R/O Water (Additives and Buffering)

I am using Kent Marine, R/O Right, to enhance my water! Most of this information I took directly from Kent marine. Some I had to request, and I am sure they won’t mined me putting it here for your reading convenience!

R/O Right Reclaims Natural Water Chemistry (GH) to Purified Water For Cichlid, Discus and Freshwater Aquariums KENT MARINE R/O RIGHT is a concentrated dry formulation of dissolved solids and balanced electrolytes that returns the natural water chemistry to reverse osmosis, distilled or de-ionized water.

 

 

 

 

I paid $ 6.99 at Dr. Foster& Smith’s – Powder 250 g,   CD-524818, for this product.

Material Safety Data Sheet:
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=2060130c02&view=att&th=146d360c9118961d&attid=0.1&disp=inline&safe=1&zw

Reclaims Natural Water Chemistry (GH) to Purified Water For Cichlid, Discus and Freshwater Aquariums

KENT MARINE R/O RIGHT is a concentrated dry formulation of dissolved solids and balanced electrolytes that returns the natural water chemistry to reverse osmosis, distilled or de-ionized water.

Directions
Dissolve the appropriate amount (see chart below) of KENT Marine R/O Right to every 10 gallons of purified water.

( I am trying to get a copy of the chart from KENT marine, the one on the container is to small to read and reproduce here) Got IT!

( It’s still too hard to read and the container is to small to read and reproduce here)

Add during initial tank set-up and when performing water changes.

Use KENT Marine pH Stable to maintain water alkalinity or buffering capacity. Adjust aquarium pH with KENT Marine pH Control Minus or KENT Marine pH Control Plus as necessary.

This is an all in one type product, its has most of the main ingredients as a hand mixed formula and should be easier and cheaper than trying to mix it yourself.

Kent RO Right
CALCIUM CHLORIDE (10043-52-4) < 50
CARBONIC ACID, DISODIUM SALT (497-19-8) < 50
CARBONIC ACID, MAGNESIUM SALT (546-93-0) < 50
CARBONIC ACID, MONOSODIUM SALT (144-55-8) < 50

Kent pH Control Minus:
SODIUM HYDROGEN SULFATE (7681-38-1) < 95
SODIUM SULFATE (7757-82-6) < 95

Kent pH Control Plus:
SODIUM BICARBONATE (144-55-8)
SODIUM CARBONATE (497-19-8)
SODIUM TETRABORATE (1330-43-4)

Kent Marine Aquarium pH Buffer:
SODIUM BICARBONATE (144-55-8)
SODIUM CARBONATE (497-19-8)
SODIUM TETRABORATE (1330-43-4)

Kent pH Stable: 
SODIUM BICARBONATE (144-55-8)
SODIUM CARBONATE (497-19-8)
SODIUM TETRABORATE (1330-43-4)

Kent pH Precise Neutral Controller: 
PHOSPHORIC ACID, DISODIUM SALT (7558-79-4) < 0 – 100
PHOSPHORIC ACID, MONOSODIUM SALT (7558-80-7) < 0 – 100

Kent Marine-C:
Vitamin C supplement

It sates to be used in conjunction with Kent’s pH products, up, down and pH Stabilizer, but would like to know if anyone has used them.

pH Stable Buffer
Neutral Range pH Buffer & Stabilizer For Marine & Freshwater Aquariums
KENT MARINE pH STABLE safely increases the total alkalinity (buffering capacity) to provide a stable pH level in the system. Does not promote algae growth.

Buffers & pH Control

Since fish, coral and other invertebrates are native to different regions throughout the world, the water parameters they thrive in also vary. KENT Marine Buffers and pH Control products help to pin point and maintain proper pH levels for almost any aquarium setting.

Alkalinity, dKH, carbonate hardness are all synonymous with buffering capacity. Buffering capacity is the measure of water alkalinity and helps prevent sudden changes in pH. This should be the first water parameter to monitor before adjusting pH.

pH is the amount of hydrogen and hydroxide dissolved in the water. It is measured on a 14-point scale, where 1 is the most acidic, 14 is the most alkali or basic, and a reading of 7 is neutral. Aquariums have natural, fluctuating pH patterns that are usually lower during the evening and higher during the day. It is important to determine the optimal pH level for the desired aquatic environment. Incorrect levels can cause stress to aquatic life and if left unchecked, biological compounds and overall aquarium health can become toxic. In marine aquariums, the type of calcium supplement being used can also have significant impact on pH. Supplements like Kalkwasser can cause  pH spikes and Liquid Calcium Reactor can increase buffering capacity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

pH Control Plus Basic Range pH Regulator For Marine & Freshwater Aquariums KENT MARINE pH CONTROL PLUS safely increases pH of tap or aquarium water. Works in fresh, alkaline fresh, brackish or saltwater aquariums.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Directions

Directions: First, measure alkalinity (buffering capacity, carbonate hardness, or KH) and adjust to the appropriate level. Next, adjust and raise pH by drawing 3 cups of aquarium water in a separate clean container, add 1/8 teaspoon of KENT Marine pH Control Plus, and mix well. Disperse this amount into the aquarium for every 20 gallons of water. Wait 24 hours for the pH to stabilize and adjust further, as needed.Caution: This is a concentrated product! When in doubt, less is better. It is recommended only to adjust the pH up 0.2 pH per day.When using Reverse Osmosis water or tap water that is very soft (low total or general hardness, or GH), useKENT Marine R/O Right to increase total dissolved solids (GH) to the proper value.To adjust alkalinity (buffering capacity) use KENT Marine Superbuffer-dKH or KENT Marine pH Stable.

