Water changes w/ R.O. water

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Z

zanemgray

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Mar 23, 2006
48
0
0
Arizona
If I do only 5 percent water changes w/ striaght R.O. water will I have a P.H. swing Or will it just very gradually drop each time this is done. I have tap in the now . I'm trying to drop my nitrates but that will be impossible w/ my tap water becase it maintains a nitrate level around 50-60. So I could never get bellow that level using my tap water.. :confused: :screwy: :confused: :screwy:
 
shouldnt be too much of a problem i use r/o water on my 20 gallon and its fine but i have very hardy fish in their.
 
50/60 in your tap water. Have you checked with the county or whom ever is in charge of the water quality to verify this? That's really high and can pose a health risk to humans, especially pregnant women and babies.
 
Howdy,

The National Primary Drinking Water Standards for nitrates set by EPA are 10 mg/L as nitrogen, i.e. 44 mg/L as nitrate. This regulation excludes private wells. If your tap water is higher than that, I recommend doing research on potential regional exceptions

http://www.epa.gov/safewater/creg.html

and if there are none, you should contact your water supplier. Levels above EPA standards are unacceptable.


Regarding your question: Since pH is on a logarithmic scale, a 5% water change with r/o has no effect at all on that parameter, However, you should keep an eye on your hardness, which can be seriously affected by repeated water changes with r/o water.

HarleyK
 
HarleyK said:
Howdy,

The National Primary Drinking Water Standards for nitrates set by EPA are 10 mg/L as nitrogen, i.e. 44 mg/L as nitrate. This regulation excludes private wells. If your tap water is higher than that, I recommend doing research on potential regional exceptions

http://www.epa.gov/safewater/creg.html

and if there are none, you should contact your water supplier. Levels above EPA standards are unacceptable.


Regarding your question: Since pH is on a logarithmic scale, a 5% water change with r/o has no effect at all on that parameter, However, you should keep an eye on your hardness, which can be seriously affected by repeated water changes with r/o water.

HarleyK
Click to expand...
Yes I have a private well , this is why its so hi , So little water changes wont affect my P.H. but the only thing I need to watch out for is hardness..??:confused:
 
Has the well been tested by the county? My well water shows 30 on two different AP test kits and Jungle lab test strips. I had it tested by the county and an independent testing lab and it's only 6.
 
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