Water Hardness: Expetations

[CaptnDan]

My affiliation with the clean water business is really two-fold. My regular job is as a field service technician for a rather large company that does home and commercial purification. The other tech in my office and I also take care of the 'special needs' clients that don't fit the company's pigeon holes on our own as a little two-man operation on the side.

Since the industry I am in is rather controversial at times, I am not going to mention the name here for fear it may be disruptive to the board. I like it here, and there is enough disruption with me adding to it... Well, not any more than I already do. LOL

I was under the impression that you had just prdered or just received your system. Sorry 'bout that. Good coffee though, eh?

Since hardness is a pretty general term, a lot of the things that were adding hardness were probably affecting your pH weren't they? That's another variable of course, depending on your source water. Most people don't think their water is hard because they get suds from soap. Of course the fact that most soaps (excluding Ivory) are loaded with water softening agents assures the suds. We fishkeepers are among the few who ever give it a second thought.

Man, I feel your pain on the RO Right. You go to all this effort to have sift water, then make it hard... Ah, it happens. Look at it this way, maybe the fish will think the gradual change is a sign they should spawn or something.

Is the pH monitor the type that has the plug in, easy change probe? Something else to consider - without all the contaminants in the water, it may last longer... IME most things like that do anyway.

Nice setup you have there though. This hobby is a heck of a lot easier when you have less variables to worry about...

Dan

 

[shoe]

Oddly enough, the thought of spawning caused by the changes in water conditions DID cross my mind

I've been pimping my water for about a week and down to a comfortable 200 µS, which using this chart [ 33 µS=17.9 ppm=1dH ] places me at our around a general hardness of 6, of just plain soft

Also this weekend I got me Eheim Pro II up and running after around 6 months of inactivity as I had a leak/bubbling issue that still causes me a tad of grief but working... Pretty odd but seems the unit uses gravity to create a lock tight seal between the head and the canister where, if the tank and filter are on the same level, you get a bubbling effect as though the propeller is pulling in air through the rubber gasket... When the intake and output are elevated appropriately (ie, 5-6 feet above the unit, in the tank), the bubbling effect goes away as though the weight the internal pressure in the canister is greater then the propellers ability to suck air though the gasket. Just plain weird.

I also slapped on some o-rings I picked up at Home Depot to replace the OEM rings that Eheim provided as replacements. Both the original and the OEM replacements leaked to the point of allowing bubbles to enter the unit if too much pressure was applied to the quick release mechanism. The rings I bought at HD were of a slightly smaller diameter but seemingly larger in rubber density, making up for the smaller size and when installed, provided a fit that the Eheim rings never did... No bubbles/leaks when I apply pressure to the quick release mechanism!

The Carbo Plus seems to get a lot of crud around these parts so I went down to my fav aquaria shop and spoke to the guru that about it. Guy has 5 tanks at his place and one of his tanks, a 130 gallon monster, runs on a Carbo Plus and having seen the pics of it he has on display at the shop, give me a little more confidence regards running it. The tank in question holds Discus and of course (not to be presumptuous), is a soft water tank and it's his belief the Carbo runs better in soft water (in line with commentary I've seen outside of these forums but contrary to some of the commentary I've seen WITHIN these forums).

Anyway, Carbo has a new sandwich design that uses a higher gauge wire and screws to hold carbon plate holder in place. The sandwich is probably twice as heavy as before so it would seem Carbo is responding to market pressures to create a better product. With my water finally in-line and a new sandwich in place, am feeling I'm finally gonna get that floral carpet I been dreaming of

Both the pH and Hardness monitor I picked up were made (or at least sold) by American Marine and yes, the pH monitor has a quick release on the probe making replacements a snap - why does it wear out anyway?

The industry controversial? Like Coca Cola charging an arm/leg for Dasani water because they use a super secret 'special' filtration process? That kills me

Bill