EC and TDS

[Sprae]

Just got me 2 EC meters. I'm wondering if there's any optimal range for EC for CRS.

Current here's my tank parameters

GH = 6

pH = 6.2

TDS = 166

EC = 338us Meter A / 366us Meter B

Meter A is a combo meter and Meter B is a more sensitive EC only meter.

[BlueBolts]

EC vs TDS confuses me......appreciate the diff in them (i.e. TDS & EC....salts/minerals...etc), but most meter's does a conversation...so if a formula exist between them, why is there a separate EC and TDS meter ? I think the Europeans use EC, and others use TDS ? ...just thinking out loud ...

[doctr-dan]

Hey sprae what Tds and EC meters did you get?

[Dean]

the best EC range that i have found for all crystal and Tai shrimp is around 200.

i have tried higher and lower in many tanks but always get best results for breeding and color when the EC range is around 200.

also the SaltyShrimp bee shrimp mineral GH+ recommends the same reading of 200.

[Sprae]

Hey sprae what Tds and EC meters did you get?

I got these ones;

Hanna 98129 - combo meter

http://www.hannainst.com/usa/prods2.cfm?id=030&ProdCode=HI%2098129

Hanna 98303 - Low range EC meter

http://hannainst.com/usa/prods2.cfm?id=003003&ProdCode=HI%2098303

BB, What's the EC in your most stable CRS tanks? I'm totally new to the EC too but I think mineral additives like SaltyShrimps talk about EC 200 +/- 50 µS. I think my tank maybe a bit high at 366µS.

[Sprae]

the best EC range that i have found for all crystal and Tai shrimp is around 200.

i have tried higher and lower in many tanks but always get best results for breeding and color when the EC range is around 200.

also the SaltyShrimp bee shrimp mineral GH+ recommends the same reading of 200.

Thanks for that Dean. How can I lower EC slowly? Lower EC top ups or do small water change?

[Dean]

im really no help on nano tanks mate, they are to hard for me :)

i would say at a guess add less mineral with top ups and a small water change every other month would also get it down i guess.

sorry mate that's the best advice i can give on a nano tank....

[Sprae]

im really no help on nano tanks mate' date=' they are to hard for me :)

i would say at a guess add less mineral with top ups and a small water change every other month would also get it down i guess.

sorry mate that's the best advice i can give on a nano tank....[/quote']

All good mate :)

I'm totally challenged with this nano. Maybe Bluebolts AKA "Nano King" can help? ;)

[BlueBolts]

Especially with Nano's, stability is EVERYTHING...whether it's TDS 150ppm or 200ppm or PH 5.5 or 6, the instability or sudden shock of different WP, affects the health of the shrimp more.

As a rule of (MY) thumb....I restrict water changes to 10% every 1/2 weeks. I use the Salty Shrimp mix, and adjust the TDS to 50% of the tanks ppm...i.e. 180ppm @ tank, RO/Salty Mix @ 90 ppm....as TDS generally increases naturally in a tank, so doing a 50% mix, seems to work well, to keeping my TDS under 200ppm. Have had no issues to date, and works 100% for me. Prior to Salty Mix, I had issues with water changes, and only did top ups !

[Sprae]

Especially with Nano's' date=' stability is EVERYTHING...whether it's TDS 150ppm or 200ppm or PH 5.5 or 6, the instability or sudden shock of different WP, affects the health of the shrimp more.

As a rule of (MY) thumb....I restrict water changes to 10% every 1/2 weeks. I use the Salty Shrimp mix, and adjust the TDS to 50% of the tanks ppm...i.e. 180ppm @ tank, RO/Salty Mix @ 90 ppm....as TDS generally increases naturally in a tank, so doing a 50% mix, seems to work well, to keeping my TDS under 200ppm. Have had no issues to date, and works 100% for me. Prior to Salty Mix, I had issues with water changes, and only did top ups ![/quote']

Thank BB! Might do that when I clean my canister filter next week, with a 10% WC. I'll try and do the 50% change with EC instead of TDS though.

[Brado]

sorry to hijack your thread sprae, does any1 know how i can raise my ec from 150 to 200ppm and lower my tds from 220 to 150ish....... it seems that if i lower my tds by using less minerals, im struggling to build ec, if that makes sense

[Trav80]

Hi Brado,

I don't think it's possible to increase one and decrease the other. Your TDS is calculated from your EC. If you increase one you increase the other, so if you decrease one you decrease the other.

From the little reading I have done it seems that most Digital TDS testers use one of two formulas to calculate the TDS. The first which is generally used for aquaculture is EC x 0.5 = TDS and the second which is generally used for hydroponics is EC x 0.7 = TDS.

The cheaper TDS testers that you get from eBay etc are set to one of the two but you don't know which one as they very rarely state this in the details. Testing EC is more accurate as it is a direct measurement, you only have to worry about the accuracy of your Digital tester. The lower the range and the lower the +/-% the better.

[BlueBolts]

Most TDS/Ec pens are calculated via Ec, then converted to TDS. The US uses a 0.5 conversion, and the Europeans uses a 0.7 conversion.

My TDS meter is US calibrated (0.5), so with my TDS @ 220ppm, the EC conversion is 220/0.5 = 440µS

If our target is the european conversion (as salty shrimp's recommendation @ 200µS), then my Ec is really is (220ppm/0.7) = 314µS.

But really TDS & EC is the same, just looking at it from a different perspective.….although I appreciate the electrical (EC) and solids (TDS) calculation, but still there is a mathematical conversation ratio between TDS & Ec.

So I think if we're talking about EC/TDS, we need to clarify if someone is using just a EC pen, or if they are using a TDS pen, then we need to ascertain what the pen's conversion ratio is, i.e. 0.5 or 0.7.

In my research and understanding....

[Trav80]

Cheers Marcus,

I had done a little reading on TDS vs EC but what you said made it a lot easier to understand. :)

[Sprae]

Marcus, Does than mean I've been looking at my EC totally wrong? I've been trying to match my EC to the saltyshrimp recommendation of 200µS, where my US meter is telling it's 330µS. So in EU conversions it would be 237µS? If so, my parameters are closer to optimal than I've thought.

@Trav80 —I think regardless of conversions types, lowering one will lower the other.

[Trav80]

Sprae, that's what I was getting at. They are linked, you lower one and the other will drop, raise one and the other will rise. Marcus put it much better tho :)