AF Aquaforest Perfect Water - not so perfect??!?

[MissMolly]

Hi, so I have recently set up my sw tank and since I don't have access to RO water and didn't mind the extra cost I opted for AF Perfect Water. Since i believed the label, I didn't do much reseacrh on parameters of this water. When I started testing my tank I was surprised to find a low alkalinity on 7-73. knowing I should aim for 8. I have Caribsea live special grade and dead rock. THEN I research this AF water and finds out that alkanlinity is only 7.3 dkh!!!!

Why on earth would they make perfect water not perfect? Or am I missing something here?

NExt question: I have already bought 40 liters more of this stuff and it's expensive. Can I continue with this low alkalinity? Will the lifestock tolerate this? This tank will not have corals. I really really don't want to start playing with kalkwasser and what not.

Hope you can help!

 

[Cell]

Some hobbyists prefer lower alk and many will adjust alk to their desired level. A lower starting pt allows more flexibility for the user. Nothing a little baking soda can't solve! Natural seawater is like 6-8 so it mimics that

 

[fishface NJ]

I run a SPS dominant tank at 7.0 - 7.3

 

[MissMolly]

Some hobbyists prefer lower alk and many will adjust alk to their desired level. A lower starting pt allows more flexibility for the user. Nothing a little baking soda can't solve! Natural seawater is like 6-8 so it mimics that

Thank you for responding!

Ah I see. That's a comfort! I had the understanding that it should always be around 8. Then I should be able to just continue with this right?

I top off with very clean, tested local springwater that I run for a couple of days with activated carbon. If I were to raise the alkalinity, could I add baking soda to the top off water instead of the Perfect water? I top off everyday. Currently waiting for a system for this but manually works okay so far.

 

[MissMolly]

I run a SPS dominant tank at 7.0 - 7.3

Thank you for responding! This is comforting to hear. So apparantly I have misundertood the whole "around 8" thing. I'm not aiming for corals, maybe a softie in the long run but I plan on a single fish or two, multiple shrimps, and two clams. Do you think that the 7-7.3 would work for this in the long run?

 

[Seansea]

Natural sea water is like 7.3. People say 8 to give a little buffer zone up or down. If you sit at 7 and let it drift down could end up at 6 or lower quickly which isnt good. If you are at 8 and drift down you are at 7 whichnisnt horrible and gives you time to bring back up.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I top off with very clean, tested local springwater that I run for a couple of days with activated carbon.

Why not just buy distilled water from the grocery store? Its just as good as rodi water, certainly much better than springwater which usually is full of minerals. The best option of course is a rodi unit, but distilled is the next best thing.

 

[GlassMunky]

if youre not keeping corals then the alkalinity doesnt really matter.
if youre doing a fish only tank, just worry about temp and saliniity and ph

 

[Cell]

People run anything from like 7-12. There may be some other factors to consider when running at the high or low end of acceptable alk range though so make sure you research first if you want to target those levels. The main thing is picking a target level and maintaining it without swings.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Natural sea water is like 7.3. People say 8 to give a little buffer zone up or down. If you sit at 7 and let it drift down could end up at 6 or lower quickly which isnt good. If you are at 8 and drift down you are at 7 whichnisnt horrible and gives you time to bring back up.

FWIW, natural seawater at 35 ppt has an alkalinity around 6.5 dKH.

 

[MissMolly]

FWIW, natural seawater at 35 ppt has an alkalinity around 6.5 dKH.

Thank you Randy. Not to question you but I just can't find any sources for that. Everywhere i look it says that average pH for sea water is 8.2 but can range between 7.5 and 8.5 depending on the local conditions.

 

[MissMolly]

People run anything from like 7-12. There may be some other factors to consider when running at the high or low end of acceptable alk range though so make sure you research first if you want to target those levels. The main thing is picking a target level and maintaining it without swings.

Thank you, that's helpful. It seems that neither fish, shrimps or macro algae in my tank is unhappy with the low PH so I guess my job is to maintain that exact level and not worry too much about getting it up.

 

[Potatohead]

Thank you Randy. Not to question you but I just can't find any sources for that. Everywhere i look it says that average pH for sea water is 8.2 but can range between 7.5 and 8.5 depending on the local conditions.

pH and alkalinity are not the same thing

pH in the ocean around reef areas is typically in the low 8's. Alkalinity in those same areas is typically around 7.

 

[MissMolly]

if youre not keeping corals then the alkalinity doesnt really matter.
if youre doing a fish only tank, just worry about temp and saliniity and ph

Yeah I keep fish, shrimps and macro algea in my display tank and they are allright, so I guess the Perfect water is fine so far for me.

 

[CasperOe]

I don't quite understand this product.. maybe I'm daft, but why not just buy RODI and salt and mix it yourself? It seems like a rip off for sure coming from a man who really likes AF products..

 

[MissMolly]

Why not just buy distilled water from the grocery store? Its just as good as rodi water, certainly much better than springwater which usually is full of minerals. The best option of course is a rodi unit, but distilled is the next best thing.

Hi Mojo, Honestly because as I explained earlier I wanted to avoid adjusting on PH now that both the perfect water and my spring water is around 7.3. It has been so so much work (and I love it no doubt) with the tank since it's my first but I just couldn't comprehend more. The learning curve has been steep! But as I have also come to realize I need a ATO system and with that I think that I will look into the top off water again.

BTW my LFS runs all of their tanks on unfiltered tap water. Right off the tap. And has been doing so for years. Corals and all look amazing. So I guess it's possible

 

[MissMolly]

I don't quite understand this product.. maybe I'm daft, but why not just buy RODI and salt and mix it yourself? It seems like a rip off for sure coming from a man who really likes AF products..

Hi, I don't have acces to RODI water Live in an apartment that is not mine and it's not possible to install. My LFS runs tanks on tap water so I can't buy from them

 

[MissMolly]

But yeah for sure a rip off I agree But before I embarked on this lil journey I knew the cost and to me it was either that or no marine tank. In that way it's worth the money for me.

 

[jda]

If you are in this long enough you will find that nobody makes perfect water for you. You can either pick a salt an live with it, or just figure out how to make it your own.

I figured out how to doctor up IO about 15 years ago and it only takes me a few seconds with some hardware-store materials to make it the way that I want it. It only takes one time with the math and hard work and then you just repeat.

Mixing salt in your own home automatically adjusts the pH. The co2 in your home will mostly determine the pH of your water, so when you mix it at home the mixing bin usually matches the tank unless one is in a room with vastly different co2.

You can buy an adapter to run a RO unit out of your kitchen or bath sink. Even a simple unit with a few stages is much better than tap water. A camping container with 7 to 10 gallons is easy to store and keep even in a small space.

 

[MissMolly]

If you are in this long enough you will find that nobody makes perfect water for you. You can either pick a salt an live with it, or just figure out how to make it your own.

I figured out how to doctor up IO about 15 years ago and it only takes me a few seconds with some hardware-store materials to make it the way that I want it. It only takes one time with the math and hard work and then you just repeat.

Mixing salt in your own home automatically adjusts the pH. The co2 in your home will mostly determine the pH of your water, so when you mix it at home the mixing bin usually matches the tank unless one is in a room with vastly different co2.

You can buy an adapter to run a RO unit out of your kitchen or bath sink. Even a simple unit with a few stages is much better than tap water. A camping container with 7 to 10 gallons is easy to store and keep even in a small space.

Thank you for replying. Even though some like my LFS use TW I would never use tap water or any other water than commercial "perfect" water" or RODI for a whole tank/ water changes. It's not possible for me to have a RO installed so it will always be out of the question as long as I live in this exact place.

I do appreciate your explanation about salt, PH and co2. I did not know that!