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Re: reconstitution of, affects of RO water
> Many people seem to find tap water beneficial to the grawth of their
> plants as a source for some trace elements. As a discus and South
> American dwarf cichlid keeper I use only RO water reconstituted with
> Kent's RO Right. I started doing this with only the fish in mind.
> My questions are: 1.what is the affect of using RO water with plants
> (does anyone have experience with this) and 2. is there a method of
> reconstitution that would be formulated with both the fish and the
> plants in mind?
>
> These questions were spawned by the discussion on the importance Ca
> and Mg. My RO unit affectively eleminates both of these from the water
> and I do not know what all the RO Right adds or in what amounts.
I use RO water with my aquarium plants because my district water is so
hard. The total hardness generally runs near 200ppm and the alkalinity
close to the same. The output of my RO unit is at or darn near 0ppm. My
lamotte total hardness kit won't read that low. I add the color indicator
and it starts out at the color its suppose to change to after titration. :)
I use Kent's RO Right or Recon 50 to bring my hardness back up to about
80ppm and Kent's pH Stable to bring my alkalinity up to around 45ppm. I
also use Dupla fertilizers and Duplagan. That's all I add to the tank.
I'm definately pleased with the results.
A cheaper alternative would be to mix your tap water with the RO water to
give you the parameters you like. If your tap water is generally clean (no
nitrates, phosphates, copper, or nuclear waste) then this would be the way
to go. My tap water contains phosphates so I avoid using it. Spectrapure
is suppose to be coming out with something aimed at the aquarium trade but
I don't know when it will be available. RO Right is a bit costly unless
you get it mail order. No more than I need for my water I don't mind the
expense.
Mike