FW water quality

Carloz

New Member
So my tap water is high in nitrate over 80 ppm i went ahead and got an RODI system because obviously I couldnt get my Nitrate under 80. I am using Seachem Replenish to get some of the necessary minerals back. Will that be enough for my FW tanks? I have a 50 gallon with dwarf gourami a single angel fish 3 females bettas, 2 bristlenose plecos and 4 guppies. Since i did the change to RODI water i havent seen any difference in any of them and none have died. Before using RODI water my bettas and angel fish would die. the other tank is 40 gallon with only plants and about 10 minnows I dont want to add any new fish yet since i just started using the RODI water about a month ago. Any advice would be thankful.
 

DaveK

Well-Known Member
First off, what kind of FW tank are you keeping? If it's a fish only system, with no live plants, you really don't even need to be concerned about nitrate, unless the levels get to absurd levele. If your running a FW tank with live plants, then you actually want nitrates, since they are needed for good plant growth. You'll also want to use some additional fertilizers for best plant growth. As a note planted tanks also requite correct light.

Now using RO water is a bit different in FW. The RO process strips all minerals out of it so you need to get them back one way or another. Some people use a mix of tap water and ro water to get the GH and KH they want in their water. Others use all RO water, and use a GH and KH booster to get the water to where they want it. The levels you want for FW tanks depends upon what fish your keeping. However, none of the fish you have are very demanding in this department. For my own planted tank I usually want my water about 4 GH and 4 KH, and the pH slightly acid to slightly alkaline about 6.5 - 7.5.

To boost GH and KH you can use a product like Kent Marine R/O Right but it's a lot less expensive to get bulk products. Avoid the liquid GH / KH builder products because that are especially expensive for what you get. For GH the typical formula for Barrs GH Booster is 3 parts Potassium Sulfate, 3 parts Calcium Sulfate, 1 part Magnesium Sulfate. For boosting KH you can use baking soda.

Here is one site that has a lot of good information and sells bulk products - https://aquariumfertilizer.com/ I have used them for bulk fertilizers and such.

If your doing a planted tank, the use of fertilizers can be a complex subject, depending upon what your doing and is beyond the scope of this post. I don't usually reference another aquarium BB site here but for planted tanks and everything about the subject take a look at - https://www.plantedtank.net/

As a note, Reef Sanctuary is mostly a SW reef system site. While a lot of members, like myself, also keep FW, and we'll do our best to help, there may not be the depth of membership your looking for when it comes to FW systems.
 

Carloz

New Member
awesome thank you. i will take a look at both web sites you recommended. The main reason i switched to RODI water is because I was certain my fish were dying because of the high nitrates. Ever since i switched to RODI water i havent had a single fish die. but wanted to get more info in case i needed other supplements for my water. Thanks a bunch
 

DaveK

Well-Known Member
It is very unlikely that a nitrate reading of 80 ppm would bother most fish, especially the ones your listed, since they can tolerate a wide range of water conditions. However, it's quite possible that your water does contain something else, that the RO unit is removing for you. This is far more likely. If you think this is the case, then switch to 100% RO water and build it back up. BTW, this method works especially well for breeding fish, since you can match water conditions they like easily.
 

Carloz

New Member
Well when i would do the water changes i would test the water before i did the changes and it would read over 200 ppm and unless i did full water changes i would not get 80 ppm nitrate reading. I would do 50% water changes and still get a reading of over 100 ppm. And obviously such huge water changes on a weekly basis i though would do more damage in the short run. So basically i could not get my water in my tank to read under 100 for nitrates which i read would stress the fish out. BTW, my water is well water or whatever its called i live out in the country side. So maybe you are right and theres something else that is being treated by the RODI system.
 

DaveK

Well-Known Member
Even those high readings shouldn't be much of a problem to those fish. However, the well water could very likely be the issue. That can sometimes be excellent water, it also can sometimes be some really terrible water. Since that is the case, I'd say go with 100% RO water and build it back up.

As a note a non-aquarium friend of mine has some really bad well water, and has to maintain a massive water treatment system in his basement. Such problems are not too unusual. To get good drinking water the final part of the process is RO. It's ok to shower and wash with the treated non-ro water though.
 

Carloz

New Member
It makes sense. I must say when i first got into the hobby it was by accident slashed pushed into it because i bought a 120 gallon tank for my turtles and the guy who sold it to me gave me all the fish as well. Most were feeder fish but the 3 dot gourami is the only one that survived and is still alive 3 years later and believe me when i first got the little guy i had no idea about caring for fish but he survived living with the turtles and the untreated water for about 3 years so yea i dont see anything killing that guy other than age.
In any case im happy i bought the RODI system since i am thinking of getting into the SW hobby soon i just need far more knowledge and decide what kind of system i want to set up.
 

Carloz

New Member
if it was chloramine wouldnt that also affect me and my family when showering? Or do you mean low quantities safe enough for humans but dangerous or lethal to fish? I know theyre different but the tap water does read 0 on the chlorine.
 

DaveK

Well-Known Member
Chloramine is what is added by the water company to kill off bacteria and such. Previously the water companies would use chlorine for this. It's not going to be in well water. RO will remove it.
 

Carloz

New Member
Once things are up and running i might take a sample of my water source to get tested just to get an idea of what is in it. As you previously mentioned DaveK there might be something in there that the RO is treating. In any case thanks for all the insightful help.
 

PSU4ME

JoePa lives on!!!
Staff member
PREMIUM
Not all RO systems will remove chloramines, you need to have the right filter. It’s a disinfectant. Read up on it and see if you think it might apply to you
 
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