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Well Water vs RO



George Booth recommended to Don not to use pure RO water in his newly set
up 250 gallon (!!!) tank.

I have similar problem with my well water.  Only here in North West
Wisconsin where I am surrounded by corn farmers, my problem is well water
with high nitrates (27ppm) and high phosphates (0.2ppm).  In all other
respects, my water is ideal.

I fought a losing battle with algae for months before I tried RO water.
Within several weeks, all of the algae was gone, but the plants
(echinodorous, Java Fern, vallisneria g., and hygrophila sp.) began to die
off. The Vals began looking like lasagna noodles.  I went back to my well
water and all symptoms disappeared _and_ I was back to fighting algae.

What I eventually ended up doing was going back to RO water, supplementing
it with lab grade CaCO3, MgSO4 and K2SO4 and a good trace element
fertilizer (Schoeler Enterprises's Natural Gold).  Most of the information
on quantities and strategies can be gotten from the Paul Sears, Kevin
Conlin (March 1996) article available at this site, plus the articles by
George Booth.

This has worked out just fine, and you have a heck of a lot more
flexiblility with individual components than you do going the Kent "RO
Right" route.  Plus, even using ACS grade chemicals, it still is a lot
cheaper.

Good luck.  That's going to be one hell of a tank when completed.  In
addition to what has been recommended, Vallisneria G.'s would look
wonderful in a tank that size.

Augustine Rodriguez
Elk Mound, WI, USA