Water peramitter unit help with RO water

[Kaneu]

Hello all. I'm new to this forum and wondering if anyone could help me understand a few things about pH, gH, and kH. I am going to be using RO water in a 75g tank and need to add back in alkaline in order to buffer pH and stabilize it.
But I want to keep ram cichlids and possibly discus. So I need to also find a way to keep the pH down to between 6.5 and 7. So I need to add an acid buffer.
I also have a jar of seacham equilibrium to add back in general hardness.

Ok so here is the main question, how do I know how much to add in to get the right water peramitters. Everything I have is measured in mEq/L and it says 1tps or 1 tbps to raise it by 1 for 50L (20g). What does this mean? 1 what? I have an understanding of the term ppm. But not these other units of measurement for water. Does anyone know what I'm confused with? Could you possibly explain this to me in a (measurements for dummies) kinda way
I would really appreciate the help.
Thanks

[coralbandit]

Without taking the most scientific approach possible I pay zero attention to anything in my FRESHWATER SUPPLY besides TDS anymore.
What comes from your RO unit will either depend on if you use DI also {I would not}and how well the unit handles your source water.
Some units will leave up to 10% of original TDS without using the DI media.
So don't expect your RO to be zero necessarily.
My source water is 7.6 ph /2-3 kh/ 9 gh so not real bad 'according' to many....
My TDS for this source water is 350 -400...That is pretty high.
The thing with ALL these test and the readings is that is all you get..
You get a reading with NO explanation of why..So while 0 TDS may seem easy to comprehend any reading over that doesn't tell you what is in the water.
I mix my ro and my tap water to get the water to where I want it.
I only know where I want it from trial and error..
I like for my rams to be in water from 65 -110 TDS and over 80 degrees..I don't measure anything else..

While this may seem like the way of a mad man[ I am] my trial and error has been happening for at least the last 4 + years and I have done reasonably well with my rams..You can search my threads or find me selling them on Aquabid.. I breed EBR/GBR on the regular..Other fish also but not in the same water.. I raise my rams in my tap straight and it makes them a better stronger fish I am often told.SO if you are not breeding and know how to acclimate fish to water you are best served staying with your tap.
It is always hard to pass time honored info without a little opinion so disregard this if you know it all..
I got nothing against seachem, they are a very reputable seller/mfgr ,but all that add this and that and then this ! You just spent RO filter membrane to remove that crap !Throw your money out the window on the free way..You'll get a better return IMO. Just mix your tap back in and pay attention to the amounts so you can do it the same every time or know how to adjust it .
If you stay hell bent on chasing Ph/Gh/Kh you will spin and your fish will suffer.
Rams of all fish will not tolerate much of this...

[Kaneu]

Thank you very much for the info. I am (as you know) just starting out. I am sure at a point in time I will get the hang of it and learn to do things the same. I am wanting to use live plants in this tank and that is what is new to me. So I might just be going overboard with what I need to do.

[mbkemp]

Think of it as trying to find an understanding of what really matters rather than overboard. The bandit has tremendous rams. Mix your ro water, change it slowly and you will find what you need to find based on how they do. Your eyes will tell you if they are happy

[Kaneu]

Originally Posted by mbkemp

Think of it as trying to find an understanding of what really matters rather than overboard. The bandit has tremendous rams. Mix your ro water, change it slowly and you will find what you need to find based on how they do. Your eyes will tell you if they are happy

Ok. I only have the 6 in 1 test strip from tetra. So that is all I have to go off of. I will spend some time mixing RO water (no DI) with my tap. I have very hard tap that is very high in alkilinity and pH. I just tested my water in my tank filling up with RO water it it read practically nothing with a pH of 6.8.
So would a RO of 70% and a tap of 30% be a good start?
And once I find a good balance, should I just try to match the same percentage every time?
Thanks so much for your help

[mbkemp]

Yes, match it as close as you can. In nature it will fluctuate. Consistency will be relative. Happy rams are beautiful. Have fun with them

[Kaneu]

Thank you for the help. I'll do my best.

[Kaneu]

Originally Posted by Kaneu

Thank you for the help. I'll do my best.

But...
What about my pH situation? They are in slightly acidic water in nature. And my water is close to 8. Should I do anything about that? Or just let the RO and tap mixture do that and not worry about it?

[coralbandit]

Get a TDS meter.
TDS-3 Handheld TDS Meter - HM Digital - Bulk Reef Supply
Many say the strips really are inaccurate.And the readings you are going to get from them or liquid are just reference really ..

I have API master kit Plus digital pens and what have you ..I only use the pen I linked..
I have bought cheaper and they do not read the same so make what you will of it..

[mbkemp]

Originally Posted by Kaneu

But...
What about my pH situation? They are in slightly acidic water in nature. And my water is close to 8. Should I do anything about that? Or just let the RO and tap mixture do that and not worry about it?

Ph can be high for several reasons. My water is 3dkh, 4dgh and measures over 8 ph. From a tds perspective it's at about 179ppm. That's what matters. The ro will take the carbonate, calcium and magnesium out. Or much of it. A little bit of driftwood, some peat in the filter, Indian almond leaves, alder cones will all give you some tannnin with will add some acidity. Play with it a little, find the happy spot and stay close it it and you will have happy fish

[Kaneu]

So stupid question, what do you mean by 3dkh and 4dgh. I get it means decibels of kh/gh but out of what? And what is normal? I am used to the ppm term of measurement.
Do you possibly know of a link that explains this easily? Or would you mind explaining please?

[mbkemp]

Simply put it is german degrees of hardness. I get that from my API test kit. The other from my tds meter. Any deeper a chemist would be required. I can fix your roof

[mbkemp]

By the way, no stupid questions. This hobby is about learning for me. The best way is through a question and hope someone with the answer will help. I do a lot of reading on a lot of sites. Bandit has blue rams, I have Bolivian. Mine love my water right where it is. I bothered to get the numbers because I wanted to know what they liked. If I can help you in any wAy let me know and I will do what I can

[Kaneu]

Ah. Alright. Thanks for letting me know

[Kaneu]

Originally Posted by mbkemp

By the way, no stupid questions. This hobby is about learning for me. The best way is through a question and hope someone with the answer will help. I do a lot of reading on a lot of sites. Bandit has blue rams, I have Bolivian. Mine love my water right where it is. I bothered to get the numbers because I wanted to know what they liked. If I can help you in any wAy let me know and I will do what I can

Thanks a bunch Kemp. I'm glad I joined this site. Is there a way to add people as contacts? Or is it just remembering names?

[mbkemp]

I am on Tapatalk. On the bottom right I can choose to follow different people. I am not sure how to follow any other way