Did you calebrate the machine first? Otherwise, I would inquire with the LFS about this.Just got my RO (just RO, not RO/DI) water from my LFS (bought 2 5gal containers from them as well to store it in), and I tested it with my TDS meter when I got home, and both containers are showing 120ppm TDS!! What gives?
That is some of the best advice I have heard come from a LFS in a long time. They are correct. You can just use dry sand if you can get your hands on the right type. The LFS may even sell it. Just ask for a couple of cups of established sand from one of their tanks to seed it with.Also, the LFS recommended against using the "bagged live sand", he says they just use dry (not live) aragonite, and maybe seed it with a bit of live sand from a tank.
If it is fry, the RO/DI will be just fine.They have Caribsea Aragonite sand in (rinse before use, in RO water I guess? Or would rinsing in saltwater be ok?) - would this sand be ok?
lando said:If it is fry, the RO/DI will be just fine.They have Caribsea Aragonite sand in (rinse before use, in RO water I guess? Or would rinsing in saltwater be ok?) - would this sand be ok?
lando said:Just trapped air. You can sift your sand if you like. Otherwise, they should work themselves free.
Ph is not really a concern right now. You should expect it to flucuate a bit in the begining. You can point a powerhead toward the surface of the water to allow for better gas exchange. This should drive Ph up a bit. Also, test it at different times of the day. It will differ with the light schedule. You should expect it to be slightly lower in the morning when the lights have been out all night and slightly higher in the evening ofter the lights have been on all day. That said, a Ph of 8.1 is not too bad.The pH in my tank has now gone down to 8.0/8.1, when the saltwater was 8.2/8.3 before I put it in the tank. Any ideas? It's only been in the tank 1 day! Tested at about 8pm, with the lights on (lights had been on for about an hour).
cold RO/DI is just fine if top-offs are done on a regular basis.Also, for daily top-ups, I guess I'm ok using COLD RO water, as I won't be putting much in anyway for it to alter the temp. much?
I change mine once a month. With enough other bio-media it should not be an issue. Keep in mind that any chemical media that absorbs unwanted nutrients (such as PO4 and NO3) or metals (like copper) do have a limited life span. Once depleted or "full", these chemical filters wll cease to remove what they are suppose to or, worse yet, leech it back into the water. IMHO, not changing them to conserve any colonized bacteria will do more harm then good.On that subject, you recommended changing the PURA pads every month. In my filter, i have about 7 little PURA pads stacked up, which take up about 80% of the filter, with a bag of carbon on the top. Will changing all of these pads at a time every month not mean i'll be losing a lot of the bacteria every time I change?? I always thought you should only change a third of the media at a time?
I would be very leary of adding any chemicals or buffers to a smaller tank. there is very little room for error. I suspect you will notice an increase and stablization of your Ph with the PWC.Also, if my pH is still not higher (I want it to be a stable 8.3) by the time I'm ready to do my 50% waterchange and add my first fish, would you recommend using a buffer? Or would maybe the 50% waterchange with fresh water (after everything's settled down etc.) be enough to drive it back up? I just tested it now at 11pm after the lights have been on all day, and it's still 8.0/8.1