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Retirement and forum shutdown (17 Jan 2022)
Hi,
John Howell who has managed the forum for years is getting on and wishes to retire from the role of managing it.
Over the years, he has managed the forum through good days and bad days and he has always been fair.
He has managed to bring his passion for fish keeping to the forum and keep it going for so long.
I wish to thank John for his hard work in keeping the forum going.
With John wishing to "retire" from the role of managing the forum and the forum receiving very little traffic, I think we must agree that forum has come to a natural conclusion and it's time to put it to rest.
I am proposing that the forum be made read-only from March 2022 onwards and that no new users or content be created. The website is still registered for several more years, so the content will still be accessible but no new topics or replies will be allowed.
If there is interest from the ITFS or other fish keeping clubs, we may redirect traffic to them or to a Facebook group but will not actively manage it.
I'd like to thank everyone over the years who helped with forum, posted a reply, started a new topic, ask a question and helped a newbie in fish keeping. And thank you to the sponsors who helped us along the away. Hopefully it made the hobby stronger.
I'd especially like to thank John Howell and Valerie Rousseau for all of their contributions, without them the forum would have never been has successful.
Thank you
Darragh Sherwin
Advice sought on RO system.
- JohnH (John)
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28 Oct 2006 04:00 #1
by JohnH (John)
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We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl - year after year.
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It's a long way to Tipperary.
Advice sought on RO system. was created by JohnH (John)
Good morning,
Could somebody help me?
I just cannot grasp the concept of my water supply and whether it will support an RO unit.
My water comes directly from its own 'well' - a hole in the ground 80 yards (remember yards?) deep.
Into this is suspended a 3/4 hp electric pump...this far I understand.
Now, the water then comes into my shed, firstly into a sort of pressure tank with a meter on it, which seemingly has to be pumped up with air if and when the pressure drops too low.
The water then comes underground into my kitchen with a second pipe going upstairs to the water tank up in the loft.
This water is very hard and has quite a lot of sediment still (presumably after the drilling) so, for drinking water and fishkeeping purposes I am thinking of installing an RO unit. I got on to RO-MAN in UK but they tell me that unless my water pressure is 50psi I would need a secondary pump, this has me confused...
Dave kindly tried to explain all this to me but, me being a bit on the thick side, it confused me all the more!
When in England I had an RO unit which, at that time, had to be working all the time to keep the membrane from rotting away if it was allowed to dry out. Seemingly the newer ones now only need to have water under pressure against the membrane, but not passing through it, to prevent this.
If I had to keep it running 24 hours a day it just wouldn't be any help as the 'well' would run dry in no time, but possibly not not so quickly now, with all the extra rain there's been recently. On top of this is the issue of keeping a 3/4 hp motor running all the time a) from a cost of electricity point of view and b) I suspect the life of the pump would be seriously shortened.
My friend in England has offered me a twin column deioniser which would appear to need re-charging with (I think) Hydrochloric Acid, would I be able to obtain this in Ireland for hobby purposes? If so, perhaps that might be the way to go...?
Sorry for such a long posting, I do hope one of you gentlemen can enlighten me on these matters.
Cheers,
John
Could somebody help me?
I just cannot grasp the concept of my water supply and whether it will support an RO unit.
My water comes directly from its own 'well' - a hole in the ground 80 yards (remember yards?) deep.
Into this is suspended a 3/4 hp electric pump...this far I understand.
Now, the water then comes into my shed, firstly into a sort of pressure tank with a meter on it, which seemingly has to be pumped up with air if and when the pressure drops too low.
The water then comes underground into my kitchen with a second pipe going upstairs to the water tank up in the loft.
This water is very hard and has quite a lot of sediment still (presumably after the drilling) so, for drinking water and fishkeeping purposes I am thinking of installing an RO unit. I got on to RO-MAN in UK but they tell me that unless my water pressure is 50psi I would need a secondary pump, this has me confused...
Dave kindly tried to explain all this to me but, me being a bit on the thick side, it confused me all the more!
When in England I had an RO unit which, at that time, had to be working all the time to keep the membrane from rotting away if it was allowed to dry out. Seemingly the newer ones now only need to have water under pressure against the membrane, but not passing through it, to prevent this.
If I had to keep it running 24 hours a day it just wouldn't be any help as the 'well' would run dry in no time, but possibly not not so quickly now, with all the extra rain there's been recently. On top of this is the issue of keeping a 3/4 hp motor running all the time a) from a cost of electricity point of view and b) I suspect the life of the pump would be seriously shortened.
My friend in England has offered me a twin column deioniser which would appear to need re-charging with (I think) Hydrochloric Acid, would I be able to obtain this in Ireland for hobby purposes? If so, perhaps that might be the way to go...?
Sorry for such a long posting, I do hope one of you gentlemen can enlighten me on these matters.
Cheers,
John
Location:
N. Tipp
We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl - year after year.
ITFS member.
It's a long way to Tipperary.
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20 Nov 2006 07:02 #2
by davep (davep)
Replied by davep (davep) on topic Re: Advice sought on RO system.
Hi John
Not sure what your question is about the RO units. I have been using an RO unit from RO-MAN in the uk for the past tow years. The RO units will have a gallon per day (GPD) rating. This rating means nothing unless you have sufficient water pressure to pass water optimally through the membrane. RO-MAN supply a water pump, which I require, to get the maximum from the unit.
The water supply is conected to the pump and the pump is connected to the inlet of the RO unit, simple as that. I would imagine that you will require a pump to ge tthe necessary water pressure. Make sure that you have the tree pre-filters to remove any sediment before the water hits the membrane otherwise you will tear it to shreds.
Water changes are probably the most important aspect of keeping your fish healthy and in good condition. Using the RO water only makes the process of water changes more difficult. I always recommend that if people are going to keep fish that they should try to keep fish that will live in your local tap water with only the addition of de chlorinator. I require the RO unit as I am keeping discus and getting the water parmateres correct was impossible without one.
One other thing, RO units waste about five times as much water as they produce. If your on a water meter this will cost you a fortune.
Best of Luck
Not sure what your question is about the RO units. I have been using an RO unit from RO-MAN in the uk for the past tow years. The RO units will have a gallon per day (GPD) rating. This rating means nothing unless you have sufficient water pressure to pass water optimally through the membrane. RO-MAN supply a water pump, which I require, to get the maximum from the unit.
The water supply is conected to the pump and the pump is connected to the inlet of the RO unit, simple as that. I would imagine that you will require a pump to ge tthe necessary water pressure. Make sure that you have the tree pre-filters to remove any sediment before the water hits the membrane otherwise you will tear it to shreds.
Water changes are probably the most important aspect of keeping your fish healthy and in good condition. Using the RO water only makes the process of water changes more difficult. I always recommend that if people are going to keep fish that they should try to keep fish that will live in your local tap water with only the addition of de chlorinator. I require the RO unit as I am keeping discus and getting the water parmateres correct was impossible without one.
One other thing, RO units waste about five times as much water as they produce. If your on a water meter this will cost you a fortune.
Best of Luck
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- apistodiscus (apistodiscus)
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22 Nov 2006 10:18 #3
by apistodiscus (apistodiscus)
Replied by apistodiscus (apistodiscus) on topic Re: Advice sought on RO system.
Hi John,
have a look in the manual that should come with your RO unit. That should tell you what the required water pressure is to operate it properly. You will not have to run your unit 24 hours a day. Just make sure your membrane is not drying out. It should also tell you that in the manual.
Twin column dionizers are a royal pain in the backside. I used to have one in the early eighties. Recharging the bloody things is a nightmare. And the resin inside doesn't last forever either. Actually one resin has to be recharged with hydrochloric acid the other with a salt solution. Furthermore with some resins you can't tell visually if they need recharging.That brings bad memories from the dark ages....
All the resins do is lower water hardness. They do not remove heavy metals, insectizides, nitrates,nitrites, ammonia and any other nasties.
Why is it that you want to use a RO unit. Breeding softwater fish or is your well water so high in nitrits and nitrates that you don't want your fish swiming in it?
Ever tried rainwater? I use it a lot. And in Tipp that stuff should be pretty free of any nasty chemicals.
Holger
have a look in the manual that should come with your RO unit. That should tell you what the required water pressure is to operate it properly. You will not have to run your unit 24 hours a day. Just make sure your membrane is not drying out. It should also tell you that in the manual.
Twin column dionizers are a royal pain in the backside. I used to have one in the early eighties. Recharging the bloody things is a nightmare. And the resin inside doesn't last forever either. Actually one resin has to be recharged with hydrochloric acid the other with a salt solution. Furthermore with some resins you can't tell visually if they need recharging.That brings bad memories from the dark ages....
