Changing water from tap to DI/RO in an established tank

3684 Views 7 Replies 7 Participants Last post by naegling23, Apr 11, 2008

Easystreet

Discussion Starter · Apr 10, 2008

Hello,

I post this here because I have a SA tank set up and would like to lower my ph to a more SA level. Here are my stats:

40 gallon long AGA tank. 48x13x16
80 degrees
Ph 7.7
Gh 60ppm
KH 50ppm
Nitrite 0
Ammonia 0
Nitrate - Unknown

The tank has been set up for almost a year. I have 11 penguin tetras, 3 L066 Pl*co's, and 5 (3f 2m) Apistogramma Cacatuoides. Feeding has always been once daily. I feed NLS food for them all. Flake for the Tetra's, H20 Stable Wafers (not algae wafers) for the Pl*co's, and Chichlid Formula for the Apisto's. I have switched feeding to every other day and cut the amount in half. I change 10 gallons (25%) once a week. I use AquaSafe to treat the water. The substrate is play sand. I use drift wood and fake plants.

The apisto's are breeding in the tank and everybody seems happy. I want to make the change to give the inhabitants a more natural enviroment. What is the best way to to make the switch to DI/RO water?

Pictures for your refrence;

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1 - 8 of 8 Posts

DeadFishFloating

· #2 · Apr 10, 2008

G'day Easystreet,

Nice looking tank mate.

When you say the apistos are breeding, are the eggs hatching and are the fry surving to free swimming stage?

If so, I wouldn't worry about changing over your tank water. I would however be looking at
setting up a 15 gallon or 20 gallon fry tank, and look at siphoning out the fry once they reach the free swimming stage.

Your cacs are a line bred variant, and more than likely were bred by a local breeder in similar water conditions. Your plecos (go on say the word, PLE CO, they won't die. :lol: btw I have 2 L333, 3 L104 & 4 L002) are quite possibly locally tank bred as well, mine all were.

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Easystreet

Discussion Starter · #3 · Apr 10, 2008

DeadFishFloating said:
G'day Easystreet,

When you say the apistos are breeding, are the eggs hatching and are the fry surving to free swimming stage?

If so, I wouldn't worry about changing over your tank water. I would however be looking at
setting up a 15 gallon or 20 gallon fry tank, and look at siphoning out the fry once they reach the free swimming stage.

Your cacs are a line bred variant, and more than likely were bred by a local breeder in similar water conditions. Your plecos (go on say the word, PLE CO, they won't die. :lol: btw I have 2 L333, 3 L104 & 4 L002) are quite possibly locally tank bred as well, mine all were.

Thanks DeadFishFloating,

My cacs do make it to free swimming. Their mothers watch over them like hawks chasing anybody away. All of the Cacs you see in that picture, except the last one, are born and raised in that tank. I have thought about setting up a grow out tank. I wouldnt know what to do with all the kids.

I guess I will look into it.

Thanks again DFF. You saved me a couple c-notes.

p.s. I wouldnt dare say pl*co. You never know. :lol:

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DirtyBlackSocks

· #4 · Apr 11, 2008

Just dump the new RO water straight in

I've literally switched out 90% tap with the same parameters as what you listed with pure RO water at once in my discus tanks and it does nothing but make them spawn.

I'd do a 50% change with pure RO, and then another next week, and so on and so forth....

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mcflyyy

· #5 · Apr 11, 2008

Hi all,
Please excuse my ignorance but I'm pretty new to all this. I've been thinking about the different options for my tank water but have no idea where to start. What is RO water? could anybody give be a breif run down or is there a good info page floating around?
Thanks for helping out an amature

cheers,
McFLYYY

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Cichlidfied

· #6 · Apr 11, 2008

mcflyyy said:
Hi all,
Please excuse my ignorance but I'm pretty new to all this. I've been thinking about the different options for my tank water but have no idea where to start. What is RO water? could anybody give be a breif run down or is there a good info page floating around?
Thanks for helping out an amature
cheers,
McFLYYY

RO is reverse osmosis. It's neutral water. I use it myself for my SA tank. ph out of the tap here is 8.8. Almost everybody around here has African tanks.

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under_control

· #7 · Apr 11, 2008

Honestly, switching to RO/DI water(you need to reconstitute the water after this) is more likely to cause you problems. If it aint broken, don't fix it.

Why spend the tons of extra money when you fish are breeding, seem healthy, happy, and you have no problems?

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naegling23

· #8 · Apr 11, 2008

I wouldnt bother with RO water, and im going to make a comment here. All of us SA dwarf lovers are extremely jeleous!! You get water out of your tap at ~50ppm!!! I use RO water, and mix it with tap to achieve 50ppm, so since you are already there, you dont need to do a thing. Again, jeleous.

If they are breeding and surviving, I wouldnt touch a thing, the fish look great, your doing a good job, keep it up. If I hadnt heard that the apisto's were breeding, I would recommend bringing your pH down below 7 with driftwood/peat, but again, your fish are thriving, why create unnecessary work for yourself.

nice pleco's too!

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