I mixed up my RO water! Now what??

[An t-iasg]

Hi everyone,
Sorry to bug you with more questions. I mixed up my RO water yesterday. I mixed 1/2 teaspoon of the Kent RO Right liquid mix into one gallon of RO water. The directions said to add 2 tsp. per 5 gallons for bettas. So I figured about 1/2 tsp. Here are my paramers:

pH 6.6, KH 1 or 2, GH 2 or 3. The lower number of the 2 readings is probably right. I just added another drop to see if the color would get deeper, and I don't think it did.

These numbers are much lower than I expected for GH and KH. I was expecting around 4, 5, or 6 based on some of the other posts in my previous question. I then added 1/2 tsp. more of RO Right and tested again. The numbers were KH 2 or 3, and GH 3 or 4. Not much difference. I then added 1 teaspoon of Bullseye. The pH rose to 7, the GH was then 2, and the KH was 4.

My tap water parameters are GH 9, KH 3, and pH probably higher than 7.6. I got an extra gallon of RO water (because I knew I'd screw up!!) so tomorrow I'll try this: Mix 1/2 gallon of tap water and 1/2 gallon of RO water in a gallon jug. Add Novaqua and 1/4 tsp. RO Right. Test the parameters again. If kH is low, I could try baking soda, but I know this will raise the pH and it may already be high. Add Bullseye and test pH again.

When I mixed up tap water before, I used 1/4 tsp. per gallon of Jungle aquarium salt. Do I add 1/8 tsp. to my mix of tap and RO water? I didn't know if the two salts could be mixed.

So tomorrow I'll try again to mix the water to see if my parameters change. Does this sound ok? Or are my first set of parameters for the RO water good? Thanks!

 

[Madame_X]

Can you find out more precisely what the PH of your tapwater is? I would think a betta would do perfectly fine in your tapwater. My tapwater is much harder than yours and my PH is about 8.1 and my community tank does fine with it. I know several people who keep bettas in our tapwater and they've had them for a very long time.

I do mix RO with my tapwater for my rams because they do better in softer water, but I wouldn't mess with it if I didn't have to. Its a lot of work to keep things stable and consistant.

 

[An t-iasg]

I didn't get a high range pH test for our tapwater because I was so sure that this RO thing was going to work out! So I didn't get one. But I will be sure to now. I am using pH down drops now to get the water to 7.2. It only rises to about 7.4 during the week, and sometimes it holds stable. So, maybe I'm making a big deal about nothing here. I thought that bettas liked slightly acidic water. I was just aiming for 7.0, though. I have been reading that they tolerate a wide pH range as long as it's stable. I just wanted nice, pure water for him because he had fin and tail rot so much, and I read that it's a water quality issue. Well, after I put him in the tank with a heater, he's been fine. No new fin and tail rot, but he's still a little straggly looking from previous bouts. So I thought this RO water was the way to go. I won't give up quite yet, though!

 

[An t-iasg]

Just thought of something else...If I'm successful at mixing up the RO water and mix, or RO water, mix, and tap water, and all the parameters are where I want them, I will change out a gallon of water a week. I think that's gradual enough. But the tap water in the tank has Jungle Aquarium salt, and Jungle pH down drops. Will the new RO water, that contains the RO mix, be ok with the Jungle salt already in there? Will the Bullseye be ok with the pH down drops already in there also? Am I just creating a big mess??

 

[AtodaJ]

Based on your tap water readings, I'd simply mix 1/2 tap water with 1/2 RO water. Then add proper amount of Bullseye 7.0. Your readings should be around PH 7.0, GH 4-7, KH 3-5.

I'd avoid the RO Right stuff and just get the best mix of your tap water and RO water.

 

[An t-iasg]

OK...that makes sense, and I'm not making so much work for myself. Thanks, AtodaJ. By the way, love your dancing avatar!