dralarms
Aquarium Advice Addict
Can I use RO/DI water in my Betta tanks?
RO water
- Thread starter dralarms
- Start date
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TankGirl
Aquarium Advice Addict
Not 100% but you could mix it.
dralarms
Aquarium Advice Addict
Great. 
Got rid of everything fw except them and now I have to go get some declorinator.
Got rid of everything fw except them and now I have to go get some declorinator.
TankGirl
Aquarium Advice Addict
Just can't have anything nice, can ya? :?
dralarms
Aquarium Advice Addict
Well I've got rid of all my fw stuff, gave all my fish to my daughter, getting things set up for my big sw tank (supposed to be 150, but the calc here shows 125 ), and never figured I'd need any of that stuff any more. I actually thought (maybe I was dreaming) that I had already changed the water once or twice with di water, but I'm not absolutely sure. Maybe I'll do partial water changes till I can divide up the 10 gal and get them out of the 1 gal tanks (want to call them jars) they sure ain't big enough.
), and never figured I'd need any of that stuff any more. I actually thought (maybe I was dreaming) that I had already changed the water once or twice with di water, but I'm not absolutely sure. Maybe I'll do partial water changes till I can divide up the 10 gal and get them out of the 1 gal tanks (want to call them jars) they sure ain't big enough. 
An t-iasg
Aquarium Advice Addict
Hi justmy2cents,
I'm glad you are moving the bettas from their 1 gallon bowls!
You have an RO/DI unit in your house for your saltwater, right? Like TankGirl said, you can mix the RO/DI water with your tap water. I have bettas in 5.5 gallon tanks, and I mix their water for water changes in one-gallon bottled water jugs. I fill the jug half with tap water, and then finish filling it up with RO water. (I used to get the measuring cup and count 8 cups of tap water, and then 8 cups of RO water, but now I just judge it by eye!) It gives a nice pH of 7.2, GH of 5, and KH of 2. Of course the parameters depend on your tap water too. My tap water is extremely hard, and the pH out of the tap is 8.2. You could experiment with different combinations of the RO water to tap water until you get a batch with good parameters. You don't have to experiment with a whole gallon. Depending on how bad your tap water is, just try 1 cup RO to 1 cup tap, for a half-and half mix, or try 1 cup RO to 2 cups tap, etc.
I'm glad you are moving the bettas from their 1 gallon bowls!
You have an RO/DI unit in your house for your saltwater, right? Like TankGirl said, you can mix the RO/DI water with your tap water. I have bettas in 5.5 gallon tanks, and I mix their water for water changes in one-gallon bottled water jugs. I fill the jug half with tap water, and then finish filling it up with RO water. (I used to get the measuring cup and count 8 cups of tap water, and then 8 cups of RO water, but now I just judge it by eye!) It gives a nice pH of 7.2, GH of 5, and KH of 2. Of course the parameters depend on your tap water too. My tap water is extremely hard, and the pH out of the tap is 8.2. You could experiment with different combinations of the RO water to tap water until you get a batch with good parameters. You don't have to experiment with a whole gallon. Depending on how bad your tap water is, just try 1 cup RO to 1 cup tap, for a half-and half mix, or try 1 cup RO to 2 cups tap, etc.
dralarms
Aquarium Advice Addict
What about the clorine?
bettacove
Aquarium Advice Freak
Sorry to bud in with my question but i figured it was better then starting a new post:
I just got an RO cus my tap water is CRAP. Right now iam using half and half, but would it be safe to use like 2/3 RO and 1/3 tap? And are there any negative effects to that? And I read something about adding more salt or something like that??
Sorry Iam new at the whole RO thing
ashley
but i figured it was better then starting a new post:I just got an RO cus my tap water is CRAP. Right now iam using half and half, but would it be safe to use like 2/3 RO and 1/3 tap? And are there any negative effects to that? And I read something about adding more salt or something like that??
