Will regular WC prevent high LDS?

It will be easier to keep the pH lower in a tank with softer water because the water will have less buffers. Remember that removing the minerals doesn't automatically make the water more acidic...it just removes the buffering capacity. Thus, more natural methods will keep the tank on the slightly acidic side...such as the acids released from decaying waste, etc. Just remember that softer water can start swinging in pH more easily than hard water, so keep an eye on it (which I think you're prob really used to by now)

*Edit* I should note that the longer "pure" water (like double distilled water), which will have an almost unmeasurable level of hardness and a pH of ~7, sits exposed to normal air the more the pH will drop due to CO2 absorption.
 
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exactly my point. There are other way's do do it besides buffers and what-not.

Yeah, I'm staying on top of it. The hard water from my taps runs VERY HARD, and it makes it pretty tricky to get the pH away from 8.2 or higher.

I'm of the opinion, and correct me if I'm wrong, that with the addition of RO/DI water in conjunction with CO2, my water chemistry will change without all the added hassle and concerns that go hand in hand with add-in chemicals. Of course there will be NEW hassles and demands for me to take care of, but that's the beauty of an aquarium....always something to do.....:)

As far as keeping my discus in rock-hard tap water with a pH around 8, why not throw some africans in there too? They'd love it!
I got em from the petstore at 6.5, they now live in 6.8 to 7.0 and thats where it's gonna stay. I know that most any fish will LIVE in water of most any quality, but I want mine to be as close to a natural wild environment as I can possibly get it.
Call me difficult....call me hard-headed....whatever. My fish were born in lo-pH acidic water and they will grow old and die in it if I have anthing to say about it.
 
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Here are a few posts that addressed this before. Again I'm not completely sure on all the specifics, but I'm pretty sure that changing your Ph with CO2 and changing it with a chemical results in two different things happening.
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=102271&highlight=CO2

"CO2 is added for only one reason: to increase plant growth, so to fertilize the plant. This increases growth rates about 10X.

Adding it will lower pH. But that is not the same as pH lowered by peat, or by reducing KH, these are total different and way too many folks, even ones that have kept plants for awhile mix up and confuse.

Adding CO2 and dropping or raising pH say 1 full unit in a few minutes has no discernable impact on fish health etc. Folks do this every week when they do a large water change on their CO2 enriched tanks with tap which has about 1 full unit higher in most cases that of the tank with the CO2.

We'd have lots of dead fish if that was issues

Repeat that with baking soda to raise the pH up one full unit= dead fish.
CO2 is not a salt, it's just a gas like O2.

Adding CO2 has no impact on GH other than being nutrients for plants and the plants tasking up the Ca and Mg for growth 10x faster than normal.

DIY cO2 can be an issue getting stable levels, I have a small DIY reactor that should make your CO2 work well. Depends on your tank size though but is self leveling and one CO2 DIY yeast bottle per 20 gal works out just right.
Even at high light.

There are many sites addressing DIY CO2 doa google search.

Regards,
Tom Barr"
 
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"Remember that removing the minerals doesn't automatically make the water more acidic...it just removes the buffering capacity."

I should note that I currently have around 20lb's of driftwood, plus I run peat in my filter.
 
Sammie7 said:
Here are a few posts that addressed this before. Again I'm not completely sure on all the specifics, but I'm pretty sure that changing your Ph with CO2 and changing it with a chemical results in two different things happening.
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=102271&highlight=CO2
Click to expand...

I'm not arguing that...I don't think that co2 is the pH fix. Like I said before, I'm only using these things as a quick replacement for a less stressful way to go about water quality maintenance.
I understand your point. Ph Changes from a co2 bubble is different than actually turning my water acidic like these buffers etc. do.

I don't think you actually understand mine tho'. Like I said before, somebody tell me if I'm wrong when I say that I can use a co2 system in conjunction with RO/DI W/C's (properly aged and treated) to do the same thing. With the addition of my peat, doesn't that about work out to the same thing? Just in a different way, and without having to add bulk chemicals?

I appreciate your efforts in learning me, and hope you don't take these replies the wrong way...:)
 
Yes the driftwood and peat will assist in naturally lowering the pH. The buffering capacity comment is really just to make sure people understand how pH and water hardness is linked, but not always representative of each other.
 
I think that I should have explained my question better. heh heh. I understand what SJ is saying, but didn't really consider the fact that my question was on the newbie forum and any reply to it would be therefore be answered as if the person asking was completely without knowledge.

I have peat moss...enough to last me a loooong time. I also have tannin leaking woods that honestly probably take up too much space in there. My question was basically about how much of a difference the dissolved solids from these commercial products makes when adding them at such a great rate. ie, I have a 96g tank, do a lot of w/c's and have to replace with this stuff everytime.

I didn't mean to imply that you could just change your pH with a simple co2 bottle, but rather made the mistake of not fully laying out my plans in a forum that is geared for those who are really clueless and need the help.

With the aid of peat, cleaned and treated water, and cO2 I will be able to keep my tank at a comfortable and natural level for my fish. Am I wrong in this statement?

thanks for all the input.
 
Every month.

What exactly is the life of it when used in aquaria? I've heard anywhere from a month to 3 months....I say better safe than sorry, and just replace with my monthly filter maintenance.

I also keep a nice sized bag in the tank behind some wood and plants.
 
Well if I understand your question correctly...

The difference that the chemicals are making is enough to override the "natural buffer" of your tap. Aquariums with unchanged water almost always start to slide towards the acidic side of the scale because of the acidic nature of fish and bacteria waste. Exactly how MUCH of a difference the chemicals themselves are making would be hard to measure without knowing exactly how much acid the bogwood, peat, waste products, etc produced.

Depending on how much RO water you use, and what your water change schedule is you may not even need the peat or driftwood, but I would suggest being cautious and try to keep the water "hardness" in a nice medium range to both keep a nice mineral content available and keep chance of a pH crash minimalized. Which means keeping the driftwood and/or peat. It may take some trial and error work to get everything balanced perfectly...hence why I suggested keeping a very close eye on your pH.

One thing I would like to point out is...you may want to consider the change in osmotic pressure that will occur in your tank when you lower the hardness and stop adding all the chemicals. I guess the analogy would be something similar to...taking someone who is used to living in a desert (i.e. someone who is used to having the moisture absorbed from their skin and the body produces more oils to compensate) and dropping them into the rainforest (yikes now you're oily AND sweaty). Both places can be hot, but the difference may be uncomfortable for a little while until your body adjusts. Remember that your fishes bodies are used to a certain amount of "stuff" in the water, and so it may be a good idea to ease them into the transition. Not really sure how MUCH of a difference this will make, but isn't it better to consider sources of additional stress?
 
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