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Seachem Prime is a water conditioner, the small kind, it comes in a bottle. Detoxifies chlorine, chloramine and ammonia. It appears pricey in the 16 ounce size but I use one milliliter per 10 gallons of water that I change and that makes it more reasonable than Amquel or other units.

The GH and KH measures should make your fish happy. KH is high enough to give you a great acid buffer. GH indicates that your water is soft. It will be curious as to your final pH.

What was the name of that water softener and what is he using for the cation swap?

__________
"To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research."
researched from Steven Wright

alright, after all this i now have a new problem along the same lines.

fish living in pH of 8.0
old tap water was 8.2
new tap water is now 6.0

will adding the RO Right correct the pH to at least a 7.5? because 6.0 seems way too low for my guys and would seem way unbalanced.

experts, please chime in

Entkitty

See my profile (link below) for fish and setup.

Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.

Kitty,

Did you use RO water to fill the aquarium or did you use tap water?

If you just filled the aquarium and tested it, your pH will rise over the next 24 hours as the water is moved around and heated. You can acclimate your fish to the new pH slowwwly by adding water to a bucket that contains the fish, but I would not recommend adding the fish until you find out what your aquarium is going to settle at.

Please test your GH and KH also... RO right adds trace minerals and does not adjust pH.

Last edited by bob wesolowski at 18-Jan-2005 17:02

__________
"To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research."
researched from Steven Wright

my 60 gal tank has been set up without fish for 1 week now. My tank as it stands right now is 8.2. I fish are living in my 30 gal with pH at 7.9 or 8.0. I wanted to take the water from my 30 gal and add it to 60 when the fish are ready to move in, along with the old gravel, (I took out half already to but into 60gal tank along with some of my plants and some of the drift wood.) after putting the conditioner in, the pH is 6.0. This is a worry. I also am thinking, the tap is like RO water except only 80% clean not 99% clean. All iron, mag, calc is taken out. I know I can use hose water and do a 1/2 and 1/2, or i could add the RO Right and correct it that way. (which seems much easier) When adding/changin water, i work with 5 gal buckets.

wow, this is when i wish phones were still in use. :-)

See my profile (link below) for fish and setup.

Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.

Kitty,

Try this link to see a Python, they should be available in your area.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=3910&R=8540&N=2004+113165+113565&in_merch=1&ref=2051&subref=BY&SOURCE=GOOG&KEYWORD=Aquarium+Python&ctt=56

__________
"To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research."
researched from Steven Wright

Bob, thank you so much for all your help.

I am a happy camper now

I am looking into the python now.



See my profile (link below) for fish and setup.

Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.

wow Bob, just out of the tap, my GH is now 2 from 22-24 and my KH is 8. I hope this is gong to be no big deal. also, you said something about adding c-cam balance? what is that?

See my profile (link below) for fish and setup.

Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.

Kitty, how does the pH test after sitting out. Unfortunately, you would need to put some from that new conditioned tap into a bucket with an airstone overnight to know. Bob had asked this and you provided some other figures, but I didn't see pH.

Mine comes out of the cold tap at 7.0. It rises to 8.0 after overnight aeration of the water. Gases are in the water and once it equalizes with the atmosphere, therein lies the pH.

sorry cory, 7.4 out of the tap and 8.2 after sitting out. This is without the water conditioner. With water conditioner, straight from tap, 8.0 and of course we are still waiting for the 24 hour mark. That will be tomorrow afternoon.



See my profile (link below) for fish and setup.

Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.

Cory and Kitty, thank you for the nice words.

I have discus but I don't use RO water and I do water changes from my tap with a Python and my water is hard as well as alkaline and I do a daily 40% water change in a planted tank. Given common perceptions about what to do, I am doing everything wrong because: discus need acidic, soft water, their water should he heated and aerated over night to minimize fluctuations in pH and large, daily water changes create mini-cycles. Of course, the fish are happy, they are spawning and no one has died in over two years except for one suicide.

In my opinion, the key to successfully keeping tropical fish is to provide a stable environment. Water parameters that are consistent from day to day without swings in GH, KH, pH, nitrates or trace elements. On the personal side, I want it to be as easy and as inexpensive as possible to maintain those parameters.

