Massive TDS drop ok

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
N

Nate Dogg

Gambusia
MFK Member
Jun 7, 2011
691
1
16
Louisville
I was wondering can dropping the TDS (total dissolved solids) harm fish and or plants. The tank(s) in question are a 125 planted with roseline sharks diamond tetras and brilliant rasboras royal pleco and kuhlii. the second tank has blue crayfish, black ghost knife, flagtail, jewels, kribensi cichlid and a south american cichlid a rio something (sorry forgot the name). The TDS is very high in the tanks (gh kh test say 400ish). I was wondering can I do a 50% water change (with in that water 50/50 rodi water and tape water). We have well water so that is why the TDS is so high.

PLEASE DO NOT tell me about the stock options and how X fish and Y fish don't mix. I know and am trying to get other tanks set up.
 
i'm not an expert with the water chemistry or anything, but i just want to point out since you mentioned that you have a crayfish in your second tank... doesn't lowering TDS also lower the pH as it takes away from some of the calcium dissolved in the water? i don't know if it'll harm the other inhabitants but i know that low pH water will leech the calcium out of the crayfish's shell and it will not develop properly or have difficulties hardening it's shell after molting...
 
High TDS isnt necessarily a bad thing. If the TDS is causing a turbid or cloudy condition then thats more of a nuisance than a water quality issue, and that would be more of a TSS problem. If the TDS is due to a lot of iron or other single component, then maybe it should be addressed, but water with high mineral content isnt serious unless there is a negative reaction to both fish and human. Usually, a higher than normal TDS will result in a bad taste to the water....but I dont think the fish care about taste.
Personally, I think fish do better in a mineral rich water as long as proper PH is maintained...it makes them tougher and healthier in my opinion.
 
If you are set on lowering it, I would do it in smaller amounts although for the most part your stocklist should take it fine either way.

With the crays/inverts I have used cuttlebone to help, I've kept a lot of mine in very low pH/GH/KH and had to resort to that.
 
TDS is from minerals and I want them gone for my plants (not growing well) and I want to do discus. For that it is bad but my african cichlids love it.
 
most captive bred discus will do fine in hard water... they only get finickey when you start keeping wild discus. you can find out more at simplydiscus.com but this is basically the information i gleaned from reading up on that forum. i keep my discus in pH 7.6 i forget what my exact gH/kH is but its pretty up there. as for plants, i don't use any ro/di water so i just use plain tap so from what i've learned even when using rodi water you still have to add minerals or dillute with tap water because the plants need the trace minerals in the water that or you add a commercial mix of minerals which if i understand correctly will raise the total dissolved solids in the tank anyway.

either way as stated above whatever you do just do it gradually
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom