Primo Ro Water

[draxis]

Grocery store sells "Primo" water 5gallons for $1.20. Is it safe to WC a 55gallon tank 5 gallons a week with this to help soften and better plant growth? Our tap water is 8.5 with a 180 hardness. Hoping this will slowly start helping? Tank runs about 7.8-8.0 due to massive drift wood but would prefer adding softer water instead of spiking the PH and waiting weeks for it to drop again.

 

[levahe]

I don't know anything about that water, but there's no reason why you shouldn't be just doing water changes with your tap water. Plants like hard water and a .5 pH change is nothing at all to worry about. If your plants aren't growing its due to some other reason like not enough fertilisers/co2.
Sometimes tap water comes out of the tap at a lower pH because of dissolved co2, have you tested the pH straight from the tap?

 

[DrRob]

If you do go down the RO route then don't use it neat, maybe a 50/50 split, or remineralised, otherwise you'll eventually run out of some micronutrients for both the fish and plants.

 

[draxis]

If you do go down the RO route then don't use it neat, maybe a 50/50 split, or remineralised, otherwise you'll eventually run out of some micronutrients for both the fish and plants.
 
What does this mean "don't use it neat"

 

[draxis]

I was under the impression that most moss were 5.2-7.5 ph so if my ph is 8.0 the .5 would then be a good improvement.

I understand it may be trial and error but could you only respond if you have solid proof or source to back your statement.

I already went on Google and could not find one negative aspect of using our water during a weekly water change to help remove some of the harsh mineral as well as the hardiness of the water and pH.

I was posting on the forum to see if anybody had any suggestions or had used this in the past. Lower pH would be a huge benefit for my plants and no they do not like hard water. They like moderate pH not 8.0.

 

[DrRob]

Been out for most of the day.
 
RO is pure water, nothing but the water. So used on it's own will eventually leave your tank with an unstable level of hardness (i.e. none) and will remove a source of trace minerals that currently get in in the tap water.
 
I use RO, but cut it with my own mineral mix, some people also split it with ratios of tap water so that they get the desired levels of hardness without removing all minerals from the tank.
 
My reasons are similar to yours, I have water with hardness levels off the scale and nitrates and ammonia hanging on the legal limit due to farming run off locally (I think).

 

[draxis]

Ok so maybe use RO water every other waterchange?  (Every 3 weeks).  I am thinking of a schedule like this...
 
Water Change #1  Week 1 Day 1 - 5 Gallons of 55 Gallons - RO Water
Water Change #2 Week 3 Day 1 - 11 Gallons of 55 Gallons - Tap Water
Water Change #3 Week 6 Day 1 - 5 or 10 Gallons of 55 Gallons - RO Water
 
Rinse repeat.
 
That way every 3 weeks, 20-30% will be Tap Water and when I use RO Water I will alway use 10-15% (Less then my traditional TAP Water change).  It will at least HELP combat the pH but not completly remove the Tap Water or be the sole source of water... just a minor 5-10%.

 

[DrRob]

That'd work.
 
I always go for a mix if I'm going that way, personally I mix my own chemical brew to get exactly the chemistry I want, but that adds more cost and complexity again.

 

[draxis]

Yeah I would rather just do a little RO here and there to help with everything but if I only do a little, sure it wont help as much but it sure wont hurt or require complexity like you are stating.  If you do a little you dont need to really worry about mixing chemicals, its just 5-10% of your tank is 'pure' and low pH which will help balance the other 90% slightly.  May only see a 0.2-0.5 pH change depending how much I use or change with, but thats a lot for me.  10lb of driftwood gives me 0.1 pH in 2-3 months; so losing even 0.2 is the same as adding 20lb of driftwood and waiting 2 months.

 

[draxis]

Per a professional water analysis/surveyor they said using this helps also reduce on evaporation. Granted 50% of your tank would have to be RO water but interesting fact.