# Any good advice on remineralizing RO water?



## randyl (Feb 1, 2012)

What's the parameters of your tap water? Why using RO then increase both KH and GH back for Neo's? If you have super hard water, you might as well find the best ratio of tap + RO to get close to your desired parameters. I use RO for Caridinas and only add GH back, not KH, so it's easier to adjust the PH. For Neo's, I just use aged tap + Seachem safe. (my tap is PH7.6, GH8, KH5, TDS 170)


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## Bananariot (Feb 28, 2012)

I don't think a tap exists out there where neo's cant live in lmao.....
Whats the params on your tap water?


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## acitydweller (Dec 28, 2011)

Be careful with crushed coral as it raises the overall tds. Mixing ro with tap might be a more cost effective method to get near ideal water parameters. The upfront work in measuring might save a lot of maintenance work and cost in the long run.

If your tap is uber contaminated, some of the forum members have successfully used Lents ro right for both neocaridinas and their discus so it's definitely doable.


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## rodcuda (Jul 25, 2012)

I am on a well and the water is softened and before the softener there is a fair amount of bacterial and actual iron. I can get tap water from a family members house but the LFS reccomends remineralizing RO due to the tap water quality and the unknowns in it.


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## rodcuda (Jul 25, 2012)

When I did check the tap water that is available to me it checked out pretty good but the LFS who goes through about 800 gallons a week doing service on tanks, uses RO instead of tap water and reccomended the same for me. I keep 45 gallons of treated and aged water available in a new rubbermaid commercial garbage can with a pump so I just pump the water right into my tanks. So I can treat a lot of water at a time and it is not like I am just remineralizing a couple gallons at a time.


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## Bananariot (Feb 28, 2012)

oh well I just never even check my tap and kinda just dump changed water in the tank. I find cherries to never be picky as long as there's no presence of heavy metals I guess. Dunno how the iron affects it though.


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## rodcuda (Jul 25, 2012)

So no one has any good pointers on remineralizing RO water?


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## Royal Pleco (Sep 11, 2011)

Rodcuda... Check this thread, should help you.

http://plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=185722


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## rodcuda (Jul 25, 2012)

That helps a little, I think the tap water RO mix is a good option other than any unknowns in the water. I may still end up going that route but for now I am remineralizing with Kent's and was just looking for any other good input or advice.


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## wkndracer (Mar 14, 2009)

I use GLA booster and A&H baking soda, have for years now.
The debate over the sodium content of the baking soda is really a mute point (imo) because I only mix for 2dKH. I add the booster for between 3-5dGH. Plants grow, both fish and shrimp breed non stop. My tap is crap and sounds like you think yours is. I hauled water for over a year and can tell you that gets old.

OUCH!!! forgot to mention that I saw your post count reading the thread, WELCOME TO THE FORUM!


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## rodcuda (Jul 25, 2012)

Where do you get the GLA booster? How much do you end up adding on average per 5 gallons?

I know some people use baking soda and epsom salt, I am OK with the baking soda but I would like to add something more comprehensive than the Epsom salt.

Thanks for the welcome, been looking and just reading for a while and finally joined!!!


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## wkndracer (Mar 14, 2009)

Posted it a bunch on the ratio,, I'll hunt one up.
GLA is based out of Gainseville and is a sponsor of the forum 
http://greenleafaquariums.com/


wkndracer said:


> GH
> The grind on the minerals is finer with the GLA product so it seems to mix better for me.
> I've used three 'ready blends' and GLA gets my repeat orders.
> 
> ...


The booster I add by gram weight and 16 grams is 3dGH mixed into 20g of RO @ 2ppm TDS, the math isn't hard on the ratio.

hope this helps


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## rodcuda (Jul 25, 2012)

That is great info and what I was looking for, thanks for the info. I already ordered some of the GLA GH booster and will likely stick with the crushed coral for now for the KH.


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## rodcuda (Jul 25, 2012)

When you remineralize, do you go by GH or by TDS? Apparently the GH test only reads magnesium and calcium and therefore is not really accurate to indicate true hardness. I was finding I needed to add a lot more than the Kent's RO Right bottle indicated and when I called (Kent's) and talked to them they gave me that info.


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## honda237 (Aug 11, 2010)

I find where my tds is at for 4dgh then just mix to that tds everytime. I use mosura mineral plus, but i'm probably going to switch to CA+


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## rodcuda (Jul 25, 2012)

I have been using kent's, but just ordered some of the GLA booster, it is just $5 a pound and seems to have a following.


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## wkndracer (Mar 14, 2009)

rodcuda said:


> When you remineralize, do you go by GH or by TDS? Apparently the GH test only reads magnesium and calcium and therefore is not really accurate to indicate true hardness. I was finding I needed to add a lot more than the Kent's RO Right bottle indicated and when I called (Kent's) and talked to them they gave me that info.


I mix strictly to titration test results for GH and KH. Tracking TDS here is to reference from clean (after water change) vs organic build up in the water over time. I set my RO with the booster and soda then following up with TDS tests monitoring. Shrimp here are only RCS which are almost bullet proof I'm told. 

I only use TDS reading to monitor for in tank build up and check my RO unit.


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## rodcuda (Jul 25, 2012)

So how much are you using of each per 5 gallons of RO water?


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## wkndracer (Mar 14, 2009)

rodcuda said:


> So how much are you using of each per 5 gallons of RO water?


Hi Rod,
Sorry I must be dense because I'm not clear on what your asking.


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## wkndracer (Mar 14, 2009)

If you're referring to the booster and baking soda only that's covered in my earlier post. 
Most of my additions are broken down to 10 or 20g tank volumes.

16 grams of booster/20 gallons of water = 3dGH rise
4 grams of booster mixed into 5 gallons should result in 3dGH using the API GH test.
The spoon ratio is in the other post for the BS. 

Adding my liquid fert mixes the TDS shifts up also but I don't track those changes. Setting GH and KH say a tank is 118ppm or 150ppm TDS over time the TDS reading rises 90% of the time and I never let the starting value double. Most of my water changes happen before TDS shifts up 100ppm. 

if that's not what we are talking about I'm lost.


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## rodcuda (Jul 25, 2012)

Thats what I was asking, just curious how much booster it was taking to get the GH up to 3 or 4.


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## Shrimpaholic (Jul 7, 2012)

rodcuda said:


> Thats what I was asking, just curious how much booster it was taking to get the GH up to 3 or 4.


I've been using Fluval Shrimp Mineral and it seems to be doing the job and is pretty cheap. I add 30 drops to 1gl to get a gh of 5, using RO water. I don't like mixing in any tap water because there are usually unwanted dissolved solids in all tap water. You can look online though and find water analysis charts for your area. You can also go to Home Depot or Lowes and by water test kits that can test for nearly everything that is in your tap water.


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## justdrew (Jul 7, 2010)

I can only imaging the look on my wife's face if I showed her those pictures with the "Here's what I'm thinking about doing" pitch.
I used the fluval mineralizer, but just switched to CA+.
they just started adding chlorimines to my water instead of chlorine, so I RO all water going into the tank. Mineralized for water changes and pure RO for top offs.
I think it's 6 ml for my (almost)5 gallon bucket


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## rodcuda (Jul 25, 2012)

So you are only adding calcium (C+) to remineralize?


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## HSA1255 (Apr 2, 2013)

*Remineralizing RO water for Shrimp Tank*

I keep cherries and do my changes with RO water. I contacted the breeder I purchased my shrimp from Ron McGee (alpha pro breeders) and he advised me to use the RO. I was experiencing lots of shrimp die off and realized I had been using softened water in my 55 gallon. The softened water has no calcium and magnesium... it is missing the good minerals shrimp need. I had realized this and started adding tap to the tank which caused the die off... The minerals were certainly in the tap water, but my unsoftened tap has a crazy pH (over 8). So my shrimp were dealing with awful pH swings and I had no idea what to do. Ron told me to use RO for all water changes moving forward and to remineralize with Bee Shrimp mineral GH+. It is on their website for sale. I got that and the Borneo wild shield and have noticed my shrimp are thriving now. Hope this provides you with other options for remineralization.


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## PortalMasteryRy (Oct 16, 2012)

rodcuda said:


> When you remineralize, do you go by GH or by TDS? Apparently the GH test only reads magnesium and calcium and therefore is not really accurate to indicate true hardness. I was finding I needed to add a lot more than the Kent's RO Right bottle indicated and when I called (Kent's) and talked to them they gave me that info.


You need to learn what is needed for the GH and TDS by the shrimp that you want to raise. For Cherry shrimps, they need GH of 5-6 or more but RCS can withstand a better range when it comes to TDS. For CRS, they need to have a lower GH of 4-5 but need to have a TDS close to 150 ppm.

You need to have a TDS meter so you can check for the correct GH and TDS. While GH does contribute to the total amount of TDS, it does not in any way dictate the total TDS.


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