# RO water and remineralization



## aubie98 (Apr 22, 2017)

So, I bit the bullet and bought a RO unit that @clownplanted recommended along with SaltyShrimp GH/KH+.

Besides running the RO unit and mixing in the amount of SaltyShrimp indicated to get the desired GH/KH level, are there any other tips for remineralization?

Do y'all let the water sit for any period of time (1 day, 2 days, etc), do you run an airstone in the water to mix, anything else?

Also, it seems like the instructions say you can remineralize up to a GH ~ 6, is that really the limit? It seems not, but maybe there are solubility issues that prevent you from going higher. Maybe 6 is as high as you'd want to go? Forgive the novice questions, I'm definitely new to this level of prep for my tanks.

Thanks!


----------



## Highseq (Jul 26, 2017)

aubie98 said:


> So, I bit the bullet and bought a RO unit that @clownplanted recommended along with SaltyShrimp GH/KH+.
> 
> Besides running the RO unit and mixing in the amount of SaltyShrimp indicated to get the desired GH/KH level, are there any other tips for remineralization?
> 
> ...


Is this for a shrimp tank? If so what kind of shrimp? and what substrate are you using?

As far as I know you don't need to let the water sit to degas unless you were trying to get an accurate pH reading. But you wouldn't read the pH most likely until after you re-mineralized it as it is hard to get an accurate reading with pure water. I'm guessing you could remineralize further, you definitely could with calcium carbonate, but i'm not sure you would want to depending on what you are keeping.
@clownplanted will give a better answer once he is on I am sure.


----------



## aubie98 (Apr 22, 2017)

Highseq said:


> Is this for a shrimp tank? If so what kind of shrimp? and what substrate are you using?
> 
> As far as I know you don't need to let the water sit to degas unless you were trying to get an accurate pH reading. But you wouldn't read the pH most likely until after you re-mineralized it as it is hard to get an accurate reading with pure water. I'm guessing you could remineralize further, you definitely could with calcium carbonate, but i'm not sure you would want to depending on what you are keeping.
> 
> @clownplanted will give a better answer once he is on I am sure.


Yep (although I might use the water for my 10 gallon tank with cardinal tetras, CPDs, amanos, and cherries, hence the question for going higher in GH/KH).

The shrimp tank is a 4 gallon cube that would have neos, maybe tigers at some point, and amanos. The substrate is Fluorite Dark.


----------



## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

aubie98 said:


> So, I bit the bullet and bought a RO unit that @clownplanted recommended along with SaltyShrimp GH/KH+.
> 
> Besides running the RO unit and mixing in the amount of SaltyShrimp indicated to get the desired GH/KH level, are there any other tips for remineralization?
> 
> ...


You know I really like this RO unit. I have never owned one before this so took a gamble on it but figured the price was good and I have relatively soft water. So almost 300 gallons later run through it my tds still reads just 0-1 which is awesome in my books. 

So here is what I do after researching myself on best way to do this. For me I never need more than 5 gallons of water 10 at max per week. I have a 15 gallon bin that I fill with my half ro and half tap mix. I then mix to get my desired GH 5 and let an airstone and powerhead run. You do not need the powerhead to be honest as this Salty Shrimp mixes and disolves MUCH better than any other GH booster ive used. So just an airstone and you are fine. Remember an RO unit will not filter out any gasses of the water which will still read a tds of 0. The airstone helps off gas the water much faster. The same concept of you off gassing co2 out of the water much faster by doing this. 

This helps you age the water which ensures everything is good and mixed and offgassed. I like to always have more water on hand than needed. This way for one I am never short and two there is always aged water ready to go for me. 

As far as the level of GH you certainly can go more than 6GH they are just putting that in there as the recommended level for many shrimp. You can add as much as you like. Like I said this stuff sure does disolve/mix better than ANY other GH booster I have used. To give you an example take a tds reading 5 minutes after putting some in. Then take another one an hour later you will see its nearly the same tds meaning it was already mixed. Also there is not any big clumps that the others leave and take a while to dissolve. 

A little tip is once you figure out the exact GH/KH level you want take a TDS reading. Then from then on to get your same GH/KH level just take a tds reading to match what it was. This way you do not need to waste GH/KH tests all the time when doing your water.


