# What to add to RO water???



## The Abbott (9 Sep 2010)

Hi All, I'm patiently waiting for my RO Unit to arrive, my question is, because I'm a complete novice to RO stuff, once I have 'made' the water what do i have to add to it before adding it to my tank? I know I have to put mineral salt in :?  but what quantity and how do I test it? Also can I then add this water during a water change i.e can I mix RO with the mature water already in the tank?? 

Lots and lots of question I know but any pointers greatly appreciated

Rich


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## mdhardy01 (9 Sep 2010)

Check out this link for re-mineralising http://www.theplantedtank.co.uk/RO.htm
You could always just cut your R/O with tap water 2/3 R/O to 1/3 tap 
That's what I do and works for me


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## chrisfraser05 (9 Sep 2010)

whats the point in using RO water then cutting it with tap?

i thought the whole point in RO was to remove all the extras in tap water so you can add what you want in a controlled way. So you know exactly what is in it.


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## chump54 (9 Sep 2010)

i used ro and 'cut' with tap water because my tap water is harder than a rocks elbow (what ???) anyway I now use rain water (ro unit broke) and cut that with a small amount of tap just to get the temperature up. it's only a nano tank so i shouldn't run out.

it's working for me at the mo 

Chris


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## mdhardy01 (9 Sep 2010)

I cut it with tap because I'm lazy and as I said it works for me
Up to each individual to do what they find best
Also tap contains all of what you need to add back plus some bonus minerals as well as well as nitrate and some phosphate calcium to buffer ph
Also I have a 500 ltr tank so re-mineralising 250 ltrs a week would be a pain and cost
Matt


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## ceg4048 (10 Sep 2010)

The Abbott said:
			
		

> Hi All, I'm patiently waiting for my RO Unit to arrive, my question is, because I'm a complete novice to RO stuff, once I have 'made' the water what do i have to add to it before adding it to my tank? I know I have to put mineral salt in :?  but what quantity and how do I test it? Also can I then add this water during a water change i.e can I mix RO with the mature water already in the tank??
> 
> Lots and lots of question I know but any pointers greatly appreciated
> 
> Rich


The real question is; "Why are you using RO?" RO water does not help you to grow plants any better and it's an added complication with very little benefit.  There are really only a few very special reasons for using RO, none of which have anything to to with plant health.

The only exception to this might be that you have an all Tonina tank.

Cheers,


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## chump54 (10 Sep 2010)

I find, but I haven't go any scientific proof that with my hard water I struggle to get the plants to pearl and I have to have the co2 sky high to get any sign of pearling at all. When my ro unit broke I had a stock pile of ro water and gradually decreased the amount I was using by the time I got down to straight tap I had to increase the co2. the plants grew well but did not pearl as much as before, and I had lots of co2 mist which isn't aesthetically pleasing.

on a cosmetic level with straight tap water I get a massive (unsightly) build up of limescale around the top of the tank as the water evaporates but not with rain water cut with tap. For this reason alone it's worth it for me. Certainly for an open top tank.

Chris


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## mdhardy01 (10 Sep 2010)

The only reason I use R/O is I keep Asian discus which are used to softer water
As I live in Essex my tap water is like filling the tank with gravel!!!!
Matt


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## ceg4048 (10 Sep 2010)

mdhardy01 said:
			
		

> The only reason I use R/O is I keep Asian discus which are used to softer water


Yep, soft water for fish requirements is one of those special reasons.



			
				chump54 said:
			
		

> ..on a cosmetic level with straight tap water I get a massive (unsightly) build up of limescale around the top of the tank..


Cosmetics is a subjective reason, so one has to decide on cost/benefit. Again, this is not plant related.



			
				chump54 said:
			
		

> I find, but I haven't go any scientific proof that with my hard water I struggle to get the plants to pearl and I have to have the co2 sky high to get any sign of pearling at all.


I don't doubt what you report, but there's a need to consider that there is possibly some other factor involved. I and many others routinely use very hard tap water without any trouble getting the plants to pearl. In any case, although Oxygen production is an excellent measure of plant photosynthesis, pearling by itself is not, because pearling is partially dependent on a variety of other factors that are not related to photosynthesis, but are instead related to water chemistry. Plant health and growth rate (i.e. weight gain) is the only true measure, and if one is not measuring this then everything else is potentially an optical illusion.

My point is that the OP needs to determine whether any of these issues related to aesthetics or fish requirements apply, or whether he/she was told by someone else that RO was a prerequisite for growing plants and then purchased the RO unit in response to that advice. Learning to grow plants successfully is difficult enough without the added burden of needlessly enduring the tedium and expense of RO. 

