How The REVERSE OSMOSIS System Works?

[@dusk1947]

My first foray into RO/DI was when I departed freshwater a few years ago to try keeping a marine reef, which was a learning curve to say the least. Despite having a formal education in Biology, that was when I started to really learn water chemistry. Before that, I would just dump in my well water, and not really realize when things were drifting to dangerous parameters; which left my inexperienced self wondering what I had done wrong when plants wouldn't thrive or I'd get odd die off in live stock. Now, quite a few years later and I'm back to keeping a planted tank. Though I don't use the DI resin for Freshwater, using RO with 2 carbon stages has been invaluable in maintaining softer water conditions and more stable parameters overall. It really is an invaluable tool, especially for more sensitive species like Caridina.

[@bahadraltintas346]

Hello, I watch your channel from Turkey and you have very nice posts, you explain it very well and at a level that everyone can understand. There are already many people in Turkey who follow you and advance in the hobby, thank you.

[@twunderaquatics1770]

I have always found it interesting where different areas have different water conditions. I live in the Appalachian mountains and my water out of tap from a well is 30-40 TDS and little to no hardness. Very lucky as far as not having to use a filter on my water but not good for health as far as drinking water. We add minerals to our water. Great video 👍

[@RyanStonedonCanadianGaming]

Yeah, City pipelines suck. They leach things into the water and the chemicals they add to clean the water is also a negative.

[@juiceboxsteez]

I always come back to this episode and wish Green Aqua distributed to the US

[@richardlangley3137]

Thanks. Such an informative video. I bought a house with a 5 stage RO system and had no idea how it worked. Now I have a very good idea on what needs to be done.

[@arachnophilegrrl]

I'm not "there" yet, but I aspire. I'm growing plants that handle hard water right now. Some day, I'll have an RO system. Thank you for doing this though! I've never seen anyone actually explain how the system works! This means a lot.

[@GreenAquaShop]

Thanks so much 🙂💚

[@grahamt5924]

@Green Aqua I have nitrate levels of about 50 ppm from the tap. This is generally fine for my fish, but now I am trying to breed my angel fish, and I am struggling. They are more sensitive, I think, to poor water quality. Have you any suggestions.

[@rensurise4395]

I use RO for my 60 cm low light aquascape tank without co2, it's been almost a year and its still running very well... Easy maintenance, less algae infection...

[@warpo007]

perfect timing! Just bought an RO plant as my tap water is very heavy in silicate.

[@Aquagold.goldysingh1313]

thank you so much legend. i recently get ro system. always fear to use . now i know which thing i need for correct tds.

[@Patrickjk]

Great video as always! I used to do water changes with RO water and never remineralized. Even though good amount of CO2, ferts and light was present, the stem plants grew very weak and stunted. Only recently i got to know about importance of GH and KH, and my stem plants are growing lush and beautiful!

[@Randy8460]

Your tap tds is probably pretty high so even tho you do “ro “ water you still have minerals (tds) in the water . I’m in nyc so my tds is not high so if I do ro my tds will be low so I would need to add minerals or my plants will suffer

[@Patrickjk]

@@Randy8460 Tap TDS is very low in my area. (25-40ppm). RO system has a TDS controller, so its lower than 5ppm all the time. I remineralize after every water change with RO to get my GH upto 7, therefore resulting in good stem growth.

[@OriginalMindTrick]

@@Patrickjk Why did you use RO when your TDS was low?

[@Patrickjk]

@@OriginalMindTrick I am from India, and RO is much safer than tap water here. Since both RO and tap water have low TDS (GH in particular), decided to go with RO and remineralization rather than tap water and remineralztn.

[@Patrickjk]

@@OriginalMindTrick Ohh....did you mean why use RO on my tap water?? Its for drinking water purpose. I use it for water changes too..

[@saktiorens34]

Topik yg sangat bagus, saya baru saja membuat filter RO saya sendiri. Thank Tommy...

[@stevet9487]

All very helpful, I think you need to mention about pumps to get the pressure up if needed. Great work 👍

[@marypaigeflynn4512]

Thank you so much for this!! This is a subject that I hear about all the time but I know nothing about!! Always the best videos my friends at Green Aqua!! I hope you all have a wonderful and blessed day 🙏🥰🌿🐟🌿♥️

[@tiagorocha4]

This is the video i was waiting for. Thanks!

[@Krishore_Aquatics]

Great Video for RO System got all the information from Tommy Sir Great Presentation Sir Keep it Up Sir

[@GreenAquaShop]

Cheers!

[@936White]

Отличное видео, вся понятно пояснил по осмотической воде

[@habibullaharsari5515]

This information was so useful, thank you ❤

[@ahmadsaidi8996]

Thanks Tommy , my questions is 1) is ro filter remove chloramine? 2) tds meter will give different readings according to water temperature, so what the accurate temperature give accurate reading? thanks

[@nanoreaper5002]

I have found these tutorial series very informative keep it up

[@vicweast]

Good talk!

[@GreenAquaShop]

Cheers!

[@gabrielpaulino2791]

My New York water always gave me problems because my PH would drop to 3.00. Recently i found out i have to remineralize the water 👌🏽

[@luiswicho5301]

Hello guys. Talking about osmotic shock, if we put only RO water in the tank doesn't be bad for the livestock? I mean putting first RO water and after add salts. I checked my RO water the other day, it seems to be ok for now. By the way I think I need one of those TDS meter, I measure the water parameters using KH, GH, and PH test from JBL test bag.

[@kiever]

I know some people just mix ro water with tap water like 50/50 for remineralisation.

[@stone4858]

How much water comes out as waist from a RO ? Because I am interested in purchasing one, but where are live, water is extremely expensive and my tant is not small. I use an average of 300Lts per week on water changes and the second I heard you mantion that the water is split in two, one soft and the other waist, I was wondering how much more water would be used to do the same water changes of 300Lts that I am doing right now ?

[@Shaden0040]

pH under 6 is normal for MANY south American streams and ponds as well as ponds, rice paddies and puddles in S/ E/ Asia. Many tetras can tollerate a pH of 5 and many speciesof Betta can thrive in pH of 4/5/ Remember too these are wild type that have adapted to local conditions/

[@ampac]

Not only that, but the pH level in several parts of the Amazon basin and lakes elsewhere shifts more than 2 pH points (100x) on a daily basis... nevertheless, we keep fuelling the myth that low pH and pH "swings" are a major problem, when they are the usual reality in natural environments... the issue is that pH is a very complicated ratio to understand and leads to this situation.

[@MattyP650]

Hello from San Francisco, Aqua forest aquarium :)

[@janbrandl9509]

Hi Green-Aqua Team, What is your opinion about mixing RO water with tap water to remineralise the water to the wanted amount… in my case, the tap water is very good quality, but KH is particularly high… is it a solution to, as mentioned, mix the tap water with RO water and only add GH if necessary? Greetings from Austria 🇦🇹 Big fan of your high quality content and learned a lot already from you guys and girls! 👌🏼

[@ajecire03]

Hi. Thank you for this. Is it also possible to use 50% of RO water and 50% of tap water in every water change? Thank u

[@carlovarini1814]

It should be a good idea to explain how to manage GH+ KH+ (using RO) with Tropica aquarium soil or ADA Amazzonia. What do you think?

[@kerrypitt9789]

Carlo I have seen containers of a substance to remineralize RO water. I suspect you tailor it to the species.

[@carlovarini1814]

@@kerrypitt9789 sure, but I meant that if some people use subtrate such as Amazzonia (which has special characteristic) with only RO water, it should be nice to explain, in another video, how to remineralize this water using this type of substrate (e.g. Amazzonia or Tropica aquarium soil). It was only a suggest for the great GreenAqua team. :-)

[@kostascb1972]

I asked the same as I didn't see your question earlier. Good question :)

[@truthfactreality6814]

I have 2 water storage barrels. One for pure RODI and then a mix barrel. I aerate for 24hrs once it’s mixed

[@aquascapebomahdi3309]

Nice informative video about ro in our local shops i can only find equiliribium seachem i think it will raise only gh

[@ReadyAquarium]

Interesting explanation Videos keep them coming...

[@solidilina]

What flow restriction for 75gpd? Because everywhere is different. On mine filter is 420.

[@klebberbrazilian.theprofessor]

Great content Very instructive. Thanks!

[@r0dani3lb]

I have also read that if you have active soil you don't need to increase KH. Is this true ?

[@GreenAquaShop]

Yup that is true at least no need to worry about pH crash.

[@kostascb1972]

@@GreenAquaShop but do you still need to raise GH?

[@bogusawdanda6850]

Very nice video. I have a question - what if after replacing the water from the RO filter, the TDS indicator indicates us, for example, 130-160ppm. Is it also necessary to mineralize the water in the aquarium then?

[@GreenAquaShop]

Thanks so much. Not needed in this case. 👍

[@KishoreKumar-wp8ic]

Good question

[@avinashshibdutt8448]

Great explanation👍

[@javier_lakondia]

Very didactic Tommy!

[@niladridas7993]

Hii... What is the ideal tds , gh, kh, value of an aquarium?

[@JC_303]

It depends what you are stocking. Some plants can thrive in low tds where as you should be around 120 for rcs. I imagine Green Aqua use a TDS meter and aim for 120, much easier way to test for GH/KH it even if its is not 100% accurate :)

[@fabioprata9539]

Hei Tomy, thanks for the video. One thing was missing. What is the recommendation for the final TDS value? 150, 200? Thanks!

[@GreenAquaShop]

Thank you Fábio, we have that in many videos, but you're right, should be in here as well. We prefer around 120-170ppm.

[@Plantedaqua1]

my RO system gives 150ppm of tds so do I need to remineralize ??

[@AquascapeTR]

Thank you Tommy. My TDS is over 160. I hope it will be 120 over two weeks but i wonder that 160 is so bad for plants or fishes ?

[@GreenAquaShop]

Nope, that is perfect! 👍

[@iliya_iliev]

awesome video!

[@celonaquascaper]

Good video 😍

[@micropilot]

Great tutorial. Is there a difference between using RODI unit vs just and RO one?

[@GreenAquaShop]

Not at all. You do not need DI for freshwater.

[@parth9719]

Can i use 80gdp membrane with 450 flow resistor?

[@antonguryanov4747]

What to do if Tropica Soil resets KH?

[@malcolmmcguire2876]

Thanks so much Tommy. Is rainwater suitable for an aquarium in place of RO water?

[@jayallum2423]

My tap water is very soft. PH 6 and GH of 1, KH of 0, I just use this and raise GH to 5 and KH to 3.

[@helloman4251]

Good info

[@kennethliew888]

I have seen videos talking about "resin" filter which remove ion from water, they called it RO/DI (Deionization). RO/DI can make water 100% pure instead of 99.85%. So my question is, by having saltwater aquarium RO/DI is a must or just RO is good enough?

[@GreenAquaShop]

For saltwater, many people use it. In freshwater, not so much.

[@jacquesperrot5407]

tres interessant merci 👍

[@shrugzplays5519]

My water is 400 ppm hardness. Do i really need to remineralize my water or can I cut it down with normal water to mix??

[@mandarw86]

Hello, can you suggest minerals which are compatible with shrimps and planted tank setup?

[@GreenAquaShop]

Those that do not leach anything into the water. I tried Brazilian Mountain Crystals before. :)

[@Plantedaqua1]

does this system removes silicates from water ?

[@fachrieki3106]

I have 5 KH and 8 GH, 70ppm on TDS meter. Should i remineralize and aim 120 ppm om TDS meter? Thank you green aqua, nice video as always! ❤️

[@kostascb1972]

Very useful video. What about the substrate? When it is "active" like dennerle scaper's it says that it adjusts kh so what kind of treatment we need there?

[@edwindsouza6795]

What should be the ideal TDS for a planted tank ?

[@whiskeysmoke6500]

I have a huge issue with high levels of silicates in my tap water. Causing high levels of diatoms. Will this help me in my freshwater tank?

[@GreenAquaShop]

Yes it will, but you can also add filter media to remove some of the silicates.

[@asd2u2004]

Hi can you update the description on the website for your RO systems what’s the ratio for 1L of ro water how much L waste water is produced . Have a system atm that for 1 L I throw away 3L . That seems a bit of a waste .thanks

[@leballemaxime5672]

Hello! Great video ;). I just don’t understand why you have to raise the KH again, because the soil aims to lower the KH to be able to lower the pH to something optimal for the plants, right ? Wouldn’t raising the KH wear the soil faster than normal ? Wouldn’t the soil just lower the KH again if you add it ? Thanks !

[@ampac]

You do not need to raise the KH. But if you are injecting CO2 and relying on a measure of the pH to determine its concentration, then you should have a KH > 0. A KH of 1 - 2 is sufficient. If the KH is close to zero, then then pH value has no meaning because it will swing (which is not a problem for plants or livestock; it is only a problem because you cannot read it properly). In reality, you do not want to raise KH but to raise alkalinity (i.e. raise carbonate buffering). Note that most everyone in aquaristics uses the wrong terminology.... what we wrongly call KH is what chemistry calls alkalinity - alkalinity measures the amount of carbonates in the water, which is not what KH is about. Anyway, the KH/alkalinity has nothing to do with the soil but with the ability to buffer the carbonic acid produced by CO2. The majority of plants and livestock do not care if KH is 0 or 20. What they care about is the GH value.

[@neilrobins3329]

What types of RO resins are available for RO units (any differences) and are they all safe for a freshwater aquarium?

[@GreenAquaShop]

Yes, we use 5 micron mainly.

[@neilrobins3329]

@@GreenAquaShop I was thinking about more about the Deionising beads, Resin stuff. I know you can have colour changing but are they all the same, is there a specific technical specification number or code to look for?

[@fishiefarmer11]

What do u do to bