Help with RO water

[Leo2o915]

So I’m getting some new L134 plecos and will be doing RO water in the 20 long they going to be in going to be using these to remineralize the water are these good or what’s better ? And IF I use these says the dose for 20 gallons wanted to do it 5 gallon buckets how much or what do you guys and girls recommend @Cory @Dean’s Fishroom @Candi  @Bentley Pascoe or anyone that can help please and thank you they come in tomorrow so trying to get it figured out right so will do a test one today with no fish and make sure it stays stable 

[Fish Folk]

3 minutes ago, Leo2o915 said:

So I’m getting some new L134 plecos and will be doing RO water in the 20 long they going to be in going to be using these to remineralize the water are these good or what’s better ? And IF I use these says the dose for 20 gallons wanted to do it 5 gallon buckets how much or what do you guys and girls recommend @Cory @Dean’s Fishroom @Candi  @Bentley Pascoe or anyone that can help please and thank you they come in tomorrow so trying to get it figured out right so will do a test one today with no fish and make sure it stays stable 

About your leopard frog Plecos: are they tank raised? Or F0-wild caught? Do you know parameters of their source water (e.g.  GH / PH / KH / TDS / AM / NI / NA / Temperature)? What are the parameters of your _tap water_ at home? 

[Leo2o915]

42 minutes ago, Fish Folk said:

About your leopard frog Plecos: are they tank raised? Or F0-wild caught? Do you know parameters of their source water (e.g.  GH / PH / KH / TDS / AM / NI / NA / Temperature)? What are the parameters of your _tap water_ at home? 

They are wild caught  they have them in 7ph no nitrates 

[Leo2o915]

1 hour ago, Fish Folk said:

About your leopard frog Plecos: are they tank raised? Or F0-wild caught? Do you know parameters of their source water (e.g.  GH / PH / KH / TDS / AM / NI / NA / Temperature)? What are the parameters of your _tap water_ at home? 

They said TDS at 250 

[Fish Folk]

Ok. Have you reached out to anyone who has brought FO-L134s into their fishroom?

Maybe try reaching out to Freshwater Exotics, and asking for their input.

My thought is this: unless your tap water is unreasonably hard, or wildly high pH, .... or unless these Plecos require really specific parameters .... I’d want to learn whether “trying too hard” by going all in on R. O. plus additives might not stress or harm fish any more than just acclimating them to your normal tap water.

When they arrive, you could do a gentle drip acclimation (or a mini-pour adjustment). The process could look like emptying them in their water into a wide shallow bin. Add an airstone. Slowly drip / pour water from your tank into the bin. Suck shipping water out in less amounts, and dispose. Go slowly... maybe taking 45-60 minutes or longer. Once done, gently add Plecos to your aquarium. 

[Leo2o915]

1 hour ago, Fish Folk said:

Ok. Have you reached out to anyone who has brought FO-L134s into their fishroom?

Maybe try reaching out to Freshwater Exotics, and asking for their input.

My thought is this: unless your tap water is unreasonably hard, or wildly high pH, .... or unless these Plecos require really specific parameters .... I’d want to learn whether “trying too hard” by going all in on R. O. plus additives might not stress or harm fish any more than just acclimating them to your normal tap water.

When they arrive, you could do a gentle drip acclimation (or a mini-pour adjustment). The process could look like emptying them in their water into a wide shallow bin. Add an airstone. Slowly drip / pour water from your tank into the bin. Suck shipping water out in less amounts, and dispose. Go slowly... maybe taking 45-60 minutes or longer. Once done, gently add Plecos to your aquarium. 

I’m getting them from them 🙂 

[Leo2o915]

1 hour ago, Fish Folk said:

Ok. Have you reached out to anyone who has brought FO-L134s into their fishroom?

Maybe try reaching out to Freshwater Exotics, and asking for their input.

My thought is this: unless your tap water is unreasonably hard, or wildly high pH, .... or unless these Plecos require really specific parameters .... I’d want to learn whether “trying too hard” by going all in on R. O. plus additives might not stress or harm fish any more than just acclimating them to your normal tap water.

When they arrive, you could do a gentle drip acclimation (or a mini-pour adjustment). The process could look like emptying them in their water into a wide shallow bin. Add an airstone. Slowly drip / pour water from your tank into the bin. Suck shipping water out in less amounts, and dispose. Go slowly... maybe taking 45-60 minutes or longer. Once done, gently add Plecos to your aquarium. 

Yeah my tap water around 7.7 TDS around 500 so it’s pretty hard what I hate the most about it that it’s has nitrates around 15 to 20 out of the tap 

[Fish Folk]

Just now, Leo2o915 said:

I’m getting them from them 🙂 

Awesome! So, is the recommendation to use R. O. Water from them? Is that what they're doing -- R. O. Water, plus adding seachem to remineralize? From what I recall watching their videos, they've got these fish in absolutely bare tanks with big sponges. I'd trust them to recommend a good plan for these plecos.

I truly wish you the best success! They look to be amazing fish, and I think that Freshwater Exotics does a good business. 

[Fish Folk]

4 minutes ago, Leo2o915 said:

Yeah my tap water around 7.7 TDS around 500 so it’s pretty hard what I hate the most about it that it’s has nitrates around 15 to 20 out of the tap 

Gotcha. Yeah  . . . that's concerning. Maybe you could plant the tank, and _mix_ tap water with your R.O. instead of doing chemicals?

[Leo2o915]

52 minutes ago, Fish Folk said:

Gotcha. Yeah  . . . that's concerning. Maybe you could plant the tank, and _mix_ tap water with your R.O. instead of doing chemicals?

That’s what I was thinking doing like half RO and half tap so wouldn’t have to use chemicals then 

[Andy's Fish Den]

I have gotten wild caught plecos several times, and have hard well water with pH 7.8-8.0 and TDS that ranges 350-450. I have acclimated them into my tap water easily without any issues, and since you aren't getting them directly from the wild, but an importer, they have done the harder work of getting them acclimated from the softer, lower pH acidic water from their home. When I've gotten them, I have a mix of my tap and RO water in the tank, float for temp and plop and drop. Then as I do water changes, I just use my tap water and eventually the tank will be all tap water. 

[Leo2o915]

3 hours ago, Andy's Fish Den said:

I have gotten wild caught plecos several times, and have hard well water with pH 7.8-8.0 and TDS that ranges 350-450. I have acclimated them into my tap water easily without any issues, and since you aren't getting them directly from the wild, but an importer, they have done the harder work of getting them acclimated from the softer, lower pH acidic water from their home. When I've gotten them, I have a mix of my tap and RO water in the tank, float for temp and plop and drop. Then as I do water changes, I just use my tap water and eventually the tank will be all tap water. 

That’s the issue it’s not really my ph it’s the TDS over 500 plus the nitrates straight out of my tap 

[Andy's Fish Den]

24 minutes ago, Leo2o915 said:

That’s the issue it’s not really my ph it’s the TDS over 500 plus the nitrates straight out of my tap 

Mixing RO with the tap will bring the TDS levels down as well as nitrate levels, make sure you have a good established biological filter and maybe add some floating plants to help absorb some of the nitrates.

[David Ellsworth]

I agree with Andy. I would try mixing RO water with some tap water. Mostly RO water, maybe 3/4 RO  to 1/4 tap? That should keep levels on the lower end.