Are Trace Elements Really Necessary?

[kayvon77]

Hi,

I have a Discus tank which I added my first three Discuses a few days ago. I have been doing water changes with RO filtered water for some time now to bring my initially tap water filled Aquarium to a PH reading of 7.0 - 7.1. I also have Conductivity and PH meter setup on my tank.

Ever since I started using RO meter I've been able to reduce my GH reading to about 100 microsienems (us), but then it slowly creeps up with additional feedings , until I change the water when it hits around 300 microsieneme. Then it drops to about 100 to 150. I do about 30% water change every week.

I have never needed to add any trace elements like Kents RO right or Discus Trace, as my GH reading has been in acceptable range with my PH pretty stable (7.0 - 7.1) .

My questions is this: Do I still need to add Trace Elements to my Aquarium water to bring up the hardness? If not, will I be depriving my Discus from essential trace elements? I have read different schools of thought and I don't know what to go by for my Discuses well being.

Thanks in advance for your feedback.

Kayvon

[Hollowman]

I would up your water change frequency, 30% a week is not enough, this is showing by the big leap in conductivity. At 100 microsiemens you should be getting a lower PH imo. If you are just keeping the fish, as opposed to breeding them I would aim for a reading of 200 to 250 uS. If you use pure RO and re-mineralising salts to get your reading, or to achieve 100-150uS then why dont you tap off of your RO unit after the pre-filters and remineralise using this water. It will save you lots of money, and give you the minerals that you need to give the fish a healthy life.

hth

Hollowman

[kayvon77]

Hollowman, thanks for the advice. I actually don't add anything to my RO water. Once it makes it into my tank it achieves a uS reading of about 100 to 150. I was actually gonna wait until the conductivity reaches about 350 before doing a water change or every week, whichever comes first. Then the reading will drop to about 150 to 200 when I finish doing the water change. Having said this, do you still suggest more frequent water changes?

I don't know why my PH is so high either. I have a planted tank with a few Driftwood with plain gravel. Nothing strikes me as a factor in the higher than usual PH.

[Hollowman]

Hi K,

I wouls suggest that your RO system is not working to it's best. You should be getting a reading of between 0 and say, 10 uS out of your product water. How often do you flush your membrane? Generally, you should flush for a few minutes after each use. I flush for about 3 minutes after producing 20gallons of product, every other day.

Adding just neat RO might lead to problems, and can cause a ph crash, the fact that your product water is still very hard (due to the fact that your RO system is not working efficiently) might be saving you..for now. Also the fact that you are relying on a planted tank and rising conductivity is not a good thing to do. It should be stable.
All sorts of things can make your conductivity rise, your gravel, food etc. How often are you cleaning your gravel?
I would try to sort out the problem with the RO first, then look at better husbandry and increasing the frequency of water changes. This will give a far more stable system and happier fish.
hth

Hollowman :)

[kayvon77]

Thanks for the tip Hollo, I actually went ahead and tested the RO water right out of the barrel and it is registering 0. So I guess it must be something in my tank that causes it to start initially at 150. As I mentioned before, it just keeps rising from there with subsquent feedings and aging of the water.

I also just bought my RO system a month ago, so I'm unfamiliar with the whole flushing of the system. How would I flush the system? Is there a way I can find out the procedures for this, cause I didn't see it in any of the documentation that came with my RO unit.

I am also suspecting that my gravel may be a contributing factor as I had a Saltwater Fish tank from years before which I just setup as Freshwater using the same gravel. I made sure to flush the gravel through so to gid rid of any residuals from my salt water setup. I also have a couple stones (very small) and few small shells lying on top of my gravel for decoration. I wouldn't imagine they would have anything to do with the rising conductivity?

Thanks for all your insights.

[Hollowman]

Hi K,

Take a look at this, I took it from the RO-Man website. It shows the flush kit added to the system.

hth

Hollowman