3 years in this hobby! I have had my discus for a year now, and all seem to be happy and healthy.
For my first mixed water change, I used 3 gal treated tap water plus 20 gal r/o in my 55 gal aquarium. I treated the tap water with Seachem Prime and aerated it in a bucket overnight using an airstone that I already have. I tested the water before using it. Nitrate and nitrite were zero. Ammonia was also zero, but I understand that the Prime could have affected that test. Here is what concerned me about the tap water: the pH was high-it read as high as my test kit measures, 8.8.
<Wow! Liquid rock!>
The pH in my tank is somewhere between 5 and 6, I believe. I do not know WHAT the pH actually is. My SMS122 controller seems to have malfunctioned. Even after replacing the probe, the reading it gives is too low for the fish to be surviving, much less be doing well, according to Neale (thank you Neale for the information). After doing the water change this weekend, the reading on the controller went from 4.1 to 7.0. Hard to believe that 3 gal of tap water plus 20 gal r/o could move the pH like that. What do you think?

Any recommendations or advice will be very gratefully received! I do not want to stress my fish during the transition. If you can recommend how to proceed from here, I would really appreciate it. What should I do about the pH and how slowly should I mix in the treated tap water?

I have read that treating the tap water with peat would soften it and lower the pH. I tried this early in my discus fishkeeping, and lost one small little guy the morning after adding a small amount of peat to the aquarium (may not have been related to the peat I guess). What I used was Scotts Sphagnum peat moss. The bag states 100% peat moss. I see no mention of any additives.
<Mmm... don't always state... better to either buy "aquarium use" material or even just an "extract" product really...>
My fish are great little buddies who have survived my novice care, equipment failures, and my mistakes for a year now! I want to keep it that way! Thanks again for any help.

R/O Water and Discus 6/30/07
Hi crew!
<Hi, Pufferpunk here>
I have used only r/o water in my freshwater discus tank for a year now.
<Not necessary. Most discus nowadays are tank bred, in regular tap water. I do 90% weekly water changes with tap water, conditioned with Seachem's Prime.>
Although the fish appear to be fine, I realize that I have failed to add back in minerals and trace elements that the fish need. My choices appear to be either reconstitute the r/o water or convert to tap water and treat it prior to adding it to the aquarium. Therefore, I am interested in converting to tap water, very slowly of course. I will treat my tap water with Seachem Prime,
<Aha! Took the words right out of my mouth!>
as is recommended on this site and aerate it in a storage container for a couple of days using a powerhead.
<Not necessary. I just drain, adjust the temp & fill, after adding Prime to the tank.>
My question is this: how gradually would you recommend adding
in the treated tap water? A guy at the LFS recommended 10-15% treated tap water to begin with, then increase tap water about that much w/each water change. In addition to increasing the TDS,
<TDS has no effect on FW/SW fish, unless your tap water contains ammonia, nitrites or nitrates.><<What? No! RMF>>
it should also effect the pH in the tank, which is less than 6 and has been for a while. I do not know exactly what the pH is because my SMS122 pH controller appears to have failed and my freshwater test kit only measures down to pH 6. If I do weekly water changes of approx 40% like I am currently doing, would this result in too much change too fast? Any advice will be
gratefully received!!

I have purchased a Rubbermaid Brute 44gal trash can with top, and one of those cool dollies to roll it to my tank! I plan to pump the treated water into the tank using the powerhead. I am very excited about improving my water change method and giving my fish better water!
<Make your improvements even easier by just using a Python to drain & fill right from the tap. Can't be much easier than that.>
Thanks for all the great advice on this site!!! You guys are the best!
<Hey, thanks a lot! We try...>
P.S. Do you have any recommendations for the powerhead? I will only need to pump from the storage container into the aquarium, so I guess the head would be less than 5 feet. I plan to connect pvc pipe with a couple of elbows to the end of my hose so I can just hang it on the lip of the tank and let it fill.
<Keep it simple! (Unless you are planning a reef tank in the future.)>
Thanks again and I hope you all have a great Independence Day!
<Happy 4th to you too! ~PP>

Bacterial Hemorrhagic Septicemia / fin and tail rot 6/30/07
Hello,
<Hi there>
I have a 16 year old Silver Dollar that has the following conditions. Left pectoral fin is gone; the flap is there and flaps like crazy, but there is no fin attached.
<Mmmm, might grow back if not too far gone...>
Both pelvic fins are completely gone. The caudal fin is badly frayed (3 weeks ago was almost completely gone) and is strangely red at the base close to the fish body.
<Something amiss here...>
History; up until 6 weeks or so ago, I had the silver dollar in the tank with a Pacu.
<Ohhh>
The pacu was huge and out sized the dollar by ten times at least. One day I noticed that the silver dollar was missing most of its caudal fin and what was there was badly frayed. The pelvic fins were gone as well as was the pectoral. I assumed it was fin and tail rot and treated the tank with Mardel Maracyn Two. The caudal fin began to get better for about a week then went to worse again.
<... stress, bullying...>
I then thought that it was the pacu. Although the pacu never picked on the dollar in my presence I thought it was happening when I was not around. I wanted to get rid of the pacu any way since it was so big and messy to take care of. I found a home for the pacu at a LFS adoption tank and that left my dollar to her self. The caudal fin healed from almost nothing to about one-half but then quit and will not heal further. The other fins have not changed at all. I am patient and though that in time all would be well again so went out and bought 3 more silver dollars to keep the old one company.
Before getting the new dollars the old one ate well, but now the feeding frenzy and competition is causing the old dollar to swim faster to get her share, but with out the control of all her rudders she cannot aim correctly at the food and misses it.
<Provide more bulky food items... greenery that the impaired one can eat easily... Like blanched zucchini>
Also, she cannot maneuver well enough to keep up with the other dollars who are younger and smaller. This is causing me to revisit medication or some form of treatment before the dollar winds up dieing.
<... Medication not advised here>
My tank is 75 gallon, Ph - 6.8, nitrite - 0, ammonia - 0, Nitrate 20-40, GH 3d, KH <1d, total dissolved solids 300ppm, RO water conditioned with Kent RO right,
<I'd use less, let the TDS hover around 100 ppm>
Ph buffered with Kent Ph 6 and 7 (phosphates), and the temp is 25.5c.
My 1st question is this- I read that the redness near the base of the fins could be Bacterial Hemorrhagic Septicemia. Does it sound like it to you?
<This... is a condition... Need to seek out, address root cause/s... the trauma, "dirtiness" from the Colossoma... Takes time to heal...>
2nd, Can the pectoral and pelvic fins come back if I treat the fish correctly, or are they gone for good?
<Can regenerate>
3rd, what/how would you recommend treating the condition(s) with and should the treatment be carried out in a separate tank, or is the condition contagious, requiring that the entire tank be treated.
Many thanks!
Scott S


Re: Bacterial Hemorrhagic Septicemia / fin and tail rot 6/30/07
Hi Bob,
Thanks for the quick reply.
<Welcome!>
I'll take your advice and not medicate.
How do I lower the TDS?
<Mmm, either start with "cleaner" water or not add to it...>
I add chemicals when I do water changes as follows.
To 15 gal I add 1.5 tsp Kent RO Right,
<Leave most of this out... this should do it>
1 tsp Kent Ph Precise 6.0, 0.5 tsp Ph Precise 7.0, and 15ml Tetra Black Water Extract. That brings my TDS in the new water to 235. Still even then my GH is very low, between 2-3 dH, and the KH is so low I cannot measure it.
Would you add different quantities/products?
Thanks again,
SL
<Try cutting back on the RO product... try a level teaspoon of baking soda (Sodium bicarbonate) instead...>

Re: Bacterial Hemorrhagic Septicemia / fin and tail rot, Silver dollar... 6/30/07
Hi Bob,
You must have forgotten that I am using RO water, or I doubt that you would recommend that I only add 1 tsp of baking soda to 15 gal of it.

