By the way water is 4x expensive in this area as it is in an area some mere 30 miles north-west of course if you have a well it is free and if you don't you might be under water restrictions.
Name my zip code.
My first ever tank!
- Thread starter ambrosia04
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Name my zip code.
ambrosia04
Fish Crazy
Here distilled water is like 1.56 per liter and an 8L bottled water that my LFS use sometimes in their personal tanks is 0.96 (the 8L)
Idk if for a 105L tank that needs like 8L tops a month it'd be worth it to buy a 100€ contraption (without adding the cleaning and replacement fees, as idk how often those are)
Here water is aprox 1.92€/m^3 so 0.00192 per liter xD
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For an ro system - the biggest pain will be the carbon unless your water has no chlorine; chlorine will destroy the ro membrane. The membrane would likely need replacement once every 2 to 4 years as long as chlorine is kept out of the water - carbon is cheap but there is not a good way to determine frequency of replacement which is dependent on volume of water that pass through it.
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There are two types of ro system - home water purification - these sometime have a cartidge that re-add minerals and you would have to remove that - then there are ro system for fishes that have usually 3 or 4 filters - carbon, sediment and 1 or 2 ro membrane (depending on rate).
These systems can be a little painful because it takes a bit to produce water usually in the range of 200 liter per day to 1200 liter per day so they are dripping water out and you need to collect that water..... and not allow it to overflow (which would make a nice mess).
There are systems for collecting the water but they add more cost and take space.
You could ask your fish-store about it and for recommendations if you want to go that route but people like to over simplify things.
ambrosia04
Fish Crazy
It'd be more time effective for me to buy the RO water from them ngl.
I'm going to buy and test distilled water and the bottled one recommended by my LFS. NGL I doubt they add any undisclosed additives as that's highly illegal in the EU
Hey!
You're doing a nice job trying to figure things out for your fish and shrimps.
I want to encourage you that your shrimps may do well molting even in as soft water as GHd 5 and KHd 3. So don't be easily worried about your water being suddenly too soft. I have had Neocaridina shrimpts few years now and they seem ok, though I've been thinking if I need to harden the water somehow.... The shrimps are of differnet sizes so there's some offspring too. There's just no masses of them and I wonder why. Maybe I feed too little? Phosphorus tells me otherwise though. The small ones started showing up after adding a big piece of Java Moss into the aqua.
Anyway, I also have 1 male Honey Gourami, about 12 Green Neon Tetras, one Otocinculs left and Neocaridina yellow striped shrimps. So at least party same as you.
I would though definitely take out the 2 cm coral. Corals I believe do make a difference to water hardenss, especially if it gets to build up. Also, I would check if the soil and gravel and stones are for sure meant for soft water aquariums, or are they maybe leaking minerals, like it's been suggested before.
And lastly. There's alwyas an option to go with the water you get from tap (after threating the water ofcourse), but adjusting the species accordingly. You might even enjoy those species which enjoy harder water, like for example swordtails and black mollys.
You're doing a nice job trying to figure things out for your fish and shrimps.
I want to encourage you that your shrimps may do well molting even in as soft water as GHd 5 and KHd 3. So don't be easily worried about your water being suddenly too soft. I have had Neocaridina shrimpts few years now and they seem ok, though I've been thinking if I need to harden the water somehow.... The shrimps are of differnet sizes so there's some offspring too. There's just no masses of them and I wonder why. Maybe I feed too little? Phosphorus tells me otherwise though. The small ones started showing up after adding a big piece of Java Moss into the aqua.
Anyway, I also have 1 male Honey Gourami, about 12 Green Neon Tetras, one Otocinculs left and Neocaridina yellow striped shrimps. So at least party same as you.
I would though definitely take out the 2 cm coral. Corals I believe do make a difference to water hardenss, especially if it gets to build up. Also, I would check if the soil and gravel and stones are for sure meant for soft water aquariums, or are they maybe leaking minerals, like it's been suggested before.
And lastly. There's alwyas an option to go with the water you get from tap (after threating the water ofcourse), but adjusting the species accordingly. You might even enjoy those species which enjoy harder water, like for example swordtails and black mollys.
ambrosia04
Fish Crazy
Hi! Thanks a lot! ^^
I've been thinking and the coral is not beautiful enough to compensate with the potential damage it can cause lol, I'll take it out this afternoon with my water changes.
I'm buying some cdistilled water today to start lowering the GH and KH little by lttle!
This was my first tank with more knowdledge than "fish go in water" (RIP Goldfish I had for 2 days when I was 7...), but I definetly didn't know as much as I do know!
