# urgent!!!! please help



## hellbent72 (Jan 28, 2006)

I have a 65gal discus tank with 2 compact 96 watt lights here is my problem. my tap water is horrible so I am forced to use 100percent r/o water that I add kent r/o right and ph buffer to. what would you recommend I add to the water in order to get the kh/gh and ph in the ranges needed to have a succesful planted tank. I am wanting to use a pressurized co2 setup but I am afraid with how low my water gh/kh is if i use co2 my ph will crash. I have a ph of 6-6.5 and very low gh/kh what can I add to make my water suitable and also has any one heard of driftwood causing high phosphates because I have never had a problem until I put driftwood in my tank and now the phosphates read 10 ppm on my test but from my r/o they read 0- .5. some on told me also that adding crushed coral will help any ideas. any help would be great I would love to have a amazing tank like I see on this forum and I need help please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## anonapersona (Mar 11, 2004)

*what is "horrible" about your water?*

First, what exactly is so bad about your water? maybe if it is just hardness, you can simply add some back. If it has nitrates or phosphates, you can just adjust ferts for that.


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## AaronT (Apr 26, 2004)

A pH of 6.5 is fine to run CO2. What is your KH and GH after reconstituting the water? My KH out of the tap is only 2 degrees and I run CO2 on all of my tanks without any problems.


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## nswhite (Aug 25, 2006)

Ya what is your KH reading at? My tanks are at pH=6.3 and KH=2.0 and thats just about perfect. Let us know what your KH is and we can go from there.


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## nswhite (Aug 25, 2006)

I guess this person didnt want any help. Why make a topic if your not going to follow it?


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## anonapersona (Mar 11, 2004)

*newbie error*



nswhite said:


> I guess this person didnt want any help. Why make a topic if your not going to follow it?


A typical newbie panic attack (been there, done that) where one panics, posts to several boards, then reads something either in an old post or a reply that addresses the question, then either doesn't bother to return to get a reply at any other posts, or forgot what board he posted to.


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## nswhite (Aug 25, 2006)

Ya i figured since they only have one post.


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## freydo (Jan 7, 2006)

however i read the post, i don't see anything "urgent" about it. it just seems they've spent the time to test their water parameters, wondered what it was they were getting, kept going with what they had, read some forums, started panicking, kept going with what they had, panicked some more, asked for help, saw some replies, help and suggestions, took the replies/suggestions/help and kept going with what they were doing before. why reply? their problem was solved.

but will be back panicking because the suggestions/help/replies didn't actually work.

post #2: HELP!!!!!! I TRIED EVERYTHING YOU SUGGESTED BUT NONE OF IT WORKS!!!! WHAT AM I DOING WRONG!!!

and the fact he/she has 3700 plant points with 1 post, and i only have 6750 with 210 posts. totally unfair!


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## hellbent72 (Jan 28, 2006)

*am im still alive my computer crashed and its back on line again*

here is my situation. my setup is a 65 gallon tank with 2 power compact 96 wt 6700k lights 100 lbs eco complete and I am using 100 percent r/o which I add kent r/o right and was adding neutral reagulater till I found out it was a phosphate buffer and I was having algae issues. my water par are ph 6 gh 1 kh 1. what I have been reading is that co2 will lower my already low ph and with my kh/gh as low as it is it will go fast. what can I add back to the water to get the ideal ph gh kh and what are those values. my plans are for a planted discus tank. and also the reason for the straight r/o is my tap water has exstemely high ammonia


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## ed seeley (Dec 1, 2006)

Welcome back!
Well IME you don't need to worry. I use RO water with Kent RO right and d nothing to boost KH. All my tanks, with CO2, DIY CO2, CO2 tablets and no CO2 have 0dKH and 3-4dGH. Soft water fish love it.
If you do want to raise the KH you can add Baking Soda to boost it, but you don't need much. Or I believe you can use a tiny amount of aragonite as a long term source of buffer.


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## nswhite (Aug 25, 2006)

hellbent72 said:


> here is my situation. my setup is a 65 gallon tank with 2 power compact 96 wt 6700k lights 100 lbs eco complete and I am using 100 percent r/o which I add kent r/o right and was adding neutral reagulater till I found out it was a phosphate buffer and I was having algae issues. my water par are ph 6 gh 1 kh 1. what I have been reading is that co2 will lower my already low ph and with my kh/gh as low as it is it will go fast. what can I add back to the water to get the ideal ph gh kh and what are those values. my plans are for a planted discus tank. and also the reason for the straight r/o is my tap water has exstemely high ammonia


Ya welcome back we thought we lost you.  But its fine to use 100% R/O water personally I think you have alot more control over your water peremeters when using R/O water. Since you stopped using the neutral regulater has your readings changed? Well the pH and Kh depends on what kind of fish your keeping but as far as adding co2 I would add it and see what happens. And you can add a little baking soda to bring up the Kh but I'm not sure on how much. I have never used Kent R/O right but I know that Seachem Equilibrium (click below for link) is made for planted tanks. I think you just need to use a different buffer than what you are using. http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsUS/ctl3684/cp18581/si1380529/cl0/seachemequilibrium600grams


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