On the label of the RO Right, it recommends 1 tsp per 10 gal for soft water. That is what I am currently adding. Also, on the Ph Precise I am following the label as well.
Since my fish has out-lived my dog, I must be doing something right with respect to water chemistry and husbandry.
<... what is your point?>
My quandary is in treating an old fish which has lost much of its finnage, and over an 8 week period has not shown much improvement despite a great deal of effort.
Your suggestion of more bulky food was a good one. The silver dollar seems to really like green beans, and since none of the other dollars pay any attention to them, the wounded one has them to herself and once again has a full belly.
Also, I have taken your advice on supplementing vitamins. I have no experience with mixing food, so I am adding freshwater essentials to the water to add vitamins. Hope this works in lieu of.
Thanks for your help,
SL
<Please... just use the indices, search tool. RMF>

Re: Bacterial Hemorrhagic Septicemia / fin and tail rot – 07/01/07
Bob,
<SSL>
What is my point you ask? Most of what I do with respect to maintaining my fish tank is based on information gleaned from posts on your web site and from your direct responses to my previous questions over the past 2 years.
I.e., RO water instead of tap, frequent water changes, softer water, discontinuing fish-slime additives, etc.

Then, in this most recent volley of correspondence you suggest that I go to pure RO water without any additive other than baking soda
<Sorry for the lack of clarity... I would try decreasing the RO Right product by half ml.s per time/maintenance interval, and in addition, add the level tsp. of bicarb>
which would leave my tank with out any major or minor elements, no GH, and enough alkalinity to bring my Ph back up to 8.0. Why would you suggest this? It makes no sense to me in light of the other comments and suggestion on your site.
SL
<Do try this in a separate container... and measure the resultant chemistry... a day later. B>

Are the water fountains that we drink out of a good source of ro water? 5/22/07
<Would depend on the water fountain. Most aren't using RO water, as far as I know. Here in the UK most either use regular tap water or draw from giant bottles of mineral water. Regular tap water is safe for fish once dechlorinated, and mineral water is also safe but obviously too expensive to use in a fish tank! If in doubt, as the manufacturer of the system concerned. Unless explicitly declared safe for fish, don't use it in a fish tank.>
Also, the coffee makers at gas stations have got water and I have sometimes noticed a filtration system of some sort would this be ro?
<Probably not.>
Thanks Joe
<Cheers, Neale>

RO vs. Distilled 2/02/07 2/6/07
We have a 37 gallon, and we're trying to lower the hardness to 7 or so for the loaches and tetras. When we change the water, we were doing 2 gallons of RO and 2 gallons of our filtered tap water so we could slowly change it down. Then once we got the hardness we wanted in the tank, we would premix our water to that hardness and add it.
<Good plan>
 We thought this would be the simplest way. We couldn't find any water test kits for hardness, so we had to order it online. We tested both the aquarium water and the RO water the day we received the test and then switched over to distilled after finding the RO so hard.
<Something is amiss here... the RO should not be "hard">
We thought doing it this way would be more gradual then doing a whatever amount change and switching it soft so soon (since this also comes with a ph drop). Is there a better way?
<Yes... checking the RO, or taking a water sample from it to a dealer who works with such, having them check the make-up, suggest what may need to be done (replacing membrane/s, contactors) to fix it>
Also, we have the neons in the tank, the loaches in QT, and the Rummynose tetras aren't bought yet. The Rummynose are kept in hard water at the LFS. Would it be better to prepare the QT with the same softness as our aquarium will be and acclimate them to that right off the bat, or would it be better to gradually make their QT water softer?
<The latter is better>
(They're also kept at a PH of about 8.3, whereas ours is currently 7.2 and hopefully somewhat lower by the time we're done adjusting.) We acclimate by adding water several times to a floating bag over about an hour to and hour and a half.
Thanks again for your time and everything you add to the hobby.
Celeste
<Thank you for your carefully crafted correspondence. Do have your Reverse Osmosis device be checked. Bob Fenner>

