# Remineralizing RO/DI water, which product?



## GeToChKn (Apr 15, 2011)

Ya, I'm not happy with the Mosura stuff really either. Takes like twice as much as it says to get a decent gH. The Fluval seems to work out but I feel its probably a bit more since its shrimp specific and I could still find cheaper. I only remineralize 10 gallons, maybe once a month, so still not a big cost for me but still. The other thing I found with the Fluval, is to get a gH of around 5, it has other stuff which boosts the TDS upto 170ppm. Pure 5gH should be 5*17.9=90ppm TDS, so there is lots of other stuff in there. Seems to be working fine for me and my shrimp though, but rather have something that is going to let me lower my TDS more and add a bit of old sea mud powder for the extra minerals. Others have said the Seachem stuff isn't the best and the Kents RO seems to be the other mentioned the most.


----------



## Gulfcoastguy (Nov 4, 2011)

I have tried Kent R/O and it jacks the hell out of the ph when trying to get any real kind of gh reading.


----------



## mordalphus (Jun 23, 2010)

I have used R/O right, fluval, remineraliz-p, mosura mineral plus and equilibrium.

Here's how they stack up in my book from worst to best:

5. equilibrium (very dirty as far as TDS, clouds water, messy, undissolved chunks burn plants)
4. fluval (product strength varies from bottle to bottle, instructions are vague)
3. remineraliz-p (decent product, cheap, straight forward)
2. kents r/o right (very standardized, cheap, clean)
1. mosura mineral plus (contains broad spectrum of minerals and also has iodine and magic)

that's just my order of preference. I've tried them all, and I still use r/o right and remineraliz-p, but when I have mosura mineral plus, that's what I use


----------



## azjenny (Dec 2, 2011)

mordalphus said:


> I have used R/O right, fluval, remineraliz-p, mosura mineral plus and equilibrium.
> 
> Here's how they stack up in my book from worst to best:
> 
> ...


Well if it's got magic, then I'm sold


----------



## OverStocked (May 26, 2007)

I mix back with tap water. If you don't dump the waste water, you can use a small amount of it to mix too. 

Practically free.


----------



## shrimpnmoss (Apr 8, 2011)

The new Mosura Mineral Plus Ultra is much better than the old stuff. Stronger so way less is needed. The problem with mixing tap water is that tap water is inconsistent. You could be OK for 6 months then your shrimps drop dead for no apparent reason. Since you're mixing RO, I'm assuming that you're keeping nicer shrimp. No reason risking hundreds of dollars worth of shrimp by skimping out on one of the key components of a shrimp tank. Mosura Mineral Plus Ultra is designed for shrimps so that's what I personally use.


----------



## GeToChKn (Apr 15, 2011)

shrimpnmoss said:


> The new Mosura Mineral Plus Ultra is much better than the old stuff. Stronger so way less is needed. The problem with mixing tap water is that tap water is inconsistent. You could be OK for 6 months then your shrimps drop dead for no apparent reason. Since you're mixing RO, I'm assuming that you're keeping nicer shrimp. No reason risking hundreds of dollars worth of shrimp by skimping out on one of the key components of a shrimp tank. Mosura Mineral Plus Ultra is designed for shrimps so that's what I personally use.


Maybe I'll try some when my current stuff runs out. It takes at least twice was it says to get the gH to a decent level currently. I also have the "plus" not the "plus ultra".


----------



## shrimpnmoss (Apr 8, 2011)

@Getochkin

I use about 1/2 the amount compared to the old stuff to reach the same TDS. Like you I was going through the old stuff at a rapid rate. My tanks are also mature so I also do less water changes too.


----------



## mordalphus (Jun 23, 2010)

I have never gone by the instructions, I mix water in a bucket with an airstone in the bottom, then use a tds pen to measure with mosura mineral plus.


----------



## OverStocked (May 26, 2007)

shrimpnmoss said:


> The new Mosura Mineral Plus Ultra is much better than the old stuff. Stronger so way less is needed. The problem with mixing tap water is that tap water is inconsistent. You could be OK for 6 months then your shrimps drop dead for no apparent reason. Since you're mixing RO, I'm assuming that you're keeping nicer shrimp. No reason risking hundreds of dollars worth of shrimp by skimping out on one of the key components of a shrimp tank. Mosura Mineral Plus Ultra is designed for shrimps so that's what I personally use.


I've been mixing with tap for years and no unexplainable deaths. All I do is measure the TDS and away I go. 

I use this in shrimp breeding and with numerous fish species.


----------



## shrimpnmoss (Apr 8, 2011)

OverStocked said:


> I've been mixing with tap for years and no unexplainable deaths. All I do is measure the TDS and away I go.
> 
> I use this in shrimp breeding and with numerous fish species.