----------



## MadMensch (Jul 2, 2017)

Sorry to hijack the thread here, but I just started researching RO water and would like to know which unit you guys are referring to? I'm thinking about buying a unit this month and was planning on going with a Spectrapure 6 stage due to the high chloramine levels in my tap but would like other suggestions.

Also, is remineralizing RO water necessary? I've been using 100% RO water in my 2 week old tank and the plants, fish, inverts all seem to be doing well.

Again, don't mean to hijack the thread I just though I'd ask instead of creating a new thread. Thanks in advance


----------



## aubie98 (Apr 22, 2017)

MadMensch said:


> Sorry to hijack the thread here, but I just started researching RO water and would like to know which unit you guys are referring to? I'm thinking about buying a unit this month and was planning on going with a Spectrapure 6 stage due to the high chloramine levels in my tap but would like other suggestions.
> 
> Also, is remineralizing RO water necessary? I've been using 100% RO water in my 2 week old tank and the plants, fish, inverts all seem to be doing well.
> 
> Again, don't mean to hijack the thread I just though I'd ask instead of creating a new thread. Thanks in advance


The unit I bought was: 0PPM Portable 50 GPD Reverse Osmosis RO+DI Filtration POQ-4B-50. Don't know how it would perform with high chloramines, but I assume it'd filter them out.

I don't think that using pure RO water in the tank is a good idea, you won't have any KH to prevent ph crashes or GH to provide calcium or manganese to the inverts or fish (hopefully others with more experience than me can chime in too; I'm basically parroting what I've previously seen on the board). Depending on what livestock you want to keep, I think Salty Shrimp offers a range of products. There are other remineralizers out there too, but Salty Shrimp seems to be the most regarded one on the forum.


----------



## MadMensch (Jul 2, 2017)

aubie98 said:


> The unit I bought was: 0PPM Portable 50 GPD Reverse Osmosis RO+DI Filtration POQ-4B-50. Don't know how it would perform with high chloramines, but I assume it'd filter them out.
> 
> I don't think that using pure RO water in the tank is a good idea, you won't have any KH to prevent ph crashes or GH to provide calcium or manganese to the inverts or fish (hopefully others with more experience than me can chime in too; I'm basically parroting what I've previously seen on the board). Depending on what livestock you want to keep, I think Salty Shrimp offers a range of products. There are other remineralizers out there too, but Salty Shrimp seems to be the most regarded one on the forum.


Thanks for the link. Based on their site it looks like it is made overseas. Has the unit been working reliably for you? The model you linked me to is $62 on their site which is way cheaper than what I had planned on spending on the Spectrapure!

Ordering the SaltyShrimp stuff right now, thank you!


----------



## aubie98 (Apr 22, 2017)

MadMensch said:


> Thanks for the link. Based on their site it looks like it is made overseas. Has the unit been working reliably for you? The model you linked me to is $62 on their site which is way cheaper than what I had planned on spending on the Spectrapure!
> 
> Ordering the SaltyShrimp stuff right now, thank you!


I haven't yet used the RO unit, but @clownplanted highly recommends it and I give his opinions a lot of weight.


----------



## Tnalp (Mar 25, 2017)

I looked into this unit and the ro buddie unit 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

MadMensch said:


> Thanks for the link. Based on their site it looks like it is made overseas. Has the unit been working reliably for you? The model you linked me to is $62 on their site which is way cheaper than what I had planned on spending on the Spectrapure!
> 
> Ordering the SaltyShrimp stuff right now, thank you!


I have run more than 200 gallons of water probably closer to 300 gallons through the RO unit and it still reads a TDS of 0 or 1. I really like the unit and especially for the price could not be happier. If you are not needing much water which for shrimp tanks they are usually relatively small and I need just 5 gallons a week then this is the way to go. Now keep in mind the water that runs through my RO unit is relatively soft and about 100 tds so this will most likely help make the original filters last longer than harder and higher tds water. But looking on their site the replacement filters are available and not bad priced. I figure if I can get 6 months out of it without having to change any filters that is a win in my books. So far I have had for about 3 months.

Bump:


Tnalp said:


> I looked into this unit and the ro buddie unit
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I think you would not go wrong with either one. I got the one linked and have had for a few months and its still reading a tds of 0 or 1. Not needing but 5-10 gallons a week really helps as well. Not sure how much you need a week but so far its awesome in my books.


