wondering if half the water we put back in can be R.O. water

[lauriezuki]

I am a new addition to your forum and I have a question (or 2 or 3). We have a semi new (6 wks) 38 g. tank and it has had those 'dusty' particles in the water. We are doing a 50% water change now and I'm wondering if half the water we put back in can be R.O. water, without adding any additives (besides Prime, that is) Any opinion ? My husband and I kept fish YEARS and YEARS ago, and there was none of this 'special' additive stuff. You let the new water 'age' to dissipate the chlorine, and that was about the extent of it . It certainly has become 'big business'. But it is still so enjoyable that it is worth it. thanks. Laurie.

 

[King Fisher]

If you are using tap water you should be using a dechlorinator such as Seachem Prime. Chlorine will dissipate over time....and at the expense of your fish health.....but chloramine will not and does harm fish.....hence the need for a dechlorinator.

Depending on the filters used for RO the water could still contain chlorine and some metals. Best to use a dechlorinator.

If you mix 50/50 RO and tap it will change your pH. So if this is what you want to do it's a good idea to stick to this mixture.

Is your tank cycled or is the dusty look from bacteria blooms?

 

[Autumnsky]

First you would need to know what your levels are of
pH
GH - general hardness
KH - Carbonate hardness
TDS - total dissolved solids / if you have the ability to measure it, not critical

RO is good to add for when you refill the tank from evaporation.

Since RO has (in theory) no minerals and minerals are needed to maintain a stable pH in the system, you would only want to add it if you know how heavily mineralized your tank water is.

If you have low KH /calcium like I do you would need to add it to the water, not dilute it.

Sometimes you have one high thing and one low one, so testing makes it easier to know what to do.

There are commercially available remineralizers which I use for my Pure Red Line dwarf shrimp tank and start with RO, making the water, an ideal parameter for the shrimp.

As for the particles a nice way to help with that is using a fine filter pad, and my favorite is to use Purigen which binds the stuff from the water and polishes the water to a perfect clear.
https://www.seachem.com/purigen.php

 

[lauriezuki]

If you are using tap water you should be using a dechlorinator such as Seachem Prime. Chlorine will dissipate over time....and at the expense of your fish health.....but chloramine will not and does harm fish.....hence the need for a dechlorinator.

Depending on the filters used for RO the water could still contain chlorine and some metals. Best to use a dechlorinator.

If you mix 50/50 RO and tap it will change your pH. So if this is what you want to do it's a good idea to stick to this mixture.

Is your tank cycled or is the dusty look from bacteria blooms?

***************
We are using 'Prime' plus 'Quick Start' and 'Stress Coat'. We don't think it IS cycled. At one point for about a day or so it looked crystal clear, but then it started getting what looked like dust particles in it, and still hasn't cleared up. We set it up new on August 5th. Used all the 'stuff' to start the water cycle, and put a few guppies in it. (QuickStart,StressCoat,Prime,TopFinBacteria supplement and aged tap water.) (Tank is a 38 gal.bow front) Also bought the API Master test kit, and API test strips. The fish seem to be doing fine. We lost a couple of them the first week, but think they were abused when being netted at the store. --By the way, one of the guppies had 9 babies, and they are all doing fine at 3 weeks old.We are 'tickled', but still would like to see the water clear up. Thanks for your help. Laurie

 

[Autumnsky]

You might want to use a prefilter sponge on the intake if you have baby fish. Keeps them from accidentally getting sucked up into the filter.

 

[lauriezuki]

Thank you. We removed the fry as soon as we saw them..at birth, and put them in a small bowl with an undergravel filter. They are growing nicely, and starting to color up. We DO have a fine net sleeve over the filter uptake also.

 

[Autumnsky]

Nice!!! It is fun to watch them grow up. Keep up with frequent water changes for them to grow stronger, faster and healthier.