All the resins do is lower water hardness. They do not remove heavy metals, insectizides, nitrates,nitrites, ammonia and any other nasties.
Why is it that you want to use a RO unit. Breeding softwater fish or is your well water so high in nitrits and nitrates that you don't want your fish swiming in it?
Ever tried rainwater? I use it a lot. And in Tipp that stuff should be pretty free of any nasty chemicals.
Holger
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22 Nov 2006 19:33 #4
by JohnH (John)
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We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl - year after year.
ITFS member.
It's a long way to Tipperary.
Replied by JohnH (John) on topic Re: Advice sought on RO system.
Thanks Dave and Holger,
I'm just not certain about this...as I said in the original posting it's partly to use for fish, should I be able to have one, but also from a drinking water point of view too.
The water from the ground isn't perhaps as pure as it might be...nitrate levels have dropped dramatically since all the rain of the past couple of weeks but that's not to say it'll stay that way.
Rainwater isn't in short supply right now, but cannot be relied upon for the whole year.
Maybe I'll just get loads of barrels and a fairly strong pump and collect it from the heavens. There's plenty of bottled water in Supervalue for drinking, I suppose.
I still ought to have well water tested professionally I think.
Cheers,
John
I'm just not certain about this...as I said in the original posting it's partly to use for fish, should I be able to have one, but also from a drinking water point of view too.
The water from the ground isn't perhaps as pure as it might be...nitrate levels have dropped dramatically since all the rain of the past couple of weeks but that's not to say it'll stay that way.
Rainwater isn't in short supply right now, but cannot be relied upon for the whole year.
Maybe I'll just get loads of barrels and a fairly strong pump and collect it from the heavens. There's plenty of bottled water in Supervalue for drinking, I suppose.
I still ought to have well water tested professionally I think.
Cheers,
John
Location:
N. Tipp
We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl - year after year.
ITFS member.
It's a long way to Tipperary.
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- apistodiscus (apistodiscus)
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23 Nov 2006 02:23 #5
by apistodiscus (apistodiscus)
Replied by apistodiscus (apistodiscus) on topic Re: Advice sought on RO system.
Hi John,
you shouldn't really be drinking RO water. It's essentially distilled water and is harmful if consumed. Have a look on any of the distilled water bottles you can buy in a motorshop. They generally come with a health warning.
It's fine to cook with it though since you are putting minerals back into it.
You should be able to monitor your water yourself, well, within reason. Ammonia, nitrite and nitrate tests are easy to come by and it's a hell lot cheaper than getting in a professional. (Trust me, I used to do it for a living). And if you are looking for a long term study of your water supply, you are really talking big bucks.
If you are living in agricultural area I would not be in the least surprised if your nitrate levels are up when there is very little rainwater about. Decades of using too much fertilizer.
Unless you are worried that your water may contain any other nasties such as insecticides or heavy metals, I'd monitor it myself.
Holger
you shouldn't really be drinking RO water. It's essentially distilled water and is harmful if consumed. Have a look on any of the distilled water bottles you can buy in a motorshop. They generally come with a health warning.
It's fine to cook with it though since you are putting minerals back into it.
You should be able to monitor your water yourself, well, within reason. Ammonia, nitrite and nitrate tests are easy to come by and it's a hell lot cheaper than getting in a professional. (Trust me, I used to do it for a living). And if you are looking for a long term study of your water supply, you are really talking big bucks.
If you are living in agricultural area I would not be in the least surprised if your nitrate levels are up when there is very little rainwater about. Decades of using too much fertilizer.
Unless you are worried that your water may contain any other nasties such as insecticides or heavy metals, I'd monitor it myself.
Holger
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23 Nov 2006 02:40 #6
by davep (davep)
Replied by davep (davep) on topic Re: Advice sought on RO system.
John
Drinking RO water is perfectly ok. I spoke with the guys in RO-MAN about this in the past and they said that they sell RO units for drinking water, they weren't invented for fish keepers. One thing to worry about would be storing RO water. As it contains no chlorine or chloramines them it could be prone to bacterial invasion.
If you are going to drink the water you would do well to put a total disolved solids (TDS) meter on it, this will give you an indication of what heavy metals may be in the water.
