I am looking to buy an RO filter, can i just add newly filtered water to my tank when doing a water change. I thought i read something about oxygen lacking in this water.

I dont know why, but this whole water quality stuff scares me enough to reconsider keeping discus.

But they are stunning, which is why i am trying to get my head round it all.

you can make up enough for a couple water changes,store in food grade jerry cans,when ready for water change simply add either a powerhead or air pump/stone over night then the water should be ok for use

__________________
WHO'S YA DADDY

Sorry Tel but it is not quite that simple,the RO water is too pure and needs to be mixed with ordinary water,this is easy,but if you are using RO for freshwater fish get a TDS meter to measure how much water to mix in.Neilfrs do you know the water parameters of your tap water.

i have no idea, i know the tank is currently at PH 7 and 0 nitrate, nitrite and is not very hard water, but i cannot say for sure right now. I will test all the water though and reply again.

I just think it all sounds very confusing.

Cheers

so let me get this right,you use RO for discus but have to add tap water cos RO is too pure? is that right ray? dont see the point then myself! what about HDA? would that be better?

__________________
WHO'S YA DADDY

neil
if your tap water is good it may be a case of just using a HMA filter!
RO is needed for breeding and also helps to keep nitrates very low!

i use Ro mixed with declorinated Tapwater ( tap water is to buffer the water and help stabalise the PH .
as ray says come back with water parameters from your mains as well as tank.

__________________
(\__/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")♥

whats HDA tel?

HMA = heavy metal filter! and has no waste water.

__________________
(\__/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")♥

that too popey

__________________
WHO'S YA DADDY

the tap water adds just enough to stabalise the Ro water!
Ro alone would alow your PH to crash and be unstable as there is no KH carbonated hardness.

you can replace the second pod (Carbon filter)of a RO unit with a CBR2 or HMA filter then T off a tube before the RO membrain ...............use this pre ro water to mix with the RO water for best results!

Im about to purchase a hma cartridge £17 and possably a replacement filter housing £13and put this on my RO filter.there again thats almost the cost of a 2 pod HMA compleatat about £45

i will see

__________________
(\__/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")♥

Ok RO water is very pure water,and is not suitable for anything to live in,it is also very unstable and will grab any compounds in comes in contact with,so you need to mix this with a more stable and balanced water source,most do this with an HMA wich is a nickname it means heavy metal axe,it consists of a micron pre filter and a carbon block reactor,these are typically the first two stages of an RO unit.HMA will remove suspended matter in water and the carbon absorbs heavy metals and chlorine and chloramines.Discus keepers tend to blend the two types of water to acheive the TDS (total dissolved solids) that they want for their fish,but after some extensive reading and trials with different tanks I feel that an HMA is all that most of us need,I have water at 275-300ppm at ph 7.5 which is reasonably hard,and all I am using is HMA,it is now thought by many that lots of good stable clean water is more important than hardness or PH for raising and keeping domestic discus,Francis Hu of Chens Discus wrote a good article on this subject,I think it is on his website.So after all this waffle Tel,yes I think a HMAi s all our new member needs