Vallisneria Posted September 15, 2008 Report Share Posted September 15, 2008 I was thinking of trying some harder to keep species and need to lower my ph and hardness. Since I know nothing about Chemistry and dont' really want to mess around testing it out myself(as its expensive if you are buying RO and screw up) I was wondering if you guys could help. What ratio of RO to Edmonton tap should I use? I'd like to get my water to about ph7.0 and Kh 3-4, gh3-4. Or is there a way of using all RO and then buying something to reconstitute it. A product where I'd just have to add a a certain amount to get a certain ph/kh value(like 5g of RO +1 tsp of powder = ph7.0)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vallisneria Posted September 15, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 15, 2008 Also, I was looking at the Epcor reports and was wondering is "conductivity" is GH. http://www.epcor.ca/pages/water/WaterQuali...ly/wqdaily.html What does conductivity 368us/cm mean? How much is that in degrees? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted September 15, 2008 Report Share Posted September 15, 2008 Conductivity is water's ability to carry a charge. The more salts (dissolved ions) in water, the higher it's conductivity. It isn't a GH measurement, but can give you an idea of the Ca/Mg component of water, as they're both in water as ions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patrick Posted September 15, 2008 Report Share Posted September 15, 2008 Also, I was looking at the Epcor reports and was wondering is "conductivity" is GH. http://www.epcor.ca/pages/water/WaterQuali...ly/wqdaily.htmlWhat does conductivity 368us/cm mean? How much is that in degrees? In short conductivity is the waters ability to transfer electricity. The GH does effect the conductivity but so does many other disolved solids that can't be measured with GH and KH test kits. Sodium being the most common one. You can get a TDS meter since what the TDS meter actually reads is conductivity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vallisneria Posted September 15, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 15, 2008 (edited) Then what is Edmonton taps Gh reading? I haven't measured kh or Gh in a LONG time and can't remember what it was. Also, where is a cheap place to buy RO water and whats a good ratio to start at? Anyone here mix RO/ Tap? Edited September 15, 2008 by degrassi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patrick Posted September 15, 2008 Report Share Posted September 15, 2008 Then what is Edmonton taps Gh reading? I haven't measured kh or Gh in a LONG time and can't remember what it was. Last time I checked was about a year ago and if I remember correctly both readings were between 8-10 and the PH 7.7-7.8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveDude77 Posted September 15, 2008 Report Share Posted September 15, 2008 Not sure about Edmonton, but Calgary has a posted annual water test results. Use this link if you're interested. http://www.calgary.ca/portal/server.pt/gat...lity+Report.htm While we're on this subject. Is it possible to convert TDS (measured in ppm) to GH (not sure what units are used, degrees I think)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patrick Posted September 15, 2008 Report Share Posted September 15, 2008 (edited) Not sure about Edmonton, but Calgary has a posted annual water test results. Use this link if you're interested.http://www.calgary.ca/portal/server.pt/gat...lity+Report.htm While we're on this subject. Is it possible to convert TDS (measured in ppm) to GH (not sure what units are used, degrees I think)? No it is not possible. The TDS meter sends a charge or electricity between two prongs at the end. The less resistance the higher value. Minerals such as calcium, magensium, potassium can be completely absent (GH 0) but if there is for example carbonates and sodium in the water it will still lead electricity and the TDS meter will show a positive value. The TDS meter's aren't 100% accurate either because they measure the conductivity and then convertes to TDS. The problem is that all dissolved solids do not have the same conductivity. Edited September 15, 2008 by patrick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geleen Posted September 15, 2008 Report Share Posted September 15, 2008 I was thinking of trying some harder to keep species and need to lower my ph and hardness. Since I know nothing about Chemistry and dont' really want to mess around testing it out myself(as its expensive if you are buying RO and screw up) I was wondering if you guys could help.What ratio of RO to Edmonton tap should I use? I'd like to get my water to about ph7.0 and Kh 3-4, gh3-4. Or is there a way of using all RO and then buying something to reconstitute it. A product where I'd just have to add a a certain amount to get a certain ph/kh value(like 5g of RO +1 tsp of powder = ph7.0)? My RO is about PH 6. I have used 3/4 RO with 1/4 tap to get around PH 7. I did not measure anything else. No problems for 3 months. J Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vallisneria Posted September 15, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 15, 2008 My RO is about PH 6. I have used 3/4 RO with 1/4 tap to get around PH 7. I did not measure anything else. No problems for 3 months. J Do you buy your RO or have a RO filter? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geleen Posted September 15, 2008 Report Share Posted September 15, 2008 My RO is about PH 6. I have used 3/4 RO with 1/4 tap to get around PH 7. I did not measure anything else. No problems for 3 months. J Do you buy your RO or have a RO filter? I have one for personal use installed under the sink in the kitchen, makes at the most 10 gal/24 hours J Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firestorm Posted September 16, 2008 Report Share Posted September 16, 2008 I purchased my RO unit on ebay through a company called aquasafe (as far as I remember). It is a 5 stage RO/DI (you won't need DI unless keeping marine) and I paid about $150 for it including shipping. But you will still need to buy some parts separately for it, but it is the best way to do RO over buying it from the store. If using all RO water you will need to replace some of the trace elements it takes out, which are very important for your fish. So you will have to buy products to add. But RO and tap mixes are the better and easier ways to go. You might also want to stay away from any kind of rock or substrate that will increase the pH in your tank, like crushed coral, aragonite, lime stone, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patrick Posted September 16, 2008 Report Share Posted September 16, 2008 My suggestion is to buy some RO water and mix with the tapwater to see what you get. Buying a RO unit will definately save you lots of money in the long run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firestorm Posted September 16, 2008 Report Share Posted September 16, 2008 Quick link to tons of helpful info on the use of RO.....got it myself firsthand http://albertaaquatica.com/index.php?showtopic=18177 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vallisneria Posted September 16, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 16, 2008 My suggestion is to buy some RO water and mix with the tapwater to see what you get. Buying a RO unit will definately save you lots of money in the long run. Well that my plan, thats why I wanted to know what ratio other people were using. Do I use a 50/50 mix? More RO to tap? Its a small tank(10g) so I dont' need to spend the money buying a RO unit quite yet. I just want to know what ratio of RO/tap to start with so I dont' end up screwing up and wasting a bunch of RO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.