Seoul Tap Water Parameters

[Soulstar]

Hi guys,

So I spent the last 30 minutes checking the water parameters to decide whether to purchase a RO unit. My tanks are all heavily planted with around 3wpg.

Water Parameters
PH - 7.0
KH - 2
GH - 4
NH3 - 0
NO2 - 0
NO3 - 5
PO4 - .25

How are my water parameters? Everytime I do a water change my shrimps go nuts, swimming all over the place so was worried something was wrong.

Do the parameters look okay? Also in terms of planted tank, how are the parameters? (although I'm slightly aware parameters are different for every tank's need, just in general terms)

Last but not least, should I purchase a RO unit?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Hobgob]

In my opinion a ro unit is not worth it. Although I don't know to much about inverts. But a ro unit will take a lot of your buffers out and very important minerals. More important to me is the buffers though. You tank needs them to keep a stable ph. If you remove a bunch of them you ph could swing drastically from something like you cleaning you glass with vinegar and you overspray. Where if you have lots of buffers it won be harder to change the ph since there is more holding it at 7.

 

[Old Scales]

With 3 wpg you will definitely need to add some form of carbon and a good balance of macro as well as micro nutrients. By your test values, and depending on what plants you want to grow you need to have your NO3 at 10 to 15 ppm, PO4 should be around 1.0ppm for all green plants and 3-5ppm for any non green/red plants. Also a KH of only 2 could be an issue. You may need to dose a little calcium some way to get it to 4-6 dKH. Many add a small pack of crushed coral to their filters to achieve this. This will also help stabilize your water from excessive pH swings as organic wastes accumulate and are changed by water changes. You don't state what size tank you have but the dry fert PPS-Pro from GLA is a great fertilization regime to use. Foe carbon you can go with pressurized Co2 or use glut for liquid carbon source.
OS.

 

[Soulstar]

With 3 wpg you will definitely need to add some form of carbon and a good balance of macro as well as micro nutrients. By your test values, and depending on what plants you want to grow you need to have your NO3 at 10 to 15 ppm, PO4 should be around 1.0ppm for all green plants and 3-5ppm for any non green/red plants. Also a KH of only 2 could be an issue. You may need to dose a little calcium some way to get it to 4-6 dKH. Many add a small pack of crushed coral to their filters to achieve this. This will also help stabilize your water from excessive pH swings as organic wastes accumulate and are changed by water changes. You don't state what size tank you have but the dry fert PPS-Pro from GLA is a great fertilization regime to use. Foe carbon you can go with pressurized Co2 or use glut for liquid carbon source. OS.

Do rocks raise KH? Maybe certain kinds?

I've been reading at EI and PPS-PRO dosing methods but unfortunately they don't sell it here in Korea so I'm currently using ADA fertilizers which is too expensive since I'm dosing 7 tanks right now. I'm wondering if Tropica Plant Nutrition is a better alternative.

 

[Jkeating8]

Hi guys, So I spent the last 30 minutes checking the water parameters to decide whether to purchase a RO unit. My tanks are all heavily planted with around 3wpg. Water Parameters PH - 7.0 KH - 2 GH - 4 NH3 - 0 NO2 - 0 NO3 - 5 PO4 - .25 How are my water parameters? Everytime I do a water change my shrimps go nuts, swimming all over the place so was worried something was wrong. Do the parameters look okay? Also in terms of planted tank, how are the parameters? (although I'm slightly aware parameters are different for every tank's need, just in general terms) Last but not least, should I purchase a RO unit? Thanks in advance.

I would not purchase an RO Unit unless you're planning on keeping sensitive shrimp, discus, or have hard water. I would kill for those conditions in my tanks. Like Old Scales said, the Kh could cause a problem. I wouldn't raise it above 3 though if you need to. If the plants aren't showing a calcium deficiency, you should be ok without raising it. The swings in Ph from a low Kh are not as deadly as some think. Besides, spraying vinegar and water directly onto the tank glass is a poor idea, anyway. Just spray onto a paper towel and wipe. Your conditions for a planted tank are great. Soft water out of the tap is a luxury. It's much easier to raise mineral content than to lower it. Do you have a TDS pen? This is a good and inexpensive instrument to have on hand. I got one on Amazon for 13$.

 

[aqua_chem]

As far as plants are concerned, I wish my water was more like yours. The low KH may be a problem if you don't do many WCs and heavily stock a tank, but as far as plants go, you should be fine.

With respect to your shrimp, it would depend largely on what species you're wanting to keep.

 

[Billbug68]

You can set up a drip system for water changes to decrease the stress on your shrimp. Basically a 5g bucket with a hole drilled in the bottom. Add some airline and a control valve so you can adjust the rate of flow. Just set the bucket above the tank with the airline dripping water in. Maybe a board across the corner of the tank and the bucket on top for stability. Saw a guy from my local club doing this on YouTube.