A pre-mixed product delivered to my house with reasonable quality control at a very low cost would be perfect. I have that product with tap water run through a water conditioner (softener). If I need to add chemicals should as RO Right or RO OK or RO Up, the process becomes more difficult, more costly and e to errors in my calculation of what is needed to bring the water left, right, up or down without performing time consuming tests before and after dosing.

Conditioned softened) tap water provides me an inexpensive, consistent and convenient product to maintain my aquariums. Daily water changes, made easier by that water bed contraption - the Python, keep me from a becoming a permanent bucket brigade and lets me do a quick vacuum of the tank whenever I do a water change.

I have no problems with nitrates or phosphates because I am duplicating what happens in the discus natural habitat. I am providing a fresh source of clean water with trace minerals every day!

My past experience together with members of my fish club and discussions with hobbyist breeders dictates cleanliness and consistency to be successful in maintaining fish. In general, fish adapt quickly and easily to your base water conditions. The base water conditions should be modified only to encourage or accomplish spawning and the efficacy of fry.

__________
"To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research."
researched from Steven Wright

- I know you'll post it when you have it.

Couldnt you just add Trace Elements back to the water to keep everything stable? You could also add Iron back to the water with an Iron rich fertilizer.


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Looking at those numbers I would love to have a conditioner like that one. I keep mainly soft water fish, and it would be ideal.

Personally I would probably just mix with the garden water, rather than spend money on expensive buffering preparations. What can I say, I'm cheap.

Finial pH is 8.2. Bob said my pH would not change with the softner and he was right. i do need to add some stuff back, like calcium and magnesium and iron for the plants. any ideas on how to get that back in the water? or do I even need to. This tank takes it all out.

as for the tank, it is a Technetic plus, and we use salt.

thanks
Entkitty

ps, maybe my husband did do a good thing

See my profile (link below) for fish and setup.

Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.

Just an update. Fish our in their new old tank. pH is a strong 8.0, not maybe 7.9 or 8.1 but without a dought 8.0. KH is 7 and GH is 15. I am happy to say the tank is clear as a bell and with the new water changes to come, my GH with drop slowly to 3 or 4.

On the downside, 2 of my cardnals were sucked-up by my new filter (Ehime Pro II), I had the guard off for only a few mins when the water was almost black from the sand and old muck from their old water and it was getting clogged.

On the up-side, Lesson learned, my new filter is very strong and do not take the guard off again.

Cory and Bob, thank you for you help and advice. And thank you everone else.





Last edited by entkitty at 23-Jan-2005 13:04

See my profile (link below) for fish and setup.

Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.

Kitty,

There is a Penguin retrofit kit for their powerheads. It consists of some plastic geegaws to connect the unit, a long debris cone and a sponge. The debris cone fits over the intake for your Eheim and the sponge prevents any crap from getting to the filter. Get one, you'll love it. It will help you to maintain the Eheim! Be sure to thoroughly clean the sponge once every week.

__________
"To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research."
researched from Steven Wright

Bob, a what, what, what? and it will do what? ok, so i may not be all that smart. lol

oh, and I will clean my sponge out every week, that is already part of my fish routine.

entkitty

See my profile (link below) for fish and setup.

Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.

the garden tap would be ok, except the pH and the GH are very high and the KH low which makes for an unstable balance, as you may already know. the fish are not here yet, they are at my sisters house where they have been for the last two months. We just move to the Las Vegas area (and guess what, not many fish stores out here. gee,i wonder why) right now they are living in a pH of 7.9. mine is 8.2. I need to get mine down some before bringing them here. 8.0 would be good. I don't what to use buffers like pH down. i am just lost right now and wish i had a fish friend close to me to help.

See my profile (link below) for fish and setup.

Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.

Sorry.. that question was a bit nonsensical.. but if you are asking if you can add water conditioner (dechlorinator) to your tank water as it is filling, then the answer is yes.

If not, could you explain yourself further please!

yes, i am buying a Water Conditioner for the HOUSE. Not a water Softner. Is this ok for the fish?


See my profile (link below) for fish and setup.

Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.