----------



## MadMensch (Jul 2, 2017)

aubie98 said:


> I don't think that using pure RO water in the tank is a good idea, you won't have any KH to prevent ph crashes or GH to provide calcium or manganese to the inverts or fish (hopefully others with more experience than me can chime in too; I'm basically parroting what I've previously seen on the board). Depending on what livestock you want to keep, I think Salty Shrimp offers a range of products. There are other remineralizers out there too, but Salty Shrimp seems to be the most regarded one on the forum.


I ordered the saltyshrimp online but there was no expedited shipping unfortunately. Is there another recommended alternative from Seachem or Aquavitro that I can use in the meantime?

Last question, is the DI unit necessary for RO? I was looking at that RO buddie and saw they have a unit with DI and without.

Thanks again for your help!


----------



## aubie98 (Apr 22, 2017)

MadMensch said:


> I ordered the saltyshrimp online but there was no expedited shipping unfortunately. Is there another recommended alternative from Seachem or Aquavitro that I can use in the meantime?
> 
> Last question, is the DI unit necessary for RO? I was looking at that RO buddie and saw they have a unit with DI and without.
> 
> Thanks again for your help!


If you've been using 100% RO water (what's the source? have you tested for TDS, GH, KH?, it may be that it's not totally devoid of minerals and that's why you haven't seen any problems) for 2 weeks with no problems, I don't think that waiting for the SS to arrive will be any big risk.

I was suggesting that using RO water with no remineralization might be a problem long term.


----------



## MadMensch (Jul 2, 2017)

aubie98 said:


> If you've been using 100% RO water (what's the source? have you tested for TDS, GH, KH?, it may be that it's not totally devoid of minerals and that's why you haven't seen any problems) for 2 weeks with no problems, I don't think that waiting for the SS to arrive will be any big risk.
> 
> I was suggesting that using RO water with no remineralization might be a problem long term.


I am using 100% RO in both of my tanks currently purchased in bulk from a local store. I read the water report from the company that manufactures this RO and it is very clean, < 5 TDS. Not sure on the GH/KH. My 7g tank which was set up 5 days ago is the tank I'm concerned about. It has virtually no rocks, only driftwood, amazonia soil, and plants. Ph was just below 6 when I tested it last night. 

My 17g tank which has been set up for 2 weeks now has a ton of seiryu stone in it which is known to increase Ph and hardness which is why I have not seen any issues with that tank. The fish and plants are doing great in there. The Ph in that tank is about 6.8 - 7 so I know the rocks have some sort of affect on the RO that I am putting in.


----------



## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

MadMensch said:


> I am using 100% RO in both of my tanks currently purchased in bulk from a local store. I read the water report from the company that manufactures this RO and it is very clean, < 5 TDS. Not sure on the GH/KH. My 7g tank which was set up 5 days ago is the tank I'm concerned about. It has virtually no rocks, only driftwood, amazonia soil, and plants. Ph was just below 6 when I tested it last night.
> 
> My 17g tank which has been set up for 2 weeks now has a ton of seiryu stone in it which is known to increase Ph and hardness which is why I have not seen any issues with that tank. The fish and plants are doing great in there. The Ph in that tank is about 6.8 - 7 so I know the rocks have some sort of affect on the RO that I am putting in.


If you are using 100% RO and not adding GH/KH back then this is a huge problem. a TDS of 5 or less will have 0 GH and 0 KH. Not just for no minerals which the fish and plants require but also for the PH swings that WILL happen with 0KH. I would HIGHLY recommend to not use 100% RO without adding GH and KH back. What you are seeing with the PH of 6 can/will happen with 0 KH and that can easily change to say 8 within no time(deadly to livestock) Take my comments as a grain of salt but trust me RO with no remineralization is a big no no.


----------



## MadMensch (Jul 2, 2017)

clownplanted said:


> If you are using 100% RO and not adding GH/KH back then this is a huge problem. a TDS of 5 or less will have 0 GH and 0 KH. Not just for no minerals which the fish and plants require but also for the PH swings that WILL happen with 0KH. I would HIGHLY recommend to not use 100% RO without adding GH and KH back. What you are seeing with the PH of 6 can/will happen with 0 KH and that can easily change to say 8 within no time(deadly to livestock) Take my comments as a grain of salt but trust me RO with no remineralization is a big no no.


