finally got a TDS pen and GH,KH test kit

[ineke]

I have finally got a full set of test kits- I think. My cubes have quite a high TDS the water I use is out of a puratap -which will have new filters on Tues- and at the moment it comes out of the tap at 220.

Tank 1 TDS 482

kh 1

GH 6

PH 7.4 -comes out of tap at 7.4 and has remained stable

nitrates ammonia and nitrites all 0 tank is planted and has black silica gravel

Tank 2 TDS 435

KH 1

GH 9

PH 7.4

nitrate, ammonia, nitrite 0 tank planted and has black silica gravel

What would cause the rise in TDS when it comes out of the tap at 220. The tanks had a 10% water change yesterday and the readings were done this morning?

Cheers

Ineke

[BlueBolts]

Hi Ineke, hope you got a white lab coat whilst testing your WP...as you're now officially a shrimp scientist !

If you're keeping cherries, those WP would be OK, but definitely lower your TDS & PH for CRS...etc.

Some tanks ornaments, natural stone would increase your TDS. Are you adding any other minerals, plant ferts ... ?

[ineke]

Hi BB,

I feel like the mad scientist!!! The main reason I was doing TDS etc was because I had in the back of my mind the thought of a few Crystals. I could probably lower the ph with IAL but I guess I would need to get a small RO system to get the water right. They are not too expensive for a small portable one and as I only have a few tanks I can just let it filter away slowly until there is enough water to do a tank at a time. But need to sort out why the high TDS in the tank when it comes out of the puratap at 220.

I have Azoo bio balls, inert silica gravel, inert natural stones with moss on and a golden vine driftwood. I'm using the 3 stage filtration that comes with the cube and a sponge filter. My bigger 100 litre tank has a 320 TDS. I'm getting some yellow cherries from Gbang and want to make sure I'm not too way off from his parameters so have asked him to send me his readings and will go and get some distilled water and do some partial changes of water with that until I get the TDS down a bit. Me thinks I better stick with cherries a bit longer!!!

Cheers

Ineke

[BlueBolts]

Great you're taking so much time/attention to your WP. I initially bred CRS on 400+ TDS, so it's not an impossible WP to work with, just perhaps a lower % of shrimplet survival, and all your other WP would need to be ideal. Just do a simple test, and put a Azoo bio balls in with your tap water in a seperate container, and see whether your TDS rises, ditto with all the other ornaments, gravel etc.....if possible. Plant ferts etc, are the usual culprit for hobbyist going from a fish/palnted tank to a shrimp tank. Half the fun is working it out, and pretending we're all scientist ! LOL

[ineke]

Great you're taking so much time/attention to your WP. I initially bred CRS on 400+ TDS' date=' so it's not an impossible WP to work with, just perhaps a lower % of shrimplet survival, and all your other WP would need to be ideal. Just do a simple test, and put a Azoo bio balls in with your tap water in a seperate container, and see whether your TDS rises, ditto with all the other ornaments, gravel etc.....if possible. Plant ferts etc, are the usual culprit for hobbyist going from a fish/palnted tank to a shrimp tank. Half the fun is working it out, and pretending we're all scientist ! LOL[/quote']

Yes I need to find out what has raised it so I will try all things I have just come back from the shops with enough demineralised water to make changes for the new shrimp in the cubes. The other shrimp are breeding away quite happily although I have had a couple of berried girls die over the 2-3 months since I've started so the TDS maybe the culprit. All my tanks are relatively high so there has to be a common thread. At the moment all I can think of is I use the same food -not for the fish tank- and all have the bio max balls. So the bio balls are the first to get tested.

Thanks BB Its all so sort of exciting hunting down the culprit but I don't want to lose my new shrimp so hope I get ontop of it quickly

Cheers

The Mad Scientist wannabe

[CNgo2006]

Maybe you have too many bio balls for the size of the tank? Did you follow the recommended amount for size? Also instead of buying demineralised water, why don't you invest in a RO system? They are relatively affordable now...will save you money in long run. Mine is just around $150 and is doing a great job with water for the tanks.

[OzShrimp]

whats TDS meter did you buy and how accurate do you find it is?

I am looking to buy one but no clue whats good value for money

[ineke]

Maybe you have too many bio balls for the size of the tank? Did you follow the recommended amount for size? Also instead of buying demineralised water' date=' why don't you invest in a RO system? They are relatively affordable now...will save you money in long run. Mine is just around $150 and is doing a great job with water for the tanks.[/quote']

I think I should have tried to cut the bio balls for the small tanks but in the bigger tanks the ratio is right. I'm just now trying a bio ball in some tap water to see if it raises the TDS as BB suggested- they are the only thing all tanks have in common. I am seriously looking at the RO system there are some small portable ones for less than $100 but I think the flow rate is very slow. If I decide to get Crystals I will definitely invest in one but then I will have to buy the proper soil for them too and I have to watch the pennies a bit now I'm retired!!!

Cheers

Ineke

[ineke]

whats TDS meter did you buy and how accurate do you find it is?

I am looking to buy one but no clue whats good value for money

Hi Oz shrimp I only bought a cheap one from China although its come in a nice little pouch and doesn't look cheap $9.47 delivered no brand that I can see just TDS-02 it has a 3 year warranty

[honcho]

The way tds works can be tricky..

If i have a tds of 220 and i wanna keep it that way i will only do a top up of RO water @ 10 tds with a touch of salty shrimp mix..

By adding more water of 220tds you are effectively raising tds even higher..

Tds is "total dissolved solids" the disolved solids DONT just leave the water with evaporation as water does.. it stays in the tank, and when you add more water with a high tds it raises the amount of solids in your water..