pH Control Minus Acidic pH Regulator For Freshwater Aquariums KENT MARINE pH CONTROL MINUS safely lowers aquarium pH. When used in conjunction with KENT Marine pH Stable, it provides a stable, buffered, acidic pH in freshwater systems.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Directions

First, measure alkalinity (buffering capacity, carbonate hardness, or KH) and adjust to the appropriate level. Next, adjust and lower pH by drawing 3 cups of aquarium water in a separate clean container, add 1/8 teaspoon of KENT Marine pH Control Minus, and mix well. Disperse this amount into the aquarium for every 20 gallons of water. Wait 24 hours for the pH to stabilize and adjust further, as needed. Caution: This is a concentrated product! When in doubt, less is better. It is recommended only to adjust the pH down 0.2 pH per day.If your water is hard and alkaline, larger doses may be required. If alkalinity is low (soft water), pH can be unstable, and crash. To adjust alkalinity, use KENT Marine pH Stable.When using reverse osmosis water or tap water that is very soft (low total or general hardness, or GH), use KENT Marine R/O Right to increase total dissolved solids (GH) to the proper value.

 

 

“DIY Building Your Own RO System to Save Money” Part 2

Well I have completed my R/O System! I was not bad considering I haven’t installed one for many, many years.  I have also plumbed it into my main water distribution system so I can either do water changes with regular filtered hard water or “Soft Water” from the R/O. Here is the current configuration of my R/O System. If you have any questions just email me at rcbows@gmail.com. I will answer them to the best of my ability! Ron

R/O System

R/O Storage Tanks

R/O Prefilter

TDS Meter

TDS Input Sensor

TDS Output Sensor

TDS Schematic by R.Bows

R/O Membranes #1 & #2

R/O Auto Shut-off Valve

R/O Sampling Valve (2) Flow Restricters (1) one for Each Membrane

Hard Water & Soft Water Post Filter

R/O Hard Water Bypass Valves

R/O On OFF Valve (Blue Handle)

Recap R/O System Schematic . JPEG by Ron Bows

Complete R/O System

 

 

 

“Poll Results” Posted”

Info gathered from the TBA(Tampa Bay Aquarium Society) forum members, blog followers and search engine links!

“Tropical Fish Survey & Poll”

“Tropical Fish Survey & Poll”.

“pH” Gone Flukey!

I bought some “Apistogamas” at the TBA auction on Monday the 14th.  It was an impulse buy, because I don’t know much about Apisto’s, but I started reading up on them and it said the first thing is the pH of the water.  So I got out my pH meter and started checking  tank water,  which I neglect to do very often. The last time I checked it was ok , in the 7+ range in most tanks. The municipal water supply that I get my water from must have changed the water treatment or something cause the incoming pH was 6.2.  That would explain why some of the tank reading were 4.3 and why fish were dying slowly from to low a pH.

Today it was below 7 in the 5.5 to 6.5 range. Now I know that’s alright for something like Angelfish, Rams, and “Apistos”, but my Mollys, Goodeids and other livebearers need hard water.  Catfish are more tolerant of water fluctuations than Livebearers. I immediately looked up how to increase the pH and most places said to add “Crushed Coral” to the water! Darn how was I going to do that when I have somewhere in the 89 tank range. All tanks are individual species tanks and are not connected with a central water change system or water recirculating system as yet.

I decided to put (2) bags of crushed coral in to my water storage tank. (see Below) I use this tank to “degas” the water to remove excess nitrogen and allow any other dissolved gases to escape before I use it for water changes. I also heat the water to a normal temp in the winter using a 100 W Quartz heater in the tank. I then gravity feed the water to a distribution manifold with drops located at various placed around the room so I can reach all tanks.  I thought I had all the bases covered with my water supply, but as you well know water can vary from one season to another. I think I will set up a rainwater collection system, maybe that will help resolve the problem. Anyways………—>

I bought (2) bags of Carib Sea Geo-Marine, Florida Crushed Coral, (10) lbs. each. I rinsed it as to the directions on the bag but it was just a little bit more than “Prewashed only minimal rinsing required” as stated on the bag. If I hadn’t kept washing it until the water came clear I would have had “Milky” water in my tank. I checked the pH in the tank after adding to “crushed Coral”, and it read 7.1 pH so I assumed that it would work. I think the added minerals will help my livebearers. They seemed to stop spawning and I was wondering why.

 

Carib Sea Geo-Marine, Florida Crushed Coral, (10) lbs.

“Water Storage Tank”

We will see what the results of doing this will be, in a future or followup post!

Ron

Update 05-03-2014

Checked the pH in several tanks and the incoming water. I got readings of 7.1 up to 8.4. Hooray it worked! Don’t know why the incoming water was back to normal but my tanks are where they should be. Just don’t know what I will do when the Apistogramma Cichlids are ready to breed! They need below 6 ph at that time. I do have some “black Water extract” on its way.

Ron