That's what I am thinking, which is why I am looking for a quick alternative to saltyshrimp until I receive it which could be in a week or more. Does Seachem or Aquavitro have any products that I can pick up at an LFS that works as well?


----------



## Highseq (Jul 26, 2017)

MadMensch said:


> That's what I am thinking, which is why I am looking for a quick alternative to saltyshrimp until I receive it which could be in a week or more. Does Seachem or Aquavitro have any products that I can pick up at an LFS that works as well?


Seachem sells a product called equilibrium that will raise the GH. You can raise the kH with baking soda. Do it slowly. This is less than ideal for shrimp. Your TDS will probably be higher than if you just used salty shrimp, but i it is way safer than not using anything.


----------



## Smooch (May 14, 2016)

MadMensch said:


> That's what I am thinking, which is why I am looking for a quick alternative to saltyshrimp until I receive it which could be in a week or more. Does Seachem or Aquavitro have any products that I can pick up at an LFS that works as well?


Aquavitro works well. I use both Mineralize and Carbonate. Equilibrium is horrible. It is chalky, doesn't dissolve and makes more of a mess than what it is worth.


----------



## aubie98 (Apr 22, 2017)

@clownplanted, the RO unit came in the mail today and I've got it hooked up and running. About 1/2 through flushing it and it's running at about 4 gallons/hour. First 5 gallons of water reads 0-1 ppm TDS.

Salty shrimp came in the mail too. Plan on running the unit tomorrow and producing 10 gallons and remineralizing to ~ 6 GH.


----------



## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

Sounds like a good plan. Should be right around 125-130 tds with 6GH and 3KH. Let me know what yours comes to. Also curious to what your PH comes out to with the GH/KH. My guess is 7.2


----------



## sick1166 (May 8, 2017)

clownplanted said:


> Sounds like a good plan. Should be right around 125-130 tds with 6GH and 3KH. Let me know what yours comes to. Also curious to what your PH comes out to with the GH/KH. My guess is 7.2


Is this good water for a planted tank and fish with no shrimp


----------



## Tnalp (Mar 25, 2017)

clownplanted said:


> I have run more than 200 gallons of water probably closer to 300 gallons through the RO unit and it still reads a TDS of 0 or 1. I really like the unit and especially for the price could not be happier. If you are not needing much water which for shrimp tanks they are usually relatively small and I need just 5 gallons a week then this is the way to go. Now keep in mind the water that runs through my RO unit is relatively soft and about 100 tds so this will most likely help make the original filters last longer than harder and higher tds water. But looking on their site the replacement filters are available and not bad priced. I figure if I can get 6 months out of it without having to change any filters that is a win in my books. So far I have had for about 3 months.
> 
> Bump:
> 
> I think you would not go wrong with either one. I got the one linked and have had for a few months and its still reading a tds of 0 or 1. Not needing but 5-10 gallons a week really helps as well. Not sure how much you need a week but so far its awesome in my books.


i only have nano so i don't need much water either. i went with the 50gpd.


----------



## aubie98 (Apr 22, 2017)

OK, I'll admit that I'm a little confused with the remineralization. I ran my new RO unit to produce 2 batches of 5 gallons of water. Tested both and got ~ 0 ppm TDS.

Followed the instructions on the Salty Shrimp package indicating that 1 measuring spoon (~2 grams) per 10 liters will result in ~ 6 GH/3 KH.

Since I'm doing my batches in five gallons, that comes out to 2 grams/10 liters * 3.78541 liters/gallons * 5 gallons = 3.8 grams or ~ 2 scoops.

So, without testing GH/KH or pH on the first 5 gallon batch, I added 2 level scoops and got the following readings: 195 TDS, 9 GH, 3 KH, ~7.6 pH (dark blue, didn't test high range pH).

That doesn't seem right. TDS are way too high (I think) and the GH and KH are in a ~ 2/1 ratio. 

So, I tested the 2nd 5 gallon batch before adding the Salty Shrimp and confirmed 0 TDS, GH, and KH and 6.4 pH. Added approximately 1.5 scoops and got the following readings: 135 TDS, 6 GH, 2 KH, and 7.6 pH. TDS seems more reasonable but the GH and KH are still out of whack and the pH seems way too high.