Sorry Iam new at the whole RO thing
ashley
An t-iasg
Aquarium Advice Addict
justmy2cents,
If you mix tap water with the RO water, you'll still need to use a dechlorinator to take care of the tap water. I use Novaqua and Amquel. I e-mailed Kordon a few years ago, when I first started with fish, and they said to use 10 drops per gallon. So with a half-gallon of tap water in my mix, I use 5 or 6 drops each of Novaqua and Amquel. Novaqua removes chlorine, and Amquel removes chloramines. I used Novaqua and Amquel with Bio-Spira and the water conditioners didn't interfere with the cycle or the Bio-Spira (at the 5 or 6 drops per gallon dosage).
bettacove,
I'm not an expert with RO water but I'll try to help! I think you should experiment with different RO and tap ratios, like did when I first started with RO water, and measure your parameters. If you get a pH of between 6.8 and 7.4 then I think that 's a good ratio, whether it happens to be from half tap and half RO, or 1/3 tap and 2/3 RO. My general hardness fall between 5 and 6 with my mix, and the carbonate hardness falls between 2 and 3. The salt you read about may have been something like RO Right. That's a brand of salt that you can use if you use all RO water. It adds beneficial minerals to the water, but you can achieve the same thing by just experimenting with your tap and RO mix and recording your parameters. You don't, IMO, need to buy the RO additives. (I know some people do for other fish such as cichlids, but for bettas I think you're fine mixing the tap and RO in different ratios until you're satisfied with your parameters.)
If you are talking about aquarium salt, that is meant to be added to freshwater for balanced electrolytes and such, there are many people who add it, and many others who feel it isn't necessary. You could try to do a search on freshwater aquarium salt and see what you come up with. I personally can't really make up my mind about it
so I use about 1/8 teaspoon per gallon of aquarium freshwater salt (not an RO salt). I mix my gallon of half tap, half RO water, add 1/8 teaspoon of aquarium salt, and 5 or 6 drops each of Novaqua and Amquel.
If you mix tap water with the RO water, you'll still need to use a dechlorinator to take care of the tap water. I use Novaqua and Amquel. I e-mailed Kordon a few years ago, when I first started with fish, and they said to use 10 drops per gallon. So with a half-gallon of tap water in my mix, I use 5 or 6 drops each of Novaqua and Amquel. Novaqua removes chlorine, and Amquel removes chloramines. I used Novaqua and Amquel with Bio-Spira and the water conditioners didn't interfere with the cycle or the Bio-Spira (at the 5 or 6 drops per gallon dosage).
bettacove,
I'm not an expert with RO water but I'll try to help! I think you should experiment with different RO and tap ratios, like did when I first started with RO water, and measure your parameters. If you get a pH of between 6.8 and 7.4 then I think that 's a good ratio, whether it happens to be from half tap and half RO, or 1/3 tap and 2/3 RO. My general hardness fall between 5 and 6 with my mix, and the carbonate hardness falls between 2 and 3. The salt you read about may have been something like RO Right. That's a brand of salt that you can use if you use all RO water. It adds beneficial minerals to the water, but you can achieve the same thing by just experimenting with your tap and RO mix and recording your parameters. You don't, IMO, need to buy the RO additives. (I know some people do for other fish such as cichlids, but for bettas I think you're fine mixing the tap and RO in different ratios until you're satisfied with your parameters.)
If you are talking about aquarium salt, that is meant to be added to freshwater for balanced electrolytes and such, there are many people who add it, and many others who feel it isn't necessary. You could try to do a search on freshwater aquarium salt and see what you come up with. I personally can't really make up my mind about it
so I use about 1/8 teaspoon per gallon of aquarium freshwater salt (not an RO salt). I mix my gallon of half tap, half RO water, add 1/8 teaspoon of aquarium salt, and 5 or 6 drops each of Novaqua and Amquel.bettacove
Aquarium Advice Freak
Thanks a bunch!
ashley
ashley
