what remineralizers should I use for RO water?

[Seb]

I am looking to set up a new endler guppy breeding tank and I want to use RO water, what remineralizers do you guys recommend and how should I use them to achieve a hard water for my endlers?

[smm333]

I'm not sure about ro water and minerals. I use that in my shrimp tanks, but my well water for my endlers. My water is super soft, so I  use aragonite as the substrate. It makes the water harder and it looks really nice!

[Seb]

I was going to use tap water for my tank but realized that there is heaps of copper in it and I decided it was just safer and easier to use RO water for my tank.

[smm333]

On 4/7/2023 at 8:06 PM, Seb said:

I was going to use tap water for my tank but realized that there is heaps of copper in it and I decided it was just safer and easier to use RO water for my tank.

Yikes! Definately better off with RO. I use salty shrimp gh/ kh for my neocaradina tank, but I'm not sure what fish would need. Good luck though. Endlers are so much fun!

[Seb]

Thanks! 

[Lennie]

I use Equilibrium for gh. It is good for planted tanks actually. You basically dose it in accordance with the scooping directions based on your tank liter and to what GH you want to achieve. Then, with every water change, you only dose the amount for new water you are adding to the tank. No addition for topping up the water level. Just during water changes!

@nabokovfan87 uses alkaline buffer for kh if I'm not wrong. He may help on that one. You would want some kh there to make sure your ph does not fluctuate a lot

If you have any questions please ask. I don't know what exactly you would need help with!

Edited April 8 by Lennie

[nabokovfan87]

On 4/7/2023 at 8:15 PM, smm333 said:

Yikes! Definately better off with RO. I use salty shrimp gh/ kh for my neocaradina tank, but I'm not sure what fish would need. Good luck though. Endlers are so much fun!

 I agree with the above.  Using CC/Aragonite (however much you need) is probably the easiest way long term for stability.  Using something like Acid/Alkaline buffer works fine, but the amount you'd go through with RO water as a base on top of equilibrium, it's a bit much.

You very likely could use the same shrimp buffer (mix of the two) and then use the CC to get the PH where you want.

[Seb]

On 4/9/2023 at 6:42 AM, nabokovfan87 said:

 I agree with the above.  Using CC/Aragonite (however much you need) is probably the easiest way long term for stability.  Using something like Acid/Alkaline buffer works fine, but the amount you'd go through with RO water as a base on top of equilibrium, it's a bit much.

You very likely could use the same shrimp buffer (mix of the two) and then use the CC to get the PH where you want.

I've found a product which will work perfectly for me its called "Continuum Aquatics Reconstitute RO Dry" just two scoops and I'll have the perfect gh, and kh for livebearers. I think I will use it in conjunction with some crushed coral in the filter to provide more stability. Thanks for the tips.