need help with acro

[Harold Green]

Sounds like everyones giving you great advice but I was wondering why you split up your lighting rather than run it for eight or more hours continously. You didn't mention what else you have in the tank and how it's doing. Are you adding anything to your top up water to raise alk. My ro water is lower than I want to use so I add kalk to it to actually raise it above the tank level that I maintain so it doesn't lower the alk as the ato adds water to the tank.

 

[yarddoctor123]

I'm sorry. I don't quite understand why RO water coming from an automatic top off system would change or even significantly affect alkalinity. Please explain?

 

[yarddoctor123]

Oops I assumed it was ..

 

[yarddoctor123]

It was RODI water from an ATO. But I'm still scratching my head over here..

 

[Harold Green]

Test the ph and alk of your ro water. If it's below the levels you want in the tank then every time it tops up it's going to lower ph/alk. Your salt mix is buffered to give a certain ph when it's mixed with pure water and that can be above the levels in the water.

 

[evolved]

pH of RODI can't be reliably tested, nor is it important for top off.

 

[Harold Green]

Evolved, you're absolutely right to a point. My ro water is in an open tub and picks up co2 which makes it acidic. Between 5 and 7 and it is measurable. It might actually have little effect on tank ph but the goal is to raise tank ph with the ato. I add kalk water until I get the ph I want. If I kept the ro water in a sealed container you would be right.