My next tank will definetly be bigger and according to my temp and hardness conditions! I'm looking forward to it! (I saw a 179€ second hand 240L aquarium, more than double my current one... so I'll keep that in mind hehehe
)Nice! 
Just a thought. I've been tempted with a bigger tank dreams too every now and then, but then I calm myself down and think.... bigger is not necessarily better. Harder to reach to the bottom too maybe for proper cleaning and planting. Also water change is a much bigger task, meaning many buckets of water transported between livingroom and bathroom, with maybe floor material that doesn't like moisture that much (at least at my place). So yea well kept and well thought of smaller tank that is managed regularily and with love can be as much joy as a bigger tank. So I tell myself!
Just a thought. I've been tempted with a bigger tank dreams too every now and then, but then I calm myself down and think.... bigger is not necessarily better. Harder to reach to the bottom too maybe for proper cleaning and planting. Also water change is a much bigger task, meaning many buckets of water transported between livingroom and bathroom, with maybe floor material that doesn't like moisture that much (at least at my place). So yea well kept and well thought of smaller tank that is managed regularily and with love can be as much joy as a bigger tank. So I tell myself!
ambrosia04
Fish Crazy
Hmm yeah, I'd have the same problems hahahahahaNice!
Just a thought. I've been tempted with a bigger tank dreams too every now and then, but then I calm myself down and think.... bigger is not necessarily better. Harder to reach to the bottom too maybe for proper cleaning and planting. Also water change is a much bigger task, meaning many buckets of water transported between livingroom and bathroom, with maybe floor material that doesn't like moisture that much (at least at my place). So yea well kept and well thought of smaller tank that is managed regularily and with love can be as much joy as a bigger tank. So I tell myself!
I wanted to make a selfsustaining ecosistem ngl but seems a bit difficult+
Also, just tested my tap water params:
PH 8.5~
KH 5 dKH
GH 8.5 - 9 dGH
i think my tank's so high bc of all the tops off without doing a water change...
today I'm doing one
Naughts
Fish Aficionado
Bigger IS better!!Nice!
Just a thought. I've been tempted with a bigger tank dreams too every now and then, but then I calm myself down and think.... bigger is not necessarily better. Harder to reach to the bottom too maybe for proper cleaning and planting. Also water change is a much bigger task, meaning many buckets of water transported between livingroom and bathroom, with maybe floor material that doesn't like moisture that much (at least at my place). So yea well kept and well thought of smaller tank that is managed regularily and with love can be as much joy as a bigger tank. So I tell myself!
A 240l is probably less than 50cm tall so easily accessible if the unit it sits on is not high.
You just need to ditch the buckets and use a hose to siphon and refill - water changes made easy means water changes achieved.
Yea I think the high hardness must be due to the stones and gravel leaching then, since the tap water wasn't so bad. Or the coral.
And that's what I wanted too, to make a system that's independent and strong, but ... as long as we keep adding something (fish food, fertilizers) we also must remove something in the end (extra plant growth and excess waste).
I know big tank can more easily be stable than small, but I battled in making my tiny 54 litre tank as strong as I could by an oversized filter, which is Eheim biopower 160. (It has also gray line options in the box, so don't have to look at red lines in aquarium filter). In the first section is mechanical sponge wrapped in filterfloss to prevent shrimplets from getting into the filter. In the second section of the filter is Eheim Substrat Pro biological filter material and lastly in the small top section is Seachem Purigen in a small net bag- to make the water crystal clear. That has ran for me for extended periods of time with and autofeeder, when I needed to be away from home for a long holiday and water quality remained pretty good. EDIT: but I've also understocked my tank anyway, for more natural look and more space for fish and more stability.
Shrimp protect - filter floss was thick so I cut a fitting piece and ripped it half thinner. Filter intake holes go all around the bottom section.
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Yes and for medical reasons distill water should be pure water as people use it when mixing certain meds.
ambrosia04
Fish Crazy
I was going to buy distilled water from Lidl (Formil brand) but it was for cleaning usage, not for medical purposes. I saw a lab grade one on amazon, so after I try the bottled water I was recommended (only 36 dry residue, compared with the normal 220 is cool), it's used for baby feeding so I doubt it has any additives.
gwand
Fish Aficionado
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I used distilled water for three years and then invested in a RO/DI system.
I think the difference is at least at this time @ambrosia04 has but one small aquarium and you have of course expanded in such. I'm sure if @ambrosia04 goes for 50 large aquarium they will swiftly move to ro/di
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