Redorated

[BanjoFish]

Small Redoraction

• BanjoFish
• Apr 3, 2026

Added some Java Fern and a Moss tunnel. Transferring from tap water to 100% RO water.

 

[10 Tanks]

Hello. I'm interested in how your plants live in water that lacks minerals and trace elements. Fish are also going to need those same water nutrients. Normal biological filtration requires carbonates (kH) in the water to process nitrogen wastes which RO lacks. Nice tank. You've apparently figured out everything.

10

 

[BanjoFish]

Hello. I'm interested in how your plants live in water that lacks minerals and trace elements. Fish are also going to need those same water nutrients. Normal biological filtration requires carbonates (kH) in the water to process nitrogen wastes which RO lacks. Nice tank. You've apparently figured out everything.

10

I haven't yet fully changed over.

As for remineralisation. I'll be using SalyShrimp.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

The bacteria can also use CO2. What they need is inorganic carbon, so they can use carbonates and bicarbonates as well.

 

[BanjoFish]

What do you mean by co2!

 

[SammyTargo]

What do you mean by co2!

You can use a CO2 pump (or other injection methods) to basically put your plants on steroids (not in a bad way)... I was never a fan, but it is extremely effective (and expensive, hence my issue).

It doesn't harm fish, only really affects the plants and how they grow, behave, colour up, and the sort. If you are going the route of CO2, do not get liquid CO2, it is snake oil... Just get the pump and go all the way.

What @TwoTankAmin was talking about is how the beneficial bacteria also exchange gases with other forms of the element carbon (other than its atom form). This will range from carbonic acids, to carbonate, and carbon dioxide (don't quote me on this, I am only partially educated in this file cabinet). A filter will suffice to give the proper amounts of gases into the water such as oxygenation and presumably "carbon dioxide-ination."

As a general note to the OP (unrelated to my reply to your CO2 question), it is strongly recommended against using completely flat RO water for a whole tank. Most people who want to lower their pH resort to using 15-30% RO if they have the resources. I have an RO filter in my home, but it is remineralized and therefore also has a more alkaline property. This is bad as I specialize in south american stuff. The last thing I would do when changing water setups is to strip the tank (and it's inhabitants!!) of the water they are used to already in your tank, and swap it out completely for RO, and then barraging your tank with a buttload of buffer-ups/downs and parameter changers that are just chemical snake oil in a bottle. This is bad for the reason I listed above, and that the fundamental rule is that you should never substitute a slightly-improper pH for a pH that swings on the ends of the proper zone. The fish will suffer/die from exposure, stress and a repeated battering of osmotic shock.

May as well slowly adjust your parameters as you please using careful and slow adjustments. For lowering pH and hardness, this can be implementing a small amount of RO water during each water change, or using botanicals/peat, or just letting the plants slowly bring it down. For raising it, using safer, slower-acting products are fine but be select and be patient instead of swinging your tank's parameters.

Happy fishkeeping!!