GH KH Remineralize RO / DI questions

[Tommy Vercetti]

On 3/24/2023 at 5:06 PM, Mmiller2001 said:

No, that's normal. There's no acids to bring it down. It will immediately be as expected when added to the tank.

Thanks.

It is ironic that I began this endeavor as a way to prevent the water change from causing a Ph swing in the aquarium.

This water change is going to be quite the leap of faith for me. 

[Tommy Vercetti]

Here are the results of my recipe with 5 gallons of reverse osmosis water. I will conduct the water change on Sunday morning. 

Tested, after 4 hours mixing:
dGh 7
dKh 2
Ph 8.4
TDS 142ppm
Ca 80ppm

I am not sure that I trust the Ca test because the chart on the API test kit is quite course. One drop of solution #2 equals 20ppm Ca.

Edited March 25, 2023 by Tommy Vercetti

[Mmiller2001]

Trust the dosing.

[Tommy Vercetti]

I have conducted a Ph sample this morning. The results indicate that the the aquarium is at 6.7 and the water change will make it about 6.8. I mixed 125ml aquarium water with 125ml of RO/DI water that was dosed and then mixed for 14 hours (with a small powerhead).

Or put another way @Mmiller2001 is 100% correct. Thanks for your help.

Edited March 25, 2023 by Tommy Vercetti

[egruttum]

One quick note on this.  I see a ton of people talk about using RODI water.  For 99% of people using the DI at the very end is a waste.  RO water, if the membranes are functioning properly, is incredibly low in any ions.  Using the deionization resin at the end is just wasting money.  If you are mixing RODI water with tap water in any ratio then your DI is totally wasted and it's just an extra expense for you.  Remineralizing your water after DI is basically wasting DI resin as well.  I'm sure there are some extreme cases where the deionization step is needed but for most people it's a total waste of money.  

[Tommy Vercetti]

On 3/25/2023 at 10:11 AM, egruttum said:

One quick note on this.  I see a ton of people talk about using RODI water.  For 99% of people using the DI at the very end is a waste.  RO water, if the membranes are functioning properly, is incredibly low in any ions.  Using the deionization resin at the end is just wasting money.  If you are mixing RODI water with tap water in any ratio then your DI is totally wasted and it's just an extra expense for you.  Remineralizing your water after DI is basically wasting DI resin as well.  I'm sure there are some extreme cases where the deionization step is needed but for most people it's a total waste of money.  

Thanks. I am currently having RO/DI delivered to my house, but will keep this in mind when I order my RO unit.

[Tommy Vercetti]

Update:

Good news, the water change went well. The Ph is, as expected, at 6.8 after the WC. The German Blue Rams seem unaffected by the water change. I will update again after observing their behavior more.

 

Thank you, everyone, for all the help.

 

P.S. I had forgotten how much I hate doing water changes with buckets.

Edited March 26, 2023 by Tommy Vercetti

[Tommy Vercetti]

Update #2: The German Blue Rams are doing so much better now. They have even layed eggs! The male is pictured here guarding the eggs. 

[Mmiller2001]

Excellent.

[Tommy Vercetti]

Update: the Rams are still doing well though no eggs hatched.

Tomorrow is water change day, so I thought that I would share my aqurium test numbers from today (before the water change):

Ammonia: 0

Nitrites: 0

Nitrates: 30 ppm

Ph: 6.8

GH: 12 dgh / 215 ppm

Kh: 4 dkh / 72 ppm

TDS: 365 ppm

Ca: 60 ppm

Phosphates: 0.5 ppm

Temperature: 79.9 F

Edited April 8, 2023 by Tommy Vercetti