PistolPete Posted October 12, 2013 Report Share Posted October 12, 2013 I have a new aro coming from dream fish in a couple weeks. I was wondering if anybody had a stable way of lowering the general hardness of our water? Plus I'd love to lower the ph a lil as well. I don't want to add chemicals all the time as this tank receives plenty of wcs. Any ideas? Has to keep the levels stable. I'm already going with a heavily driftwooded bottom. I already have peat in the canister filters. I also use a product called Amazonia which leaches all sorts of brown goodies in the tank. Not sure how effective it is. I'd love RO but seems like a lot of work and pricey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayba Posted October 13, 2013 Report Share Posted October 13, 2013 RO mixed with tap water is the easiest. Just mix it the same all the time. It should be relatively consistent and stable. you can pick one up off ebay for pretty cheap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Znaika Posted October 13, 2013 Report Share Posted October 13, 2013 (edited) Reducing permanent hardness is possible pretty much by RO only. You can reduce total hardness from 12-14 dH down to 6-7 dH by reducing temporary (carbonate) hardness from 6-7 KH to 1-2 KH by preliminary cooking water in a barrell with a mesured addition of acid (this is cheap) or sour salt and aging for a day under aeration. Edited October 13, 2013 by Znaika Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PistolPete Posted October 13, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 13, 2013 Thanks, looks like I have to bite the bullet. So how much can I lower hardness and ph, by using a third RO water mixed in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PistolPete Posted October 13, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 13, 2013 Will it just lower gh by a third? And a small reduction in ph can be expected? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted October 13, 2013 Report Share Posted October 13, 2013 A new RO unit will produce water with 0 TDS, so adding 1/3 RO will reduce hardness by 1/3. If you're using 1/3 RO, you'll also find it easier to lower pH. Using just RO may be enough for your driftwood and peat to bring it down to the 6s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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