I'm sure your Tap is nice like Liam's tap, but I don't think can't make that assumption across the board. Think about the 100s of different water utilities all with their own mix. I know a few people that were mixing Tap with RO getting berries but only a small percentage of survival. When they switch to 100% RO so did their baby survival rate. Why even risk it with nice shrimp? You only need two extra babies to survive @ $10.00 per shrimp to pay for the remineralizer.

Nubster, if you're keeping Neos...you can use whatever water you want. Once you get into the more sensitive Caridina varieties that's when people start using RO.


----------



## OverStocked (May 26, 2007)

shrimpnmoss said:


> I'm sure your Tap is nice like Liam's tap, but I don't think can't make that assumption across the board. Think about the 100s of different water utilities all with their own mix. I know a few people that were mixing Tap with RO getting berries but only a small percentage of survival. When they switch to 100% RO so did their baby survival rate. Why even risk it with nice shrimp? You only need two extra babies to survive @ $10.00 per shrimp to pay for the remineralizer.
> 
> Nubster, if you're keeping Neos...you can use whatever water you want. Once you get into the more sensitive Caridina varieties that's when people start using RO.


My tap water is liquid rock. I mean pH of nearly 9, TDS of >300.

I adjust mixing to Tap the same way you would with a commercial solution. I adjust based on TDS. By using my tds meter I know when to stop.... not very difficult.


----------



## mordalphus (Jun 23, 2010)

Wish I could do that. But my tap water is tds 20, 0 Gh, 0 kh.
So mixing it back in would do nothing.

Also, I wouldn't trust anything about your tap water keeping any higher end shrimp. Lots of people have ammonia and high phosphates and other nasties which test on a tds meter.


----------



## Nubster (Aug 9, 2011)

Thanks for the info. I am not planning to keep super highend shrimp but I do want to keep tigers. Probably regular or supers at first and as I can afford, start a colony of OEBT's (different tank of course...lol). But I figure even if I don't need to go to extremes with the tigers, it's good practice if I ever decide to get into crystals or other harder to keep shrimp.


----------



## zachary908 (Feb 12, 2011)

OverStocked said:


> My tap water is liquid rock. I mean pH of nearly 9, TDS of >300.
> 
> I adjust mixing to Tap the same way you would with a commercial solution. I adjust based on TDS. By using my tds meter I know when to stop.... not very difficult.


Liquid rock?... My Well waters TDS is 750... :hihi:


----------



## OverStocked (May 26, 2007)

zachary908 said:


> Liquid rock?... My Well waters TDS is 750... :hihi:


The tDs meter I use only reads greater than 300....


----------



## GDP (Mar 12, 2011)

OverStocked said:


> My tap water is liquid rock. I mean pH of nearly 9, TDS of >300.
> 
> I adjust mixing to Tap the same way you would with a commercial solution. I adjust based on TDS. By using my tds meter I know when to stop.... not very difficult.


It still defeats the purpose of using RO water if you are mixing back in the junk water. Who knows what else is in your tap water that you dont know about. Unless youve sent a sample into a place to test it. If youre against using commercial products buy baking soda, epsom salt, and calcium chloride.


----------



## Ben. (Mar 29, 2011)

GDP said:


> It still defeats the purpose of using RO water if you are mixing back in the junk water. Who knows what else is in your tap water that you dont know about. Unless youve sent a sample into a place to test it. If youre against using commercial products buy baking soda, epsom salt, and calcium chloride.


How do you know the ratio of each to add?


----------



## GDP (Mar 12, 2011)

Ben. said:


> How do you know the ratio of each to add?


http://www.rexgrigg.com/waterchem.htm


----------



## Ben. (Mar 29, 2011)

thanks!


----------



## Tanman19az (May 14, 2011)

So where's the best place to get a bottle of Mosura Mineral Ultra Plus?


----------



## zachary908 (Feb 12, 2011)

OverStocked said:


> The tDs meter I use only reads greater than 300....


Gotcha.. we both have terrible water then... :hihi:


----------



## jone (Nov 27, 2011)

What is the best way to check GH/KH??? best test kit or meter..love to hear opinions.


----------



## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

jone said:


> What is the best way to check GH/KH??? best test kit or meter..love to hear opinions.


API's gH/kH test kit. Get the numbers down several times with these test kits. When you reach the values you want, stick a TDS meter in the water. Record that number down each time. The TDS value should be ~the same each time (assuming you're using RO/DI water). After you do this maybe 10 times, you can just use a TDS meter and remineralize until you reach your target TDS level.


----------



## triscene (Apr 7, 2012)

just thinking about Mineral Plus Ultra due to fact that information on the label says that it has no effect to pH and KH. i use RO water having pH 6.5 but when i mix with my tap in 3:1 ratio, i get pH 1 degree higher, TDS of 72ppm, GH around 4.