Drinking RO water is perfectly ok. I spoke with the guys in RO-MAN about this in the past and they said that they sell RO units for drinking water, they weren't invented for fish keepers. One thing to worry about would be storing RO water. As it contains no chlorine or chloramines them it could be prone to bacterial invasion.
If you are going to drink the water you would do well to put a total disolved solids (TDS) meter on it, this will give you an indication of what heavy metals may be in the water.
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- apistodiscus (apistodiscus)
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23 Nov 2006 04:36 #7
by apistodiscus (apistodiscus)
Replied by apistodiscus (apistodiscus) on topic Re: Advice sought on RO system.
I'd be very careful drinking huge amounts of distilled water since it acidifies your body (absorbs CO2 which is acidic) which will wash calcium, magnesium and other trace elements from of your body. There are suggestions that it also causes hyperthyroidism.
Have a chat with your GP and he will probably tell you to take food supplements should you go down the road of using distilled water for your own consumption.
Holger
Have a chat with your GP and he will probably tell you to take food supplements should you go down the road of using distilled water for your own consumption.
Holger
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25 Nov 2006 11:23 #8
by JohnH (John)
Holger, sorry, I had to include whole quote here, not sure how to just add parts I want to add...anyhow, sort of alongside this posting I had another which you mightn't have seen.
Basically I tested my water, straight from the ground and found everything fairly OK, I knew it was hard and alkaline beforehand - but I'd never tested it for nitrates. I was shocked to find it was 100ppm!
This was why I was looking towards either an RO unit or the deionising thingy my friend in England is giving me when I pop back at Xmas.
Now, after a fortnight of fairly torrential rainfall the nitrate level has dropped to 10ppm. It was suggested that the high nitrate level was as a result of slurry spreading somewhere along the water table and I'm inclined to agree - it certainly makes sense. Now I'm concerned what other unpleasantness might be in the water too...Hence why I was thinking it might be a good idea to get it tested professionally.
Sorry to repeat myself here but it's quite relevant to the problem as a whole.
About a mile away from here there's what was a "vermiculture" facility - at least that was the facade, in reality there was all kinds of hazardous waste was going there (some unlicensed, I was told). On a warm day the stench was unbelievable! In winter all the rain would wash the leachage from the mounds of refuse, flooding the road and then the whole evil foul liquid would find its way, via a drain, into the Little Brosna river. I'm a bit concerned that some of this came along the water table to my water supply.
This is now sort of closed but much of the refuse remains in huge heaps there, I believe the council are gradually spreading it over surrounding farmland but I'm not absolutely certain of this. God only knows what's in those heaps!
Back to my fish...
I know things aren't right with them - like you I've been keeping fish for many years and you get to develop a sort of 'sixth sense' when you're watching them every day.
I do my regular water changes but am becoming increasingly worried that what I'm using to replace the water I'm taking out might be doing more harm than good. I use a filter jug for all my drinking and cooking water (although how much good they are is questionable).
So, if I got an RO unit it would be simply for to ensure my water was good enough for my purposes. If it wouldn't be suitable for drinking I could buy bottled water for the comparatively little amount I'd need - there's only me here...I appreciate that RO water is completely devoid of any trace elements etc and I would need to obtain water from an uncorrupted source to supplement it but I cannot see any way around it in the short term.
I could, as stated in the other posting, use rain water throughout the winter and spring/autumn but there wouldn't always be enough in the summer months. I vaguely considered having a large water tank put into the ground and have rainwater piped to that when plentiful and use that for my fish but then, there are fish which cannot exist in rainwater, Malawis and Synodontis are two types I keep which would fit into that bracket. I suppose I could use something alkaline to make the water acceptable to them?
So, that's about it in a nutshell. Any thoughts or observations would be gratefully received.
John
Location:
N. Tipp
We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl - year after year.
ITFS member.
It's a long way to Tipperary.
Replied by JohnH (John) on topic Re: Advice sought on RO system.
Hi John,
you shouldn't really be drinking RO water. It's essentially distilled water and is harmful if consumed. Have a look on any of the distilled water bottles you can buy in a motorshop. They generally come with a health warning.
It's fine to cook with it though since you are putting minerals back into it.
You should be able to monitor your water yourself, well, within reason. Ammonia, nitrite and nitrate tests are easy to come by and it's a hell lot cheaper than getting in a professional. (Trust me, I used to do it for a living). And if you are looking for a long term study of your water supply, you are really talking big bucks.
