# Seachem equilibrium



## AbbeysDad (Apr 13, 2016)

I use it modestly in my filtered well water during water changes - my water is neither hard or soft but I feel the slight additional calcium/magnesium aids plants and MTS.

I think you'd need a gH/kH test kit to ensure proper amounts....although others here may have a precise recipe for RO....RO/DI water.


----------



## varanidguy (Sep 8, 2017)

generalzod34 said:


> Anyone have any experience with this product? I would like to use RO water but I’m not sure how much equilibrium to add...
> 
> Thanks


Well it depends on what your target hardness is. On the bottle it states that 16 grams equals about 3 dH per 20 gallons of RO/DI water. It says this is the same for GH and dKH. If you're shooting for 3-6 degrees on both parameters, adding 16-32 grams per 20 gallons of RO/DI water will get you there. I use Equilibrium but in smaller doses as I'm using tap water that is "moderately hard" (kinda soft, actually, IMO. Many of my fixtures in my house are original from 1986 and barely have any scaling on them). So I've been adding one teaspoon per 10 gallons replaced, so roughly 1/2-2/3 of the recommended dosage. This seems to have done the trick but it takes weeks to tell, but the new growth on the Ludwigia repens looks perfect.

I hope this helps. I'm sure someone with a lot more experience will come by and make a better comment.


----------



## Surf (Jun 13, 2017)

There are a couple of reasons to add it to a tank. 

1. Reminerallize your water to make the water comfortable for the animals in your tank. If your tank has fish that prefer hard water add enough to make the water hard. If you have soft water fish a GH of between 3 and 6 is often used.

2. Provide nutrients your plants need. Most fertilizers on the market don't include Calcium, Sulfur and chlorine. These are vital nutrients for plants. Equilibrium is the only commercial GH booster to include calcium magnesium and sulfur. Most others have Calcium, Magnesium, chloride salts which also safely addes chlorine. I am not aware of any GH booster that has sulfur and chlorine. I add 4 ppm table Iodized table salt to my aquarium to provide the chlorine plants need. Table salt also adds Sodium and iodine that animals need. I am not using Equilibrium but I am using a homemade GH booster with the same ingredients that are in Equilibrium.

Note RO water has essentially no nutrients in it so it is vital that you cover all plant nutrients. Otherwise you plants won't grow. I am currentlyusing Equilibrium, iodized table salt, CSM+B, potassium nitrate, and potassium phosphate.


----------



## AbbeysDad (Apr 13, 2016)

Surf said:


> * I am not using Equilibrium* but I am using a homemade GH booster with the same ingredients that are in Equilibrium.





Surf said:


> *I am currently using Equilibrium*, iodized table salt, CSM+B, potassium nitrate, and potassium phosphate.


Contradiction???


----------



## jr125 (Mar 5, 2015)

I shoot for about 3dgh in the tank. Using straight RO water, a teaspoon to about every 6 gallons of water keeps me pretty close. Note that Equilibrium has a lot of potassium in it so if you are dosing K you might want to account for that.


----------



## Surf (Jun 13, 2017)

> Quote:
> Originally Posted by Surf View Post
> I am currently using Equilibrium, iodized table salt, CSM+B, potassium nitrate, and potassium phosphate.
> Contradiction???


Sorry that last line should have said: "You can provide all plant nutrients using Equilibrium, iodized table salt, CSM+B, potassium nitrate, and potassium phosphate."


----------



## Triport (Sep 3, 2017)

I use RO water for 2 of my tanks and use Equilibrium. You definitely want to get Acid Buffer and Alkaline Buffer as well to increase the KH and then adjust the pH to where you want it to be. Definitely threw me at first figuring out how much to use of each. It isn't as straightforward as I thought it would be and there is evil wicked maths and conversions involved. But with the help of Google I finally got it all sorted out. 

And I don't know if it is just because of the RO water or a few of the other variables involved but new newest tank that I used RO water on from the start has been my most trouble free tank ever. 5 weeks in and so far no big algae outbreaks and excellent growth overall.


----------

