My tap water tds is 5 here in BC Canada and my rays have no issues. My tank usually sits around 15 and I don't add anything to my water
Question regarding low TDS
- Thread starter cresnyk
- Start date
To me TDS (conductivity because its not the same thing) is safeguard measurement. From your tds I can sort of gauge what your water conditions are, but kh, gh and ph will always be a better measure. TDs only has an impact when your ph fluctuates, and the more it fluctuates the more your ph matters. To me TDs is way less important to regular maintenance but it is something worth considering the more invested you get.
pH from my tap was 6.4 the last time I checked it. The water I'm dripping has a low pH but my tank holds steady around 7.6. That's a big swing in pH, or am I missing something? I'm going to invest in a good pH meter in the near future to get some more accurate measurements.
I kept my setup very simple. Only thing in there is water, fish, torpedo beach, filter sponge, and K1. That's why I was assuming it was the torpedo beach.
This is good to know and gives me some peace of mind.
Thank you for explaining this. I've now added kh and gh to my list of regularly checked parameters. From my initial checks my kh and gh values are relatively low. How would you use these measurements to determine water quality?
I have tested after aging, but I plan to do some more extensive testing this weekend once my pH meter arrives. I'm going to test the effect of various degrees of aging on my tap water as I suspect that this is the primary factor raising the pH in my system. As it was pointed out earlier in this thread I don't really have anything in the tank that should be acting as a buffer. Would the tendency to shift pH during the aging process be explained by my lowish kH values?
Low KH would absolutely effect your ph. I don't know how ppm converts to dH, though. This is a very helpful link. http://fins.actwin.com/mirror/begin-chem.html
Thank you for the link. It cleared some things up for me. My ppm values was given based on the API test kit. That is, my test for kH and gH took 3 and 4 drops respectively to change color and those are the ppm values associated with those # of drops. Should I be worried about trying to increase my kH value, or just keep up on frequent water changes?
You can add a buffer if you're worried about it, I wouldn't be too about it though. Frequent water changes should keep nitrates in check.
Just wanted to do a quick update on this thread since I have all of my meters now and a better idea about where my parameters are.
Both my TDS meter and pH meter have been calibrated and tested on lab certified standards. pH coming out of my tap is 6.25 and raises to 6.5 after aging in a barrel for 3 days. Water tested in my tank a few hours after a 30% water change is 7.2. Could this increase be caused by the amount of gas exchange I have in my tank from surface agitation? I have quite a bit of air going into my tank and 2800gph return prior to accounting for loss from 4' of head plus 6400gph through wave makers (I've been considering adding dorado to my tank so I've increased current, the rays seem to enjoy it as well).
I've found that with my meter the conversion of TDS to conductivity is inaccurate. Since my standards are for conductivity, and the meter is accurate when measuring EC, I'm going to take my measurements in EC from now on. The water dripping into my tank has an EC of 120uS/cm. My tank water a few hours post 30% water change is 140uS/cm.
The rest of my parameters after WC are:
Ammonia:0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 5
kh: 3
gh: 4
Temp: 83F
From these measurements I'm thinking that my water is pretty optimal at present. Is there anything that I should be measuring that I'm not?
Both my TDS meter and pH meter have been calibrated and tested on lab certified standards. pH coming out of my tap is 6.25 and raises to 6.5 after aging in a barrel for 3 days. Water tested in my tank a few hours after a 30% water change is 7.2. Could this increase be caused by the amount of gas exchange I have in my tank from surface agitation? I have quite a bit of air going into my tank and 2800gph return prior to accounting for loss from 4' of head plus 6400gph through wave makers (I've been considering adding dorado to my tank so I've increased current, the rays seem to enjoy it as well).
I've found that with my meter the conversion of TDS to conductivity is inaccurate. Since my standards are for conductivity, and the meter is accurate when measuring EC, I'm going to take my measurements in EC from now on. The water dripping into my tank has an EC of 120uS/cm. My tank water a few hours post 30% water change is 140uS/cm.
The rest of my parameters after WC are:
Ammonia:0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 5
kh: 3
gh: 4
Temp: 83F
From these measurements I'm thinking that my water is pretty optimal at present. Is there anything that I should be measuring that I'm not?
