RO readings?.
- Thread starter jerry58
- Start date
Depends a bit on how good a RO unit you've got.
Ph should be about 7 or slightly higher or lower but very unstable.
GH/KH/TDS/N03 nearly zero, again depends how effective you're RO unit is. In theory should be zero but I don't think its ever quite that low.
Ph should be about 7 or slightly higher or lower but very unstable.
GH/KH/TDS/N03 nearly zero, again depends how effective you're RO unit is. In theory should be zero but I don't think its ever quite that low.
Hi sadly neat RO PH reading are relativity usless.
Neat RO is unstable and dynamic
It has no carbon hardness to stabilise the PH so it will run crazy
I have had neat RO read a PH of any thing from 4 to 10
Al the other readings are as people have said going to be determined by the quality of the unit and the quality of main water supply.
Phosphates are notoriously impossible to deal with using a RO unit, , The nitrite and nitrate are all a product of natural reactions caused by bacterial actions.The ammonia is a product that would not be present in any large amount in any domestic water supply.
TDS is normally measured using a proses were a electrical current is passed across two points and the resistance is calculated to give a value relating to the amount of dissolved solid mater.
Myself I don't every measure my RO but mix it with HMA water and some re mineralization.
I have spent years trying to understand how to get good water for my fish.
If you had a reading well above 0 for GH KH TDS N03 I would be very suspicious of the unit.
I hope this helps, I have tried to explain this easy way but my knowledge of the subject is not very scientific.
Regards Bob
Neat RO is unstable and dynamic
It has no carbon hardness to stabilise the PH so it will run crazy
I have had neat RO read a PH of any thing from 4 to 10
Al the other readings are as people have said going to be determined by the quality of the unit and the quality of main water supply.
Phosphates are notoriously impossible to deal with using a RO unit, , The nitrite and nitrate are all a product of natural reactions caused by bacterial actions.The ammonia is a product that would not be present in any large amount in any domestic water supply.
TDS is normally measured using a proses were a electrical current is passed across two points and the resistance is calculated to give a value relating to the amount of dissolved solid mater.
Myself I don't every measure my RO but mix it with HMA water and some re mineralization.
I have spent years trying to understand how to get good water for my fish.
If you had a reading well above 0 for GH KH TDS N03 I would be very suspicious of the unit.
I hope this helps, I have tried to explain this easy way but my knowledge of the subject is not very scientific.
Regards Bob
Hi all,
Like Bob and Lornek say pH is a movable feast at low levels of buffering. Even the CO2 dissolved from the atmosphere will cause the pH to crash.
Have a look at the buffering section of this reply: http://www.plecoplanet.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4506.
Again as Bob says conductivity or TDS (divide conductivity (in microS) by 0.62 to give TDS ppm), is a more useful measure, but doesn't tell you what salts you have. It is usually suggested re-mineralizing to 4 dKH with re-mineralising salts (you can make your own with magnesium/calcium sulphate/carbonate/chloride).
I've found a couple of useful diagrams for the processes in:
Hard water:
Soft water
As an example rainwater from the water butt at home (Wiltshire) is about 150 microS in the summer, 80microS in the winter. Water out of the de-ioniser in the lab. is about 3 microS, and about 20microS out of the steam distillation unit.
My tap water is about 620 microS, and a fairly stable pH of 7.8 - 8.0 (it has about 17d carbonate hardness so is strongly carbonate buffered. Figures from Wessex water)
Calcium (milligrams per litre) 119 (298 x 40% = 119)
Calcium carbonate (milligrams per litre) 298
Degrees German (ºdH) 16.7 (16.7 x 17.85 = 298)
Degrees French (ºf) 30
Degrees Clark 21
Sodium (milligrams per litre) 22
Conductivity 615 micro S(iemens)
cheers Darrel
Like Bob and Lornek say pH is a movable feast at low levels of buffering. Even the CO2 dissolved from the atmosphere will cause the pH to crash.
Have a look at the buffering section of this reply: http://www.plecoplanet.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4506.
Again as Bob says conductivity or TDS (divide conductivity (in microS) by 0.62 to give TDS ppm), is a more useful measure, but doesn't tell you what salts you have. It is usually suggested re-mineralizing to 4 dKH with re-mineralising salts (you can make your own with magnesium/calcium sulphate/carbonate/chloride).
I've found a couple of useful diagrams for the processes in:
Hard water:
Soft water
As an example rainwater from the water butt at home (Wiltshire) is about 150 microS in the summer, 80microS in the winter. Water out of the de-ioniser in the lab. is about 3 microS, and about 20microS out of the steam distillation unit.
My tap water is about 620 microS, and a fairly stable pH of 7.8 - 8.0 (it has about 17d carbonate hardness so is strongly carbonate buffered. Figures from Wessex water)
Calcium (milligrams per litre) 119 (298 x 40% = 119)
Calcium carbonate (milligrams per litre) 298
Degrees German (ºdH) 16.7 (16.7 x 17.85 = 298)
Degrees French (ºf) 30
Degrees Clark 21
Sodium (milligrams per litre) 22
Conductivity 615 micro S(iemens)
cheers Darrel
Thanks peeps for the replies.
Sorry to go on but my next answer I'm looking for is what would levels of No3 at 12.5, GH 8 and TDS 170 and possibly higher affect new born zebra fry would this cause them to die at birth,under developed fins and general lack of growth is this possible or other?.
Any input welcomed.
Jerry
Sorry to go on but my next answer I'm looking for is what would levels of No3 at 12.5, GH 8 and TDS 170 and possibly higher affect new born zebra fry would this cause them to die at birth,under developed fins and general lack of growth is this possible or other?.
Any input welcomed.
Jerry
The TDS is around what I keep most of my fish at so the Nitrate should naturally be 0 with the Nitrate as low as poss.
I was just thinking that it could be interbreeding but if your blood lines are known or the fish are wild caught then it must be the water or the food?
regards Bob
I was just thinking that it could be interbreeding but if your blood lines are known or the fish are wild caught then it must be the water or the food?
regards Bob
Hi Irene0100
None are deformed other than this last spawn where their was 7 eggs not as many as normal 6 of which died at birth nothing new there as you know and the one that I took from him not looking so good.
I only have this one to see how it goes but unlike others I don't think will make it.
The pair of breeders are the same ones as before the only thing I can think of RO water that has changed from what I normally used in the past and all my fry are very good health wise.
Got RO back to normal now and doing 50/50 tap and RO mix for the time being and will be interested to find out if this is the problem.
I keep a very good eye on my fish and know them all and what they are up to.
Jerry
None are deformed other than this last spawn where their was 7 eggs not as many as normal 6 of which died at birth nothing new there as you know and the one that I took from him not looking so good.
I only have this one to see how it goes but unlike others I don't think will make it.
The pair of breeders are the same ones as before the only thing I can think of RO water that has changed from what I normally used in the past and all my fry are very good health wise.
Got RO back to normal now and doing 50/50 tap and RO mix for the time being and will be interested to find out if this is the problem.
I keep a very good eye on my fish and know them all and what they are up to.
Jerry