Reverse osmosis DI water

[csrrrc]

Is there anything else I need to add to pure RO/DI water for a Malawi cichlid tank besides the kent marine cichlid buffer (KH) and kent cichlid chemistry (GH)? I have some aquarium salt in the tank as well

Thanks for any advice


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[chriscoli]

Is there any reason you're using RO vs tap?

 

[Localzoo]

Do you get a lot of algae build up?
I only use it on my saltwater bc the phosphates and copper test higher than I like?
Just be carful there are trace minerals that help your fish that you might be removing


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[csrrrc]

I could never get the GH under 40 or so on the past so I started over a few months ago with RODI system. It is right at 7 now and PH is really stable 8.3. I actually am getting some algae all the sudden for some reason. nitrates are a bit high 20-40 hard to tell colors look similar on the test kit. Been doing water changes every week to get nitrates lower, hoping it helps with algae.


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[Localzoo]

I could never get the GH under 40 or so on the past so I started over a few months ago with RODI system. It is right at 7 now and PH is really stable 8.3. I actually am getting some algae all the sudden for some reason. nitrates are a bit high 20-40 hard to tell colors look similar on the test kit. Been doing water changes every week to get nitrates lower, hoping it helps with algae.


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How much do you feed over feed can get you nitrates up there


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[cichlidaddicted]

Why do you want your gh below 40? Rift lakes have very high gh.

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[csrrrc]

Suggested GH is 7 from what I've read lake Malawi. Not over feeding but I am going to remove some of the cichlid substrate have about an inch or better. This will help with the nitrates and vacuuming


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[cichlidaddicted]

Not sure what scale you are using but gh should be 180-300 ppm. Maybe your test uses a different scale. 40ppm sounds correct for tap water I add baking soda and epsom to raise my gh to about 200-240. RO removes those buffers I believe.

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[Localzoo]

Not sure what scale you are using but gh should be 180-300 ppm. Maybe your test uses a different scale. 40ppm sounds correct for tap water I add baking soda and epsom to raise my gh to about 200-240. RO removes those buffers I believe.

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Yeah it removes everything gh is fine...IMO you don't need RO water. Just keep nitrates in check. Is it sand substrate? Bc that will trap waste etc etc you should also stir it up every water change to removed trapped gasses.


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[daninmd]

Suggested GH is 7 from what I've read lake Malawi. Not over feeding but I am going to remove some of the cichlid substrate have about an inch or better. This will help with the nitrates and vacuuming


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African cichlids are fine with pretty much any type of water from my experience. I have had them in high pH, low pH, hard water, soft water...it doesn't matter. the key is keeping the parameters pretty consistent. The fish don't care and luckily they aren't able to read the water tests so they don't know any better

just go with tap water, they will be breeding like crazy.

if you are having issues with nitrates and algae, then you need to reduce/change lighting and do more water changes. 20-40ppm on Nitrate really isn't that bad and not causing any issues to the fish.

 

[cichlidaddicted]

My nitrates creep above 60 at times and until I see any adverse effects I'm not going to say that's to much. They can live in almost all conditions but I can only assume they prefer parameters that mimic their natural enviornments, after all that is where they descended from. I can survive and thrive in sub zero temps however I don't prefer to.

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[Localzoo]

I can survive and thrive in sub zero temps however I don't prefer to.

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Lol everyone, everything is different...some cichlids may care some may not. I have cichlids that survived a heater breaking down and didn't notice that my water was too cold. Appetites went down but the cobalt blue I have still ate like a pig. Its all about being comfortable and acclimating rather than fast change.
I was born on a tropical island but love the cold

Your Africans will be alright if you decide to change to tap water do half tap half RO then gradually get them comfortable with the new water some might disagree and say just change to tap no prob but its all up to you.




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