Having said all that, it is entirely possibly that there are chemical agents in the tap that are of sufficient concentration to be unfriendly to plants/fish which then justifies the use of RO. Again, these agents may have nothing to do with hardness, or may be only exacerbated by hardness.

Just as in the case of nitrates, people are constantly blaming their problems on hardness. Hardness this hardness that. Few consider that there can easily be something else in their tap that causes problems. It's often just a coincidence that the water happens to be hard, so hardness gets the blame. The way to test this is to prepare pure RO water, then to remineralize using GH Booster and a carbonate salts only. In that way you've eliminated any source of tap toxin. Raise the KH/GH to high levels using the powders only and see what the differences in performance is. Then you can compare the sole effect of hardness and you results will not be tainted by the possible presence of toxins.

These plants have no trouble pearling in water KH>15 and GH>25:





Cheers,


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## The Abbott (10 Sep 2010)

thanks for all your replies folks, but I still dont think I really know what to do   This is what I'm thinking -  
1. Make RO water and add mineral salts 
2. Let it stand to bring to room/tank temp
3. Add to tank

Now I dont know how much salt to add,anyone recommend a brand?  what gh/kh I'm supposed to have, will the PH be nuetral? what else if anything  has to be added?  

Sorry for being a dork but I dont want to make a stupid mistake and risk damage to plants/fish/filters


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## Luketendo (29 Sep 2010)

The Abbott said:
			
		

> thanks for all your replies folks, but I still dont think I really know what to do   This is what I'm thinking -
> 1. Make RO water and add mineral salts
> 2. Let it stand to bring to room/tank temp
> 3. Add to tank
> ...



I'd just mix it with tap water, it's what most people do, as for gh/kh you'd wanna look up what is best for discus, I don't know that off the top of my head but I do know they like lower pH at least 6 I think and I've heard stuff before about 4s and 5s even. Using RO without tapwater is usually only used for marines I think, I dread to think what sort of state my marine tank would be in with tapwater in it...!


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## Ed Seeley (29 Sep 2010)

I use RO salts (Kent's RO Right) as I find it much easier to just add a teaspoon full to each 25l container of RO water and add it straight to the tank.  If you add tap water back to RO water then just make sure you know what your tap water contains and add the same amount each time to each quantity of RO.  Either way is fine just find the one that works best for you.


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## jm_ (9 Nov 2010)

This ones been kicked around millions of times and i have learnt this in simple terms. I have few tanks, 2x Nano marines, tropical and planted (poorly planted, well its green stuff anyway) shrimp tank inc guppy fry tank. I also breed Fleas and have tanks doing the do with MTS and Rams etc 

No with RO i really donâ€™t care where anyone lives you must RO / Di the water to Zero if poss, realistically i settle for under 10, 4 stage (inc DI) min at 5 micros and carbon block blar blar blar

The salt in marine world cover everything and as such all but the tricky end of the hobby if fine and regular changes etc make sure you get good crack at the whip with the tank and animals

Now tropicalâ€™s is all different its kinda like looking upside-down to marine, and planted is like standing on your head one eye shut, i say that as i am marines first and new to the other stuff so im learning 
Nitr-a-te is good (low levels) in trops but deadly in marines
Phosphate (controlled) is ok in tropicalâ€™s but a killer and algae bloomer in marine
etc etc 
RO / Di donâ€™t help tropicalâ€™s, is a MUST MUST MUST in marine
Marine algae dies on contact to fresh water as so bios, that is the same really fresh to salted ie phytoplankton and thatâ€™s forgetting the fish, but marine fish can live in good fresh water for a bit !!! Bet you never knew that?
So you see its a game of requirements. 

Tap water is human fit, but not marine fit its the chlorine that messes with tanks, you can gas this off maybe add air stone and warm before adding â€“ my call is you never know whatâ€™s in the water so i Ro / DI for safely, has its down falls for tropicalâ€™s as its stripped of the stuff needed for a good tank so you need to add it â€“ tap safes fine generally but i opt not to or only litres or two in my two footer now and again with tap safe and gassed
If you add water you canâ€™t get it out only dilute the problem if one came to like so RO / DI is the way in my books â€“ your call and you decide many times i have seen this question and many times said just the same and many times read posts and topics re water added to tanks and disasters and loss of life, RO / DI only and you can rule that out as TDS reading tell you before adding SAFE water, bar stripped which can be corrected

The golden rule is it fish, shrimp, moss, oplants forget all taht we do not keep them, we keep water as that what keep the tank (living creatures alive) without water they could not live, poision that water and problems problems problems â€“ 
Once the waters fine things can live â€“ thatâ€™s the hobby.... Water and them the benefits plants . fish ect


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