Putting RO water in a freshwater tank 12/23/06
<Hey Keith, JustinN with you today.>
First of all, awesome website, you have taught me so much and I have told
sooooo many people about your site and they love it also.
<Thanks for the kind words, is a collaborative effort.>
I have an RO system at my house for my saltwater tank.
<Ok>
I also have a 40 gallon freshwater tank with some live plants, baby red ear sliders (5 inches), a few tiny tetra's and a few tiny gold fish, and a freshwater crab.
<Fish and turtles aren't really compatible, nor are goldfish (cold water) and tetras (warm water), but ok..>
I have read that you should not put RO water in freshwater tanks, then some articles saying you should?
<The idea is that you should not use untreated RO water, as there is no mineral content. There are several buffering powders specifically for freshwater tanks that can achieve this. Another method, which I personally employ, is to use 2/3 RO waste water to 1/3 RO water for my freshwater tanks. The RO waste is dechlorinated already, and it cuts down on the wasted water!>
The tank has been running great with tap water. The only thing I do to the tap water is add dechlorinator (although sometimes I forget)
<Forgetting is not a good thing here.>
Anyway, should I use RO water from here on out? Should I buffer it? Any suggestions?

Thanks!
<Anytime! -JustinN>
Have a great Christmas!!!

RO/DI water vs. mechanical filtration 11/15/06
Hey Jorie, it's Roni again!
<Hello again! I tried to write you back last night, but my computer was acting up...>
I was doing some research on cycling a tank. With my new 55 Gal, I already have a hang on the back type filter (I am at work right now and couldn't tell you exactly what kind.)
<That's OK...brand doesn't matter too much, so long as the filter is rated for *at least* 55 gallons of H20...>
I am going to give it a try before I invest $200 in a RO/DI filter.
<Hmmm, I think you are confusing two concepts here - establishing the nitrogen cycle in a new tank and mechanical filtration are two separate, distinct issues. All tanks need to be cycled, even those that use purified (RO/DI) water. Read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwestcycling.htm . The filter is the mechanical means by which sediments are trapped in the filter media; the filter media (e.g., carbon) is what will eventually be "colonized" by the beneficial bacteria to establish the nitrogen cycle. Read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwfiltration.htm >
(Probably not what you would suggest, but $200.00 is
a little much for me financially right now). I was reading in a forum on www.thetropicaltank.com that you can hang your new filter on an already established tank for about a month to get the cycle going. Can this be done in my situation? Hanging a 55 Gal filter on a 10 gal tank? Won't the water move too fast for the fish I have in the tank already?
Just would like your opinion on this.
<It is true that you can "seed" a new tank with old filter media, and/or water and gravel from an established aquarium. I think what you read about was someone taking media from an established tank to help speed along the cycle in the new tank. You can accomplish this by allowing bio-balls to establish in the old 10 gal., or you could even use a media bag filled with carbon, or the like, in the old filter for a few weeks, then transfer the media to the new tank. It isn't the actual filtration hardware that will transfer the beneficial bacteria necessary to establish the cycle, but rather the media (i.e., whatever you are using inside the filter to help keep the water clean). All of this will only help speed the process up, but won't eliminate the need for "cycling" altogether. Do read the latter article I linked you to for details on cycling. Also, as I think I previously recommend, check out David E. Boruchowitz's book entitled "A Simple Guide to Freshwater Aquariums" for a very simple, well-written chapter on cycling.
The RO/DI unit simply makes pure water for the aquarium to use; it will still need to be cycled. On that note, a cheaper alternative to the expensive RO/DI unit is a product called "Tap Water Filter" by Aquarium Pharmaceuticals...I believe it's around $35 - this is simply a de-ionizing unit, without the reverse osmosis. The reason people use these types of units is that their source (tap) water contains "undesirables" such as ammonia, phosphates, etc.
Hope I've clarified - let me know if you are still confused!>
Thanks Jorie
Roni
<You're welcome. Best regards, Jorie>

