API GH/KH question

I have always used RODI for both marine and fresh water fish systems. Also, personally I think your problem may be the API test kit I personally can't stand them. I use Salifert and Hanna checkers. But when I first started I used Kent and for freshwater systems they are perfect.

 

Here's a silly thought. Instead of nbuying an entire RODI unit, could I get away with jsut getting a DI canister and some DI resin? My water comes from the tap otherwise pure, jsut very hard. I dunno, just a thought.

 

Actually from what I have heard you can us RO with freshwater its the DI part they don't recommend. So just go with a RO unit or water. The reason behind it is that you don't want perfect water, they need minerals and trace elements. With saltwater you get these back when you add the salt. But in freshwater you don't, that's why they don't recommend the DI for freshwater.

 

Since it's such a small bowl why not just buy some ro water from Wally world? Comes to about .39 a gallon As for the API test kits (like with any kit) you can get a bad one but I used them with much success for over 2 years.

 

For now it's a small 2.5g tank, but in the future is a NPT 5.5g, along with a 20L planted sorority tank, and once I get my own House, it will be a 40B Sw setup. Just thinking ahead is all. The other part of the problem is living at home with the parents, who doin't understand my addiction to aquariums one bit. They thought me spending 60 bucks in supplies, heater, filter, etc; were rediculous for a $7 betta.

Also, as far as I know, my local walmart doesn't sell RO water. Not even the stop & shop near me does. >_<

I did test the test kit by adding baking soda to some test water, and same result. So I know its a bad test kit. but, seeing as I bought it on amazon, it's not worth spending the 10 dollars to ship it back and have them ship me a replacement.

 

I'm sure this probably isn't it, but are you using the saltwater alkalinity test on your freshwater tank?

 

Lolz, nah, just the api kit, which I'm positive is a bad kit. Suposedly it works for both fw and sw. Doesn't matter much anymore seeing as I'm in no position to get an RO unit. So, unfortunately I'll be buying water softening pillows and pretreaing wc water a few days in advance. Which sucks, but it'll be better than nothing and watching my betta's fins curl in on themselves anymore than they already have. Course, it woulda been nice to not have liquid rock coming out of my tap. But, it is what it is.

On the plus side, it's $3 a pillow, and I can order 3-4 in a clip which will hold me over for a long while.

ninja edit: just checked amazon.com, yeah, one site sells them for $3 + $6 shipping... wouldn't be so bad if they didn't add the same shipping amount per unit! argh!

edit #2" Big Al's online comes through once again. 3.49 eac, and 8.99 shipping for 3 at a time. yahtzee!

 

If you buy just a DI resin, you will go through it no time and be wasting good money. It is the RO process that removes a good majority of the impurities from your water source and the DI removes everything else. The DI resin alone will remove everything the RO filter will, but you will just be wasting your DI resin for no reason.

 

Yeah, Like I said, I thought the DI idea was silly. So, here's a small update. Stopped by west hartford puppy and aquarium, picked up another API GH/KH kit. guess what? same freaking results. So done with this. At least they had the softener pillow, so I'm gonna toss that in tonight and hopefully I don't see anymore of his rays start curling.


edit: Softener pillow was waaaaay to hig to fit int eh red sea nano. So I figured I could jsut trim the bag down, and glue it shut, or, worst case, toss grains into a AC filter bag. Yeah, I'm now out 10 bucks, and could care less if the guys fins keep curling. I'm done wasting money trying to make this thing perfect for a $4 fish. When I set up a sw tank, I'll be super meticulous. but, for a freakin betta, yeah. Done.