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RO Water

Wilksy

Member
Joined
26 Feb 2020
Messages
33
Location
Steeple Bumpstead
I wonder if I could trouble you for a bit of advise regarding the use of RO water in my tank, I have access to as much RO water as I need as we make it for a process at my factory. I have a Purite Select and the water produced is 100% pure as we use it for silvering glass.

My question is regarding the addition of minerals I should put back in, I am currently using Aquavitro Mineralize and wonder if this is correct or is there a better/easier obtainable product I should be using, preferably in liquid form.
 
@Wilksy it's also worth of checking the Mg content in your tap, in UK it's usually too low (in relation to other nutrients) even when you'll use 100% tap water so you may want to add some Mg to your RO/tap mix. MgSO4 (epsom salts) is the easiest (and probably cheapest) available source of Mg.
 
According to my Anglian Drinking Water Quality Report my Mg has an average of 17.5 mg/l

Hi @Wilksy

OK, that's a useful figure. A magnesium level of around 10 mg/l seems to be recommended by the likes of JBL, Aquasabi and Aqua Rebell. So, doing a 50:50 mix with tap water may be the way to go. I also suggest that you keep an eye on recent threads discussing the optimum ratio for Ca:Mg:K. I use RO water remineralized using Tropic Marin Re-Mineral Tropic but I'm beginning to wonder if the mix of elements is optimized for planted tanks. I think it may contain too much potassium.

Must dash now. Back later.

JPC
 
Sorry for jumping in on the thread, just starting with freshwater and coming from a marine background intended to start with all RO water but looking at the comments this could cause me issues ? Am I better using the tap water and then use chemical additives to get the balance in the first instance right? Sorry if this is a bit of a stupid question ? Thanks Chris
 
Or mix RO and tap 50/50, 60/40, or whatever to get a suitable mineral content.
You can get a tapwater report from your supplier's website so you know what your starting point is. If you post it (maybe start your own thread) with an idea of what plants you want to grow, and what livestock you are thinking of, you should get some more specific advice.
 
Hi @hypnogogia
Did you ever get to the bottom of this? I also use it in my RO water, so wondering.

Yes, I did. It would appear that the potassium content of Tropic Marin Re-Mineral Tropic is fine as far as plants are concerned. But, I would suggest keeping an eye on this as it can reach 90ppm over time dependent on water change frequency, plant stocking density, etc. Left unchecked it could become a risk to your fish and, perhaps, other tank inhabitants. I use the JBL Potassium Test Kit to monitor potassium level.

JPC
 
@jaypeecee i actually used to change 50% of my water weekly using RO and remineral. More recently I’ve started using rainwater cut with tap, but the rainwater from my butt is quite cloudy and a pain for 24 hours after water change. Going to start filtering it over carbon before I use it to see if that makes a difference. Have even considered attaching a filter to the water butt (it’s 400L).
 
Hi @hypnogogia
...the rainwater from my butt is quite cloudy and a pain for 24 hours after water change. Going to start filtering it over carbon before I use it to see if that makes a difference. Have even considered attaching a filter to the water butt (it’s 400L).

Any idea what's causing the cloudiness? Particles and/or bacteria? Filtering through activated carbon may answer this question. Please keep us updated.

JPC
 
Hi @hypnogogia


Any idea what's causing the cloudiness? Particles and/or bacteria? Filtering through activated carbon may answer this question. Please keep us updated.

JPC
Not sure. I started filtering about 100L over activated carbon for over 12 hours and that didn’t make a difference. Have now added Purigen to the mix, and the water seems to be clearing up.
How would I check if it’s bacterial?
 
Have now added Purigen to the mix, and the water seems to be clearing up. How would I check if it’s bacterial?

If the water is clearing through Purigen, that suggests organics of some description, doesn't it? @dw1305 uses rainwater. He may be able to shed some light on the cloudiness. I asked about this because I don't like unknowns entering my fish tanks. I'm sure it's possible to filter out any nasties. So, we'd be looking at bacteria and parasites, for example. There are test labs that will be able to analyze your rain water but such tests come at a price - in excess of £100. But, I do have the names of some labs, if you're interested. And @dw1305 probably knows of some, too.

JPC
 
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