Plain RO is fine and if you are mixing tap with your RO your water will have enough minerals.
Hi, im wondering if RO or RO/DI is better for breeding discus?
I have read to use the RO/DI but also read that the DI part isn't good in the long run.
Also if im only using 50/50 Tap/RO do i need to add back minerals? Or will the tap water contain enough.
Thanks Mark
Plain RO is fine and if you are mixing tap with your RO your water will have enough minerals.
Mama Bear
Thanks for reply,
Could you tell me about the DI part? is it safe and do i need it?
Reason i ask is most systems here come with DI but if not safe/needed ill search for a stand alone RO.
Here is just one of the things i read about DI.
"Never keep fish in deionised (DI) water (the DI phase of RODI). Reverse osmosis (RO) water is fine and often used, but DI water will slowly sicken/kill your fish by leeching electrolytes from their body. You should never drink DI for the same reason."
I find it that most systems don't come with DI that's an add-on as far as I know. But if you look on marine reef sites that's another story.The ones in Homedepot.com mostly drinking water no DI. I did an over kill and bought a 300 GPD commercial grade unit. I has 3 100 GPD membranes in the back and 3 20" pre-filters. It's a 5 stage no DI.
Activated Carbon,CTO,Carbon Block,Coconut Shell Carbon,GAC,Sediment
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Last edited by Charlyc11; 04-24-2022 at 06:35 PM.
Just Call Me Chuck
Disclaimer : I am an old man and all this information is from the top of my head so any mistakes noted I claim the 5th
Thanks for the reply, I've spoken to the company and they have said they can replace the DI with a sediment filter , so it would go sediment, carbon then RO, does this sound correct?
That would be correct. Most 5 stage systems come with 1st stage is sediment 2nd carbon granules and 3rd a carbon block. The membranes are next then a final carbon polishing filter. The first 3 stages kind extend the life of you membranes wile removing other contaminants. Make sure you buy a unit that is adequate to your needs since they are rated GDP (gallons per day). Mine with 300 GPD I fill a 55 drum in 4 1/2 hrs. The good thing you can always add a membrane to increase your output. Last shop around.
Just Call Me Chuck
Disclaimer : I am an old man and all this information is from the top of my head so any mistakes noted I claim the 5th
I just helped a friend install that same unit last week. He did buy the additional DI add-on because he plans to use it for salt water in the future. Very nice!
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DI is not required for discus. Even RO is overkill in most cases unless you are breeding or have a terrible tap water source. Even then, RO is only needed at the time fertilization takes place. If using RO, you should also re-mineralize the water. There are mineral recipes here on the forum, or you can just use the RO waste water to achieve your goal.
The DI process just cleans the remaining compounds that RO doesn't filter out. It takes your +-18 TDS down to 0 TDS. It passes through a resin that must be replaced or recharged once the resin is exhausted or else it will bleed undesirable compounds back into the water and it will smell like rotten eggs. It's the closest thing to distilled water you can produce. It also has no buffering ability, as does pure RO, so a ph crash becomes an issue. Also, discus need the trace minerals in regular or re-mineralized water. Especially fry!
Unless your tap water source is bad or you're breeding, most tap water supplies are fine for discus. When I make RO water, I save the waste water for remineralization or for all tanks other than breeders.
Last edited by Charlyc11; 04-25-2022 at 01:17 PM.
Just Call Me Chuck
Disclaimer : I am an old man and all this information is from the top of my head so any mistakes noted I claim the 5th
We mounted his to the wall, which is why I helped him. That thing is heavy! Curious, his water pressure is around 62psi so the booster pump doesn't activate. In playing round, I noticed the booster doesn't kick in until the water pressure is reduced to around 20psi and kicks off at around 30psi. Have you noticed this?
Here's what I bought, and others here have also.
https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-4...m-75gpd-2.html
Check out my post in the for sale section (free) if interested.
Last edited by RogueDiscus; 04-25-2022 at 05:19 PM.
No I haven't I just know it kick in after a few moments. I will take a better look later when I get home. I have a float on it to stop when the tank is full and works really well.
I hung it on the wall also with no help but I did the first bolt let it tilt after I marked the second one and the drilled the second.
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...e?ie=UTF8&th=1
Last edited by Charlyc11; 04-25-2022 at 02:57 PM.
Just Call Me Chuck
Disclaimer : I am an old man and all this information is from the top of my head so any mistakes noted I claim the 5th
Thanks all for the replies and offeres.
Im in Australia.
Just got a TDs meter and its saying 250ppm, which is obviously fairly high, i imagine i want 100ppm or less?
If i got a ro system and di 50/50 tap/tank would this bring it down enough and also as im using 50% tap i wouldnt have to replace minerals?
Thanks Mark
Why not leave the TDS as it is and use plain tap? you only need RO for breeding, and you don't need the DI at all.
Mama Bear
Just Call Me Chuck
Disclaimer : I am an old man and all this information is from the top of my head so any mistakes noted I claim the 5th
Hi, I forgot to update my post, I'm am breeding, well attempting to, I have one pair that have laid twice, both times after about 24-30 hrs they only had a few white eggs and looked good, but both times the eggs were gone overnight.
My other pair I have just laid today massive batch of 200 eggs, so I'm waiting to see what happens.
I've only had these pairs for a few weeks and are my only pairs.
So most people recommend TDs under 100, my TDS is 250-260, which most people say need ro.
I mean if I can get them to get to fry stage without ro great, if I can't , I imagine that my water is the problem, I also read that you can get bigger hatch rates with RO.
I bought the pairs with proof they can breed , 1 pair even come with a few babies feeding off the parents I'd like to replicate this.