Carboys are sitting in basement with caps off, I'll test them again tomorrow after they have a chance to degas. 

Any ideas what could be going on? Thanks.


----------



## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

Why I always do less than they say and go from there. I would let the water off gas like you said. RO does not filter out the gas from water. Weird though the instructions say it's a 2:1 ratio so 6GH should give you 3KH. I would let it sit and mix/off gas for a day or so and test again. The tds seems about right. My guess is the ph should settle down some after a day or two. This is why it's better to let the water mix and off gas before adding to tank. This way the parameters are more stable. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

Also to get a more accurate gh and kh reading use 10ml of test water instead of 5ml. Then 2 drops equals 1GH or 1KH. You may be more close to 5-5.5GH and of 2.5-3KH. Why I like to get more accurate tests. I use 20ml water. Then 4 drops equals 1GH or 1KH. What I would do when first testing. Then once you get it and the tds figured out no need. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## aubie98 (Apr 22, 2017)

clownplanted said:


> Also to get a more accurate gh and kh reading use 10ml of test water instead of 5ml. Then 2 drops equals 1GH or 1KH. You may be more close to 5-5.5GH and of 2.5-3KH. Why I like to get more accurate tests. I use 20ml water. Then 4 drops equals 1GH or 1KH. What I would do when first testing. Then once you get it and the tds figured out no need.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


tested in 10 mls like you recommended and got readings of GH 5.5 and KH 2.5, so closer to the 2:1 ratio Salty Shrimp advertises. the pH was constant though, regular pH test = 7.6, high range pH test = 7.4. This is exactly what my tank water has tested at for months (and me using straight tap water).

I guess I'll try to figure out the exact amount of Salty Shrimp to add using my electronic scale and not eye-balling it with the scoop. 

And now for a stupid question: when using re-mineralized RO water, do you still use Prime?


----------



## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

aubie98 said:


> tested in 10 mls like you recommended and got readings of GH 5.5 and KH 2.5, so closer to the 2:1 ratio Salty Shrimp advertises. the pH was constant though, regular pH test = 7.6, high range pH test = 7.4. This is exactly what my tank water has tested at for months (and me using straight tap water).
> 
> 
> 
> ...




No need to treat water with prime. The RO filter removes all of that. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

Do you have a ph pen? I find these easier and more accurate than the test kits. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## aubie98 (Apr 22, 2017)

clownplanted said:


> Do you have a ph pen? I find these easier and more accurate than the test kits.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I had one but it broke (stopped giving reasonable readings, -13 ph was a concern!). It was easier to use than the colorimetric test, and wanted to get another one,but i can't find one that is highly rated on amazon. Do you have a brand that you recommend?


----------



## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

aubie98 said:


> I had one but it broke (stopped giving reasonable readings, -13 ph was a concern!). It was easier to use than the colorimetric test, and wanted to get another one,but i can't find one that is highly rated on amazon. Do you have a brand that you recommend?


I have had two so far and this one is my favorite. It gives you a more accurate reading than the other. .01 compared to .1 with most https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XSFPHXQ

Had this one also. I use both to ensure they are calibrated. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YBUH4RC/ 

Good to get some extra calibration powder/fluid so after a while can re calibrate. Time to time I compare to liquid test.


----------



## Surf (Jun 13, 2017)

> That's what I am thinking, which is why I am looking for a quick alternative to saltyshrimp until I receive it which could be in a week or more. Does Seachem or Aquavitro have any products that I can pick up at an LFS that works as well?


Seachem sells Equilibrium GH booster it contains potassium, calcium, magnessium, and sulfur. It does not contain any KH but over times as plants consume sulfur some KH is generated. My tank generally had between 15 and 40 ppm of KH.


----------



## Surf (Jun 13, 2017)

Smooch said:


> Aquavitro works well. I use both Mineralize and Carbonate. Equilibrium is horrible. It is chalky, doesn't dissolve and makes more of a mess than what it is worth.


Calcium sulfate has a maximum solubility of 2grams per liter. meaning if you try to dissolve it in a small cup you will have move than 2grams per liter most will not dissolve. If you put the same amount in 5 gallons of water bucket it will dissolve instantly.


----------

