[ben]

now i have taken off my kalk stirrer, my evaporation top up is neat RO water. should i be worried about the low ph of my RO , combined with my calcium reactor output?

cheers
ben

[lindsay]

If it was me ,would add remineral to top ups so you can get an idea how the reactor will affect the ph on its own .After a while if cool try the ro water on its own

[Simon Garratt]

Completely ignore the pH reading of RO water. It doesnt actually have one as such as there isnt any buffering capacity, nore acidification to balance againt it to a neutral level...effectively what you get from a pH probe in RO water is meaningless as its effectively measuring nothing.

This is why RO wont affect the pH of your tank to any degree measurable when you add it in normal doses. effectively, it takes on the pH of a solution it is added to.

Regards

Si.

[jason@jasonsaquatics]

Would that be the same with a nano system as i have a customer that does a good few top ups and used to suffer with a Ph of 7.8 to 7.9 .
Since the use of tropic marine remineral Marine we are getting an 8.0 Ph to 8.1 during the day .

maybe on bigger systems the amount of RO added will have less an impact than a smaller system like a nano of say 20g


jas

[Simon Garratt]

Quite possible jason as the ratio added would be alot higher in a nano compared to larger systems. equally the remineraliser would have been adding buffers to boost the tanks demands as well so its probably a 50/50 thing to be honest.

To be fair, most nanos that ive come across all suffer a typically supressed pH becouse on average, the bioload V volume is alot higher than most larger systems, (remember that for every 1sqft of base area in an average tank, you normally have at least 18+" of water above it, compared to a nano that has around 10-14") This places bigger demands on 02 reserves as well as buffering capacity...added to that, most nanos dont surface skim (no sump) which would clear the surface giving better gas exchange, and the overal surface area is quite small which compounds things even more.

I think the main thing though is that old rule, that stable pH (even if it is a bit low) is far better than a wildly fluctuating one.


Regards

Si.

[ben]

cool, thanks guys

[Bradden]

Interesting thread... I've never thought of adding remineraliser to my top-up water. Assuming that as I did regular water changes 25l weekly on an Aquamedic Chromis (100l approx) there would be no need. Do you think I'm right?

[Simon Garratt]

You have to be carefull Brad.

Remineralisers are a bit of a sore subject with alot of advanced guys who like to know exactly whats in any addatives that go in thier tanks. espeially over the long term, becpouse once youve got used to adding something over a long period, if it starts building up an issue in the background, It will probably be the last thing you suspect...

i wouldnt say 'dont' use them, but equally i would say they arent essential under any circumstances either. the most crucial factors id be interested in knowing with any additive of such a nature, is that it is Ionicly balanced (if not it will gradually push your tank readings out of whack), and that it lists the full ingrediants and ratio's on the packaging.

Regards

Si.

[Bradden]

Simon Garratt, on Aug 2 2008, 10:24 PM, said:

You have to be carefull Brad.

Remineralisers are a bit of a sore subject with alot of advanced guys who like to know exactly whats in any addatives that go in thier tanks. espeially over the long term, becpouse once youve got used to adding something over a long period, if it starts building up an issue in the background, It will probably be the last thing you suspect...

i wouldnt say 'dont' use them, but equally i would say they arent essential under any circumstances either. the most crucial factors id be interested in knowing with any additive of such a nature, is that it is Ionicly balanced (if not it will gradually push your tank readings out of whack), and that it lists the full ingrediants and ratio's on the packaging.

Regards

Si.

Thanks Si... I feel reasuured that I'm doing the right thing. The only additives I use (apart from salt) are labpac magnesium chloride/suphte and C-Balance. I only add after testing levels beforehand.