GH is okay, TDS could go a bit higher but i am getting pH higher.
any ideas?


----------



## hedge_fund (Jan 1, 2006)

I switch between two products. One is Borneo Wild GH UP and the other is Shirakura Ca+


----------



## lipadj46 (Apr 6, 2011)

I use a homebrew mix of mostly plaster of paris (CaSO4) and some epsom salts (MgSO4) with some old sea mud tossed in for the "magic".


----------



## hedge_fund (Jan 1, 2006)

lipadj46 said:


> I use a homebrew mix of mostly plaster of paris (CaSO4) and some epsom salts (MgSO4) with some old sea mud tossed in for the "magic".


Very interesting. Here is a question though, why would you home brew your own when the premade ones are so cheap?


----------



## Alpha Pro Breeders (Jan 26, 2010)

I've been using Bee-Shrimp Mineral GH+ from Salty Shrimp and am extremely pleased. Very economical too, a little goes a long way.


----------



## D3monic (Jan 29, 2012)

Ive always been a huge brightwell fan from back when I was a reefer. I have been with them since they where brand new on the market.


----------



## lipadj46 (Apr 6, 2011)

hedge_fund said:


> Very interesting. Here is a question though, why would you home brew your own when the premade ones are so cheap?


I already have the ferts from my planted tank. The commercial stuff is essentially the same ingredients. Plus I'm a DIYer and a chemist so I figure why not?


----------



## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

A lot of people harp (myself included!) on the price of Mosura Mineral Plus Ultra but I've never had such a solid experience with a remineralization product. For $15 a bottle, I feel like it's a good buy for thousands of dollars worth of shrimp. I use roughly a bottle every two months at home. 

I think Liam has Shirakura CA+ for remineralization and a lot of German shrimpers use it with great success. Not sure on its price point in the States but as hedge mentions, it's solid. Some of my significant other's family in Seoul swear by it. But I'm not about to mess a good thing up and switch from Mosura until someone twists my arm and forces me.


----------



## Nubster (Aug 9, 2011)

I ended up going with Kent's RO Right. Not sure I'm happy with it though. Unless it's my eyes and I can't see the color change on my tests, I can't get my RO up to more than 3 GH and even then, the TDS hit well above 200.


----------



## sayurasem (Jun 17, 2011)

I use Fluval Mineral Supplement.
_For me_, it takes 1.2mL / 1 gallon RO water to make 5 GH.

120mL (4fl oz) cost me $6
60mL cost me $3.49


----------



## hedge_fund (Jan 1, 2006)

somewhatshocked said:


> A lot of people harp (myself included!) on the price of Mosura Mineral Plus Ultra but I've never had such a solid experience with a remineralization product. For $15 a bottle, I feel like it's a good buy for thousands of dollars worth of shrimp. I use roughly a bottle every two months at home.
> 
> I think Liam has Shirakura CA+ for remineralization and a lot of German shrimpers use it with great success. Not sure on its price point in the States but as hedge mentions, it's solid. Some of my significant other's family in Seoul swear by it. But I'm not about to mess a good thing up and switch from Mosura until someone twists my arm and forces me.


The Shirakura Ca+ is really easy to use. According to LIam it's a bit more concentrated than the Mosura stuff. I use about 17 drops per gallon in order to achieve a TDS of about 140 and a GH of 5. I only change out 2 gallons a week so this will last me a very long time.


----------



## randyl (Feb 1, 2012)

Ken's RO right increases KH too (from their own product description), so experiment first if you don't want high KH in your water. 

Okay, TBH that's what I read from their own description, but I've never used it. Does anyone know how much KH it increases? For example, from 0 ppm RO, if I use Ken's RO right to get to TDS 150, what would the KH be?


----------



## Nubster (Aug 9, 2011)

0...at least in my experience. Mine doesn't seem to increase KH at all, just GH. Just doesn't do a very good job at it.


----------



## Nubster (Aug 9, 2011)

hedge_fund said:


> The Shirakura Ca+ is really easy to use. According to LIam it's a bit more concentrated than the Mosura stuff. I use about 17 drops per gallon in order to achieve a TDS of about 140 and a GH of 5. I only change out 2 gallons a week so this will last me a very long time.


I'll have to check in to this. Stuff I have just doesn't seem to be cutting it. I would love to start getting in to crystals, but I certainly am not trusting shrimp like that to a product I can't trust.


----------



## lipadj46 (Apr 6, 2011)

Nubster said:


> I ended up going with Kent's RO Right. Not sure I'm happy with it though. Unless it's my eyes and I can't see the color change on my tests, I can't get my RO up to more than 3 GH and even then, the TDS hit well above 200.


That is because the major ingredient in RO Right is NaCl.


----------

