RO/DI maybe drip at some point

[Chockful O Phail]

I've got some water quality issues I've been trying to deal with as of late. Can't remember the specifics so I'll have to retest the tap water on Tuesday. My tap was measuring close to 20 nitrates, .2 ammonia, and ph ranging for high 6 to low 8. I've already lost a few of my fish that couldn't handle the ph swing and I've adjusted their feeding schedule and amounts so that I wouldn't have to change as much water to help deal with the swing. The fish I have don't care too much for wc's anymore where they use to not care and actually use to seem somewhat happy on wc days.

Thinking about an ro setup but I have read that it isn't super healthy for the fish to get straight ro. What would I have to add back to balance the water back out? Would a bag of crushed coral in the system be enough or would I have to dose other stuff? My tanks are mostly driftwood/pfs/low light plants if that's needed info.

Has anyone had experience running straight ro? I know a lot of you swear by drip systems and I think it would be great. I just would like to improve the enviro for my fish and not just change it to a different problem.

I'll take a full test of my water on Tuesday and post it here but I'd like to get some info or suggestions here. Thanks!

 

[thacarter546]

What fish? If it's South American cichlids some baking soda and discus trace does the trick. Although I'm cheap and use cuddle bones vacation feeders and baking soda.

If it's Africans the water should be harder. Seachem trace, crushed coral in the filter and the substrate, and some baking soda should do.

 

[hart24601]

I use RO/DI drip here in Iowa. Well I have brute cans that hold 80g of RO/DI water that I then have a pump deliver. I only add baking soda from time to time in the cans. I would have no issue trying just a bag of crushed coral to see how well that worked. I have an apex that checks pH and I just add a couple shakes of baking soda to the brute cans when I notice the pH getting below 6.5. I shoot for 6.5-7.

I think fish food adds plenty of trace elements especially if fed a varied diet so I don't add anything else.

 

[duanes]

Below is a link to the Council Bluffs water quality report.
According to the report, your water (although initially high in pH) has about half the alkalinity and hardness mine had. (my alkalinity in Milwaukee was normally 100ppm (calcium) and 250 ppm general hardness. So I would think adding crushed coral, or aragonite as a substrate would work for you to help buffering acids produced by metabolism.
Because the report states Total Chlorine (which means Chloramine as a disinfectant to me) this could account for the 0.2 ppm ammonia in your test. The Chloramine compound is produced by combining 1 part ammonia with 4-5 parts free chlorine during water treatment.
If your are keeping South American or African "soft water" species an RO drip may be appropriate.
If you are keeping Central American or Rift Lake species, all which come from generally hard water, I don't see the point of adding RO.
https://www.cbwaterworks.com/WaterQuality/FactsFigures.aspx

 

[hart24601]

I want to add that at least in Des Moines the water report does not cover the entire story. There are a large variety of organics that come in the water, they do lime treat to reduce some, but what those organics are seems to vary with the season and point in the agricultural cycle and storms. There is a more comprehensive report done, but not with a tremendous amount of detail and not frequent enough for much value imo.

I personally have noticed over the years a lot of issues around my area with people having fish issues when changing water. The longest lived fish I know of in my area are from people using RO or heavily planted tanks with minimal water changes.

Even these don't paint a total picture:

http://www.dmww.com/water-quality/water-quality-data/water-quality-reports/

 

[duanes]

Council Bluffs gets its water from the Missouri River. If that river (or any lake or river) gets polluted with agricultural or industrial runoff, or some sort of spill, be it something large like a leaking pipe line, or even something small like a dry cleaner not properly disposing of waste chemicals, there is only so much a water company can do to clean the water, or reduce those contaminants for our fish, or ourselves.
Best available technology can only go so far. If we vote in people who don't consider the environment in policy, we, and our fish, get what we ask for.

 

[Chockful O Phail]

Thanks duanes, I've read that report and actually talked to a couple people at water works. I was told the ag runoff has been pretty harsh the last couple years due to a really bad flood a few years back and fairly heavy rain. I keep a variety of different fish but mostly SA. I will probably be getting an ro drip setup sometime next year, my financials just took a nice hit so going to be a bit now. And thanks hart, that's kind of the info I was looking for, someone in my general area that has the same problem.

 

[Chockful O Phail]

I would add that when I talked to them about chlorine/chloramine, that they said it was chlorine but like you duanes, I tend to think it's chloramine because of the ammonia present. It just blows because I'm tryin to keep my nitrates down and it doesn't help to add ammonia on top of already moderate nitrates.