Kizzle Posted August 25, 2016 Report Share Posted August 25, 2016 How much to a litre? (How many pumps to a litre) My instructions are in a different language My water is RO My 8 litre tank test results are NO3 - 0 NO2 - 0 GH - between 8od - 16od KH - 6od pH - 7 My 30 litre tank test NO3 - 0 NO2 - 0 GH - 4od KH - 6od pH - 6.8 - 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soothing Shrimp Posted September 2, 2016 Report Share Posted September 2, 2016 @Kizzle Usage: 1-1.5ml per 1Gal = 4 - 6 dGH 35ppt and EricM 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricM Posted September 2, 2016 Report Share Posted September 2, 2016 We dont even both trying to figure out ml per gallon to dGH. its hurts my head sometimes. the technique we use it to pump directly into the tank and monitor TDS till we get our desired range. Via tds you can roughly get the desired GH you are looking for. oem and avonsurfernc 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricM Posted September 2, 2016 Report Share Posted September 2, 2016 @Soothing Shrimp thanks! Soothing Shrimp 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colorfan Posted October 20, 2016 Report Share Posted October 20, 2016 I know this is old but what TDS are you aiming for to get proper GH Eric? avonsurfernc 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricM Posted October 20, 2016 Report Share Posted October 20, 2016 2 hours ago, colorfan said: I know this is old but what TDS are you aiming for to get proper GH Eric? well TDS is a tricky thing to tell people what they should get because remember TDS consists of so many different things. Quote Total dissolved solids (TDS) comprise inorganic salts (principally calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, bicarbonates, chlorides, and sulfates) and some small amounts of organic matter that are dissolved in water. powder foods, shrimp waste, decaying plants. all kinds of things can influence TDS. I've been working on a version of this for my blog for a little. guess its time to finish it up. 3 glasses of water on a table. The TDS of all 3 glasses is 150. Glass #1 tap water Glass #1 remineralized with GH+ (whatever brand) Glass #3 remineralized with GH/KH (whatever brand)All three glasses are 150 TDS. Checking these 3 glasses with just a TDS meter is pointless, as you will learn the TDS, but nothing about the water GH/KH without a test. Glass #1 could be any GH/KH and will more than likely be different every time you check as tap water varies so much so a TDS meter will never be any good for checking tap water other than to tell you if hard or soft without a GH/KH test. Glass #2, you have remineralized your 0 TDS RO water to (for example) GH 6, check your TDS and make a note of the reading. Every time you mix your new RO water using GH+ in a container as long as the TDS reading matches the TDS you noted down you have the very same water so no need to check GH again and again. Glass #3, is same as second glass, remineralizer with GH/KH and make a note of this TDS. Every time you mix the RO water and GH/KH to that noted TDS it will be the same GH/KH as last time you mixed it to the set TDS. A TDS meter is also excellent for tank maintenance, water evaporates, minerals do not so as the water evaporates your TDS/GH/KH will rise. By using TDS meter if your tank is set to 150TDS and you check the TDS daily it will show when its rising, that is when you need to add a small amount of pure RO to lower the TDS a little. I drop TDS by adding pure RO to maintain the level I like my tanks. (water parameters blog) Once you understand what your TDS stands for ie you have done your GH/KH tests you do not have to use GH/KH tests very often, but without firstly doing these GH/KH tests using a TDS meter is pointless as all 3 glasses are 150TDS but all 3 glasses completely different water. I hope this helps anyone that feels a little confused with it all. adrand, bsantucci and Soothing Shrimp 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricM Posted October 20, 2016 Report Share Posted October 20, 2016 This is also a really great post from Julie Lightfoot Quote GH versus TDS After another interesting post and debate over the weekend on a different group regarding TDS and GH in shrimp tanks - I thought it would be useful to discuss it on here… So, in general terms... What is GH? GH is the ‘General Hardness' of your water. GH specifically measures the amount of Magnesium and Calcium ions. These are the minerals required, at specific GH ranges, in order for shrimp to successfully shed (molt) and build their exoskeletons. Different shrimp do better at different ranges. In a nutshell….this is why is it important to know and understand your GH when it comes to keeping shrimp. What is TDS? TDS, on the other hand, is the measurement of Total Dissolved Solids in the water/tank and is made up of lots of different matter. TDS is made up not only of calcium & magnesium but other elements (sodium, potassium, zinc, copper, fluoride, iodine, chlorate, nitrate, sulfate, phosphate… are just some examples that may be present). So whilst it can be a useful measurement, it is only a general picture of your water’s makeup. So it is not correct to simply regard TDS as an indicator of hardness. Aquariums will differ tank to tank depending on what's in there that will add to the total dissolved solids. I believe people new to the hobby should be aware that a TDS reading alone will not tell you if there are sufficient levels of the required minerals for shrimp in the water…you cannot not know that unless you measure GH. So, whilst some people will say that they only ever go by TDS readings or that they have never tested GH or that GH doesn’t matter as their shrimp have had no problems molting… they have just ‘got lucky’ - things have worked for them - by chance. And getting lucky is ok, as long as nothing changes…e.g. the water authority adds something to affect GH, the usual bottled water is out of stock and the different brand used instead has different GH or a TDS pen fails… ...it is a risk to go by TDS alone with no knowledge or regard for GH. A TDS pen is a useful piece of equipment and can make water changes quicker and easier and can be used to test your RO water to ensure membranes/filters still ok. But my advice would always be to initially set your GH to where it needs to be for the type of shrimp you are keeping and if you have a TDS pen - take the TDS measurement and then use that measurement at water changes as a guide… and periodically recheck your GH. So a liquid GH test kit is what I would advise to buy before a TDS pen In summary, when it comes to shrimp keeping, especially for beginners, it pays to understand water parameters and how they relate to the needs of shrimp. This allows you to be more in control when providing shrimp with a suitable environment and/or dealing with any issues that may arise. There are other parameters of course, pH, KH etc which we can discuss another time… 5 Soothing Shrimp and bsantucci 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colorfan Posted October 21, 2016 Report Share Posted October 21, 2016 so assume you are using RO/DI and remineralizing with SL and all values are 0 to start. What TDS?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricM Posted October 21, 2016 Report Share Posted October 21, 2016 4 hours ago, colorfan said: so assume you are using RO/DI and remineralizing with SL and all values are 0 to start. What TDS?? what TDS do you want for the specific type of shrimp you are keeping? I cant recommend anything without knowing more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colorfan Posted October 21, 2016 Report Share Posted October 21, 2016 Just curious to see what others results were when using SL. I am remineralizing to a TDS of 130 and having great results in my BB tanks but not so much with my PRL and I cant seem to find the answer. Just poking around for info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricM Posted October 21, 2016 Report Share Posted October 21, 2016 you test your GH for both? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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