Having a tank with water of 220 tds and doing a small water clean with water of 220 tds doesnt automatically make it 440 tds it wi raise it slowly.. im not sure on the amount it raises at a time..

But i find my water will regularly raise 10-20 tds if i dont keep an eye on it,and add RO water as needed..

Another method i use to lower tds and ph quickly is by using bottled distilled water from supermarket.. but its very expensive and i only use it as a last resort.. it will however lower tds drastically..

If i were u id definantly invest in an RO unit .. i know alot of people that use the 3 stage Portable RO units that cost under $100 on ebay .. they work really well IMO...

Hope this all makes sense..

;)

[ineke]

Thanks Honcho that actually makes sense to me as the tanks with the highest readings are the one that have just finished cycling and they have been have water changes every 3rd day. so by your reckoning that is a possible reason. The tanks that have been cycled longer and only have weekly small water changes have lower TDS. Anyway I have done a water change with the demineralised water on the tank I need for the new shrimp and it has gone down from 482 to 317 -the tank has no shrimp in it. But I will get a small RO unit I think just one of those portable ones that does about 100 litres a day. We have a puratap for drinking so the small RO unit would only be for the tanks.

Does anyone know if there is any benefit in getting the slightly dearer one that is specifically for aquariums?

Cheers

Ineke

[mickeyG]

Honcho that's a great explanation, without hijackin ineke's post if you had a high tds and wanted to lower it could you add ro without salty mixed to slowly lower the tds? Say you had a tds of 300 could you drip ro in and monitor the tds? Once its at the level needed then keep it that way?

[Squiggle]

This is the one I got & it drops the TDS down to about 40, if that's not low enough the I also got the DI add on stage & some brackets so I now have a 4 stage & the TDS is now <5, these guys are in QLD & they deliver the next day, I wouldn't get a cheap Chinese one as the warranty & replacement products would be too hard to source

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/310581468203?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2648#ht_6592wt_786

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/310590859911?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2648#ht_3079wt_786

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/251212540101?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2648#ht_2781wt_786

[honcho]

Thats exactly correct mickeyG :encouragement:

and the best way is to lower it slowly over time

[ineke]

This is the one I got & it drops the TDS down to about 40' date=' if that's not low enough the I also got the DI add on stage & some brackets so I now have a 4 stage & the TDS is now <5, these guys are in QLD & they deliver the next day, I wouldn't get a cheap Chinese one as the warranty & replacement products would be too hard to source

[url']http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/310581468203?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2648#ht_6592wt_786

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/310590859911?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2648#ht_3079wt_786

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/251212540101?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2648#ht_2781wt_786

thanks Squiggle that's the one I was looking at just have to drop a few more hints and I think I'll be allowed to get it!!!

[ineke]

Great you're taking so much time/attention to your WP. I initially bred CRS on 400+ TDS' date=' so it's not an impossible WP to work with, just perhaps a lower % of shrimplet survival, and all your other WP would need to be ideal. Just do a simple test, and put a Azoo bio balls in with your tap water in a seperate container, and see whether your TDS rises, ditto with all the other ornaments, gravel etc.....if possible. Plant ferts etc, are the usual culprit for hobbyist going from a fish/palnted tank to a shrimp tank. Half the fun is working it out, and pretending we're all scientist ! LOL[/quote']

Hi BB,

the TDS went up by 11 over night. That was in 500ml of pura tap water. I should have halved if not quartered the balls for my size tanks. I didn't have the instructions at the time. So I have taken them out

Cheers

Ineke

[mickeyG]

Ineke that's my bad ill pm you the info when I get home. Soz

[ineke]

Ineke that's my bad ill pm you the info when I get home. Soz

Thats OK MickeyG I bought some myself and read the instructions but didn't do anything about it!!!! I will cut them in future and as the tanks are free of shrimp no harm done anyway so DON"T WORRY

Cheers

Ineke

[mickeyG]

Ah cool cool, I'm thinking this is why my tank is a little high too haha

[durro68]

I got my RO unit from the guys Squiggle linked to on ebay

I got this unit - http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/NEW-AQUARIUM-Alkaline-Drinking-Water-Portable-R-O-System-w-DI-Resin-1-70DI-/310485888484?pt=AU_SmallKitchenAppliances&hash=item484a66ade4#ht_3936wt_1163

not that I have ever used to drinking water side of it but its there if I want it ..... good for justifying the purchase if you need to!

[ineke]

I got my RO unit from the guys Squiggle linked to on ebay

I got this unit - http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/NEW-AQUARIUM-Alkaline-Drinking-Water-Portable-R-O-System-w-DI-Resin-1-70DI-/310485888484?pt=AU_SmallKitchenAppliances&hash=item484a66ade4#ht_3936wt_1163

not that I have ever used to drinking water side of it but its there if I want it ..... good for justifying the purchase if you need to!

Thanks Durro68 I'm taking the line that it is portable so we can use it in the caravan -That should do the trick!!!!

[BlueBolts]

That's almost the exact unit I've got, portable and works great. The owner of the company is extremely helpful and responsive, so highly recommended.

[ineke]

I have just ordered the smaller one Squiggle showed I only have a few tanks so don't need a larger one

The caravan idea worked!!!!

[Squiggle]

Nice one Ineke, love ya work :encouragement:

Just a tip too, I had to run mine for about an hour when I first got it, to kind of flush it out as when I first fired it up the TDS was 450, finally lowered to about 40, if you want it to go any lower you'll have to add the DI stage :encouragement:

[ineke]

Thanks Squiggle I think 40 should be fine I won't be going for any high grade shrimp for some time yet then I can always get a bigger unit -the caravan will need one:friendly_wink: