How to lower TDS

[mbenjamin16]

my tds in that tank is 134 and want to put TB's and mischling's in the tank and keep the TDS at 150. i have not remineralized the water yet(not sure if that will make a difference or not) I plan to place the order and get the remineralizer on 4/27/2015

 

Here is what i am using in my 5g tank.

 

Substrate:

Fluval Stratum shrimp+plant

clay base under the fluval stratum to cover the UGF

 

Filter:

1 round sponge 

DIY under gravel 

 

Water:

Ro/Di glacier brand

 

 

Plants:

java fern

a bruce

anubus(i think)

Microswords

 

Light:

LED (http://www.ebay.com/itm/48-LED-Aquarium-Fish-Plant-2-Mode-Clip-White-Blue-Light-Bulb-Lamp-Adjustable-EC-/221711865322?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item339f0e95ea)

 

 

 

[colorfan]

That TDS is pretty high to not have any remineralizers.  Check the TDS of your RO source.

[mbenjamin16]

the ro tds is  only 3 

[revolutionhope]

Shouldn't RO test at zero?

love n peace

will

[mbenjamin16]

im not sure mine comes from the glacier machine at my local hannafords.

 

I just remembered on 4/25 I added Shrimp Nature Bakteria and Werwa could that have increased the TDS?

[RyeGuy411]

I buy RO at the Wal Mart machines and TDS is between 3-12 and is still fine. The additives could increase TDS is there a possibility you have some item in the tank increasing TDS? Maybe some stone or mineral rock or bee balls?

[mbenjamin16]

The only thing i can think of is the clay base substrate under the fluval stratum covering my DIY UGF.

[RyeGuy411]

The only thing i can think of is the clay base substrate under the fluval stratum covering my DIY UGF.

 

That could very well be it.

[revolutionhope]

is the RO water u buy marketed for drinking purposes or anythinf else in particular?

love n peace

will

[mbenjamin16]

It stoppedd doing anything tds wise with my other tanks. Im thinking of trying to remove the fluval stratum and than the clay base subatrate and replacing the clay base substrate with all natural aquarium rocks that arent colored to see if thaf changes the tds or let it do its cycle and do frequent water changes.

[RyeGuy411]

you could test if its the clay base by putting some in a container of RO for 24 hrs then measure TDS.

[RyeGuy411]

I see you live in VT, what part im about 15 mins from Bennington.

[revolutionhope]

I know it is not relevant to your issue but im just wondering about this RO water u get and what the story is with it? if it is intendes for drinking then the pH would be neutralised with carbon calcite i guess? RO water should be acidic. if it is for drinking then that could explain the tds reading. personally if thats not the case then id be upset about paying for RO when the filters havent even been changed often enough to keep tds at zero.

there is nowhere that I know of sells it where I live except for one or two LFS which is why its fascinating to me that chain stores like walmart would sell RO!

i bought an RO filter very recently for the same cost as it would be for me to buy 1000 litres worth.

just sayin.. good systems have come down in price a lot in the last few years so maybe worth looking into :-)

love n peace

will

[OMG Aquatics]

I know it is not relevant to your issue but im just wondering about this RO water u get and what the story is with it? if it is intendes for drinking then the pH would be neutralised with carbon calcite i guess? RO water should be acidic. if it is for drinking then that could explain the tds reading. personally if thats not the case then id be upset about paying for RO when the filters havent even been changed often enough to keep tds at zero.

there is nowhere that I know of sells it where I live except for one or two LFS which is why its fascinating to me that chain stores like walmart would sell RO!

i bought an RO filter very recently for the same cost as it would be for me to buy 1000 litres worth.

just sayin.. good systems have come down in price a lot in the last few years so maybe worth looking into :-)

love n peace

will

RO filters do not always make your TDS 0. RO/DI filters should make your TDS 0

[mbenjamin16]

I see you live in VT, what part im about 15 mins from Bennington.

 I live in alburghe vt. im about an hour from Burlington. 

[mbenjamin16]

I know it is not relevant to your issue but im just wondering about this RO water u get and what the story is with it? if it is intendes for drinking then the pH would be neutralised with carbon calcite i guess? RO water should be acidic. if it is for drinking then that could explain the tds reading. personally if thats not the case then id be upset about paying for RO when the filters havent even been changed often enough to keep tds at zero.

there is nowhere that I know of sells it where I live except for one or two LFS which is why its fascinating to me that chain stores like walmart would sell RO!

i bought an RO filter very recently for the same cost as it would be for me to buy 1000 litres worth.

just sayin.. good systems have come down in price a lot in the last few years so maybe worth looking into :-)

love n peace

will

the ph is 6.0 from the glacier ro unit and everything tests at zero and the tds is 3. i was looking into and ro/di unit but i wouldnt know how to use it and i cant keep it hooked to my sink because i live with my inlaws and im not sure they would be ok with that.

[RyeGuy411]

RO water from the Glacier machines or any other machine like that is perfectly safe and healthy for any type of shrimp even with some TDS. I only use RO on three tanks (2) 10g and a 7.5 so it would take me about two years of buying water to justify paying for a decent RO unit. I think this is getting sidetracked, something is adding to your TDS in your tank and you could very easily see if it is the clay with a simple test. If its not the clay then dont worry about breaking down the tank. 

[mbenjamin16]

Thank you ryeguy411 i will test the clay substrate when i get home. Im thinking it could also be my tap water i rinsed it with has a tds of over 600 and i didnt let it dry out before adding it to the tank.

[revolutionhope]

hi mbenjamin, dunno if this helps u in ur situation but u could go for a portable - my ro/di is portable. It came with an adaptor so it can be attached to an outside tap. it only cost me 200aud (less than that in usd esp. as modt things are cheaper there in dollar terms) and it has an extra module I can switch on or off which supplies ph neutral drinking water. if I want it. (my piping in this house is as old as my grandma and where I live the tapwater is usually about 150-250 tds depending on the season.

love n peace

will

love n peace

will

[mbenjamin16]

thank you. i figured out my tds is because of the clay base substrate and i did a water change in the tank and the tds is now down to 60 and it never rose above 135 all night. 

[Desert Shrimp Depot]

That TDS is ok IF you have a GH of 4 - 6.   The question at this point is WHAT are the dissolved solids that are represented in the TDS.  If it's not Ca and Mg (GH) then you still have issues - and if it's CaCO3 (KH) then you still have problems.  

[mbenjamin16]

the KH is 0 and the GH is barley above 0 the ph is at 7 currently and i got the TDS down to 116 after the water change it was 60 but today its at 116 but hasnt gone past that all day

[RyeGuy411]

TDS is very vauge and really doesnt tell you much. Conductivity will tell you more specifically about salts and minerals in the water. I wouldnt get to wrapped up about the TDS my TB tanks have a TDS over 200 and if you ask most people they will tell you it needs to be under 180. TDS can measure organic moecules dissolved in the water as well as salts. I have taken a bucket of tank water and rinsed off the filter media in it and made brown mud looking water and tested TDS and its over 400, then let it settle and retest and it was 200. Your gH and kH are the important measurements which it sounds like they are fine.

[mbenjamin16]

ok thank you ryeguy411. i was worried because i read the tds for TBs shouldnt be higher than 150 so i've been trying to make sure it wont go over that once i add the mk blue diamond. i did add 2 of the orangeish mineral balls and 3-4 of the really small grey balls to the tank a little bit ago. and i will acclimate my neos to it because i think it will be a better tank for them over all once everything is said and done and than i can switch there tank over to the pure ro with the remineralizer. the temp stays about 65 degrees F also im not sure if that makes a difference or not.