If you are living in agricultural area I would not be in the least surprised if your nitrate levels are up when there is very little rainwater about. Decades of using too much fertilizer.
Unless you are worried that your water may contain any other nasties such as insecticides or heavy metals, I'd monitor it myself.
Holger
Holger, sorry, I had to include whole quote here, not sure how to just add parts I want to add...anyhow, sort of alongside this posting I had another which you mightn't have seen.
Basically I tested my water, straight from the ground and found everything fairly OK, I knew it was hard and alkaline beforehand - but I'd never tested it for nitrates. I was shocked to find it was 100ppm!
This was why I was looking towards either an RO unit or the deionising thingy my friend in England is giving me when I pop back at Xmas.
Now, after a fortnight of fairly torrential rainfall the nitrate level has dropped to 10ppm. It was suggested that the high nitrate level was as a result of slurry spreading somewhere along the water table and I'm inclined to agree - it certainly makes sense. Now I'm concerned what other unpleasantness might be in the water too...Hence why I was thinking it might be a good idea to get it tested professionally.
Sorry to repeat myself here but it's quite relevant to the problem as a whole.
About a mile away from here there's what was a "vermiculture" facility - at least that was the facade, in reality there was all kinds of hazardous waste was going there (some unlicensed, I was told). On a warm day the stench was unbelievable! In winter all the rain would wash the leachage from the mounds of refuse, flooding the road and then the whole evil foul liquid would find its way, via a drain, into the Little Brosna river. I'm a bit concerned that some of this came along the water table to my water supply.
This is now sort of closed but much of the refuse remains in huge heaps there, I believe the council are gradually spreading it over surrounding farmland but I'm not absolutely certain of this. God only knows what's in those heaps!
Back to my fish...
I know things aren't right with them - like you I've been keeping fish for many years and you get to develop a sort of 'sixth sense' when you're watching them every day.
I do my regular water changes but am becoming increasingly worried that what I'm using to replace the water I'm taking out might be doing more harm than good. I use a filter jug for all my drinking and cooking water (although how much good they are is questionable).
So, if I got an RO unit it would be simply for to ensure my water was good enough for my purposes. If it wouldn't be suitable for drinking I could buy bottled water for the comparatively little amount I'd need - there's only me here...I appreciate that RO water is completely devoid of any trace elements etc and I would need to obtain water from an uncorrupted source to supplement it but I cannot see any way around it in the short term.
I could, as stated in the other posting, use rain water throughout the winter and spring/autumn but there wouldn't always be enough in the summer months. I vaguely considered having a large water tank put into the ground and have rainwater piped to that when plentiful and use that for my fish but then, there are fish which cannot exist in rainwater, Malawis and Synodontis are two types I keep which would fit into that bracket. I suppose I could use something alkaline to make the water acceptable to them?
So, that's about it in a nutshell. Any thoughts or observations would be gratefully received.
John
Location:
N. Tipp
We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl - year after year.
ITFS member.
It's a long way to Tipperary.
Please Log in to join the conversation.
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25 Nov 2006 16:07 #9
by platty252 (Darren Dalton)
Replied by platty252 (Darren Dalton) on topic Re: Advice sought on RO system.
John i'm just going to take a small step back to your original tread.
If you install an RO unit it has to go after the cylinder at your shed.
The reason for this is you you cant have 2 pumps working against each other on the same line. Even if they are pumping in the same direction.
If you install it in your shed it could get to cold in winter resulting in a dissolved membrane. 5c or below.
I would suggest installing one in the house.
You may not need a pump for it. I have a 25 gallons per day RO unit running on 1.5bar mains and i only get 8-10 gallons a day from it.
This suites me fine, i just fill plastic Jerry cans, aerate and use the water when i need it.
You could also use (for your tanks and not for drinking) a product from Tetra called easy balance.
I have used this with great success in my killi tanks. I'm not sure of the cost of this.
If you install an RO unit it has to go after the cylinder at your shed.
The reason for this is you you cant have 2 pumps working against each other on the same line. Even if they are pumping in the same direction.
If you install it in your shed it could get to cold in winter resulting in a dissolved membrane. 5c or below.
I would suggest installing one in the house.
You may not need a pump for it. I have a 25 gallons per day RO unit running on 1.5bar mains and i only get 8-10 gallons a day from it.
This suites me fine, i just fill plastic Jerry cans, aerate and use the water when i need it.
