ErtyJr
Active Member
- Messages
- 245
- Location
- Philadelphia, PA
Hey guys,
so I'm just starting to get into dealing with TDS and understanding it. Up untill now I have always used PH/GH/KH as a measurement untill I found out how important TDS is and how it can differ from what you would expect.
So anyways, I always get buckets of RO on Sunday morning, and I use the majority on sunday doing large water changes on all my tanks. I save 3 buckets though, and throughout the week, I do 15-25% water changes with pure RO into my "blackwater" tank daily. This tank holds my WC breeding pair of A. sp. abavaxis. I have blackwater in quotes as it is very lightly blackwater, seeing as how I change the water so often.
Now here is my question. When I get my RO it is generally 10-20 TDS, but today is Tuesday, and I measured my RO, it is reading 250 TDS! And the even more odd thing, my blackwater tank which gets a pure RO water change daily, 15-25% has a reading of 110 TDS. How is this RO water shooting up so high while in a bucket with a lid, and then dropping back down when in a light blackwater tank filled with tannins?
Also in blackwater, what is a good tds to aim for when breeding apistogramma that require soft water? In this tank my A. sp. abacaxis female is currently guarding wrigglers. Unsure as to how many as they are inside a log I can not look into, but I assume they are wrigglers now as she has been guarding them 4 days now.
so I'm just starting to get into dealing with TDS and understanding it. Up untill now I have always used PH/GH/KH as a measurement untill I found out how important TDS is and how it can differ from what you would expect.
So anyways, I always get buckets of RO on Sunday morning, and I use the majority on sunday doing large water changes on all my tanks. I save 3 buckets though, and throughout the week, I do 15-25% water changes with pure RO into my "blackwater" tank daily. This tank holds my WC breeding pair of A. sp. abavaxis. I have blackwater in quotes as it is very lightly blackwater, seeing as how I change the water so often.
Now here is my question. When I get my RO it is generally 10-20 TDS, but today is Tuesday, and I measured my RO, it is reading 250 TDS! And the even more odd thing, my blackwater tank which gets a pure RO water change daily, 15-25% has a reading of 110 TDS. How is this RO water shooting up so high while in a bucket with a lid, and then dropping back down when in a light blackwater tank filled with tannins?
Also in blackwater, what is a good tds to aim for when breeding apistogramma that require soft water? In this tank my A. sp. abacaxis female is currently guarding wrigglers. Unsure as to how many as they are inside a log I can not look into, but I assume they are wrigglers now as she has been guarding them 4 days now.