Last question on RO water for FW 10/2/06
Hello
<Hi Steve>
This is my last question on RO water.
<OK, well this is the first one I've seen - you've got Jorie today...since there was no forwarded message, I wasn't sure who on the crew had previously helped you, so I thought I'd just give it a shot! Hope you don't mind...>
After my water is purified could I add a product such as Kent's Discus Essential and Tetra's Blackwater
Extract to add to the purified water what the fish need instead of adding an RO Right supplement. I ask this because a friend of mine can works at a Petco and can get me these product for very cheap. The PetCo he works at doesn't carry any RO additives, so I would have to pay full price to get them.
<Unfortunately, you are talking about two very different types of products. I do understand wanting to save money whenever possible, but if you are using RO (or RO/DI) water, it is essential to add back essential elements and trace minerals; even a quick scan of websites such as this [ http://www.petstore.com/ps_ViewItem-SearchStr--action-view-idProduct-KM5691-idCategory-FWASDS-category-Kent_Marine_Discus_Essential_8_oz._Freshwater_Aquarium_Supples_Additives___Conditioners_Discus_Supplements-vendor-Kent_Marine.html ] specifically state that you must use a product specifically designed as a RO or RO/DI additive before using the other. I do not have any personal experience w/ Kent's RO Right, but instead use the combination of Aquarium Pharmaceutical's Electro-Right and pH Adjust after making my RO/DI water. I know that some larger chain stores carry these two products, and they can be found right next to the "Tap Water Filter" made by Aquarium Pharmaceuticals, usually. Ask your friend specifically about these two...each one shouldn't be more than $6.00, and a bottle will last you a long, long time (460 gal. or so). Here's where I order from: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=4492&Ntt=electro%20right&Ntk=All&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Np=1&pc=1&N=0&Nty=1
Sorry about all the questions but I have absolutely no experience with RO systems...
<No worries - we all learn through the question and answer process!>
...and I am only 17, so my funds are a little low...
<Well, I'm nearly twice your age and I still understand that predicament!>
, and if it is possible to use these products instead of the "RO Right" products, it would save me a lot of money that I could invest else where in the tank.
<I understand, but you just can't do it without sacrificing the health of everyone in your tank. Honestly, I make about 10-15 gal. of RO/DI for freshwater use weekly, and I've been on the same bottles of Electro-Right and pH Adjust for months now. Best of luck, Jorie>
--Sbatiste

RO remineralization 10/2/06
Hello everyone I'm back with another question regarding ro water. I want to keep soft water species such as angelfish. So I bought an ro unit to soften my water and lower my ph.
<Good. A useful, appropriate tool>
Now from what I understand you have to remineralise the water, but don't the product that do this such as Kent's RO right add stuff back to the water that makes it hard again, like calcium and magnesium.
<Yes... to a variable extent... depending on how much you put in>
I searched the forms but couldn't quiet grasp the info. Basically what I'm asking is, after you RO water do I have to add anything to it since I'm keeping soft water species such as angelfish, and if I do have to add anything what should I add, should I add the Kent RO right.

Thanks, sorry for the drawn out question but I couldn't understand the information.
--Sbatiste
<Have recently "split up" the RO FAQs, but most relate to marine issues. Bob Fenner>

RO waste water, RO FW use 8/18/06
Hey crew,
I believe I remember a few times that Bob has suggested using RO waste water for water changes in outdoor ponds...
<Yes... have done this for many years... only slightly more solute laden than the tap/source water>
my question is, is this water safe for a FW community tank that has been using the same source water, dechlorinated, from the beginning?
If so, would the waste water have to be treated in any way other than aeration for a few days before use?
Thanks,
Justin
<I would mix in some RO along with the source water (for a source of mineral)... can be aerated, stored ahead of use... but most RO devices remove all sanitizer... and if done "properly"... i.e. only partial changes, not much use in aerating, using immediately. Bob Fenner>

Is An R/O Unit Needed? 7/7/06
Hello WWM, I am thinking of getting an RO or RO/DI unit in the near future and was wondering if I really need one with these Tap water parameters.
Here they are:
Nitrite <2.0 <<Should be zip... I would NOT drink this water. RMF>>
alkalinity 84
ph 7.4
phosphate 17 <<Parts per million? Yikes!!! RMF>>
silica 16
Is it necessary to get a filter. If so, do I need RO or RO/DI? Thanks so much for the help
Mike
< All of this is dependent on what kind of fish/organisms you are planning to keep. If you are keeping a sophisticated reef tank, then you might want to invest in an R/O unit so you have complete control over the minerals in the water. Fresh water fish that require soft water like wild discus would be better off with R/O water. With the water parameters you have given I would think you could keep the vast majority of fish in the hobby.-Chuck>

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