You could also use (for your tanks and not for drinking) a product from Tetra called easy balance.
I have used this with great success in my killi tanks. I'm not sure of the cost of this.
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- apistodiscus (apistodiscus)
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28 Nov 2006 16:27 #10
by apistodiscus (apistodiscus)
Replied by apistodiscus (apistodiscus) on topic Re: Advice sought on RO system.
Hi John,
first of all, 100ppm of nitrate will do you no harm. Your fish, however, will not like it.
You can harden your water with baking soda. Cheap and easy. As I said before, a dionizer will only remove hardness not nitrates so an RO unit will be your best bet. I have no idea what it costs you to run the pump but that must still be cheaper than buying bottled water.If you are worried that there are any other nasties in your water supply get the Environmental Protection Agency or your fisheries board have a look at it next summer. Any recent fish kills in your local river recently? If yes, the fisheries board are probably the best people to approach. If no, the EPA.
You can approximate how bad or good your local river is doing. Have a look at the invertabrates in it. If you find a lot of up-winged fly or stonefly larvae you are doing pretty OK. A lot of bloodworm signals pollution. Should you know a fly angler get a hold of them and let him tell you what creepy crawlies are in the river. Let me know and I'll work on the biological index. This will give you a long term statement of how healthy the river is. A quick chemical analysis gives you only a short term picture.
I'll better stop ranting or I'll miss the Rodge and Podge show
Holger
first of all, 100ppm of nitrate will do you no harm. Your fish, however, will not like it.
You can harden your water with baking soda. Cheap and easy. As I said before, a dionizer will only remove hardness not nitrates so an RO unit will be your best bet. I have no idea what it costs you to run the pump but that must still be cheaper than buying bottled water.If you are worried that there are any other nasties in your water supply get the Environmental Protection Agency or your fisheries board have a look at it next summer. Any recent fish kills in your local river recently? If yes, the fisheries board are probably the best people to approach. If no, the EPA.
You can approximate how bad or good your local river is doing. Have a look at the invertabrates in it. If you find a lot of up-winged fly or stonefly larvae you are doing pretty OK. A lot of bloodworm signals pollution. Should you know a fly angler get a hold of them and let him tell you what creepy crawlies are in the river. Let me know and I'll work on the biological index. This will give you a long term statement of how healthy the river is. A quick chemical analysis gives you only a short term picture.
I'll better stop ranting or I'll miss the Rodge and Podge show
Holger
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- russell (russell)
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05 Feb 2007 15:49 #11
by russell (russell)
Replied by russell (russell) on topic Sorting out R/O Myths
I think that because of the promotion of RO units some people may be mislead into thinking that they are the answers to all your water problems.
WRONG.
Q: What do you want an RO for & do you realy need one?
A: check your tap water using a reliable water test kit that gives you
Ph Nitrate Nitrite kh & gh.
Q; What fish do you want to stock.
You could do more harm than good.
An RO unit will remove most heavy metals and chlorine.
The water it produces is virtualy DEAD water. it has no body in fact it is TOO pure to suuport Fish on it's own. at first the Ph will read low round about 6.5 but left overnight & airated it will rise to 7 -7'5 or even 8.
You have to ADD body to the water, usualy tap water in small percentages to get liffe support back into it. depending on your water supply this can be from as little as 10% upwards. or RO Right
CONFUSED!!!
Most fish nowadays are tank raised and have never been anwhere near where they originate from. and have been raised commercialy in whatever water supply the local water company supplies.
Any questions give me a PM and I will try to help you
WRONG.
Q: What do you want an RO for & do you realy need one?
A: check your tap water using a reliable water test kit that gives you
Ph Nitrate Nitrite kh & gh.
Q; What fish do you want to stock.
You could do more harm than good.
An RO unit will remove most heavy metals and chlorine.
The water it produces is virtualy DEAD water. it has no body in fact it is TOO pure to suuport Fish on it's own. at first the Ph will read low round about 6.5 but left overnight & airated it will rise to 7 -7'5 or even 8.
You have to ADD body to the water, usualy tap water in small percentages to get liffe support back into it. depending on your water supply this can be from as little as 10% upwards. or RO Right
CONFUSED!!!
Most fish nowadays are tank raised and have never been anwhere near where they originate from. and have been raised commercialy in whatever water supply the local water company supplies.
Any questions give me a PM and I will try to help you
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