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I bought a RO/DI system, I took out the DI filter because I read it was bad for freshwater tanks. I live in Phx , Az and water is really hard. What do you suggest?
I do not believe it is bad, the fish just can't really live in PURE/only RO/DI water as it doesn't have minerals needed for them to survive. It is usually mixed in part with tap water, like 50/50 or 25% RO/DI water, 75% tap, usually to adjust for GH/KH and pH.
I have used RO/DI water in my fresh tank for about a year now. I add Seachem equilibrium to add back the minerals my fish need.
I live in California and during the worst part of the drought last year my fish were stressed after water changes. The PPM was high 700+ but I had no idea what was in the water. My hubbie and I, dog and fish all switched to the RO/DI.
Now that we have had some rain the tap water is better so I am now doing 50/50 tap and RO/DI mix.
I also added coral aragonite sand to my canister when I started using the RO/DI. I probably need to add a fresh batch I just realized it's been in there all this time. I'm not sure how long it supports the PH but my KH is a bit low and maybe freshening this up will help.