Using RO/DI waste water in freshwater aquarium?

[StirCrazy]

Originally Posted by Drfu

So if you are using ro water for your fw tanks, what supplements are you adding to make the chem correct for fw, ie trace elements, ph? If this is the case what benefits are their using ro vs conditioned tap water? It could be more work using ro vs conditioned tap water?

My tank has tetras, corys, otos, clown loaches & of course a bunch of plants. Right now all i do is use prime & tap, let it sit for day before using and add a capful of flourish excel.

so you have a mix of soft water and hard water fish but more towards the softerside.

I do the south american biotopes, so plants tetra's angels, ect.. I add nothing to the water, I use the RO, then anything that gets added comes from my florite substrate and the tannon's leaching out of the wood. I do also add jobe plant sticks and PMDD so there is some nutrent added but not directly.

with the SA type habatats, you want the water very low in TDS and slightly acidic, I know my RO water was about 7ph, and my tank water with in a few days of a water change was down to low 6 high 5's. now if your doing african type things then you want higher tds and such but you still want that TDS to be comprised of the propper desolved particles, you can buy stuff to add to RO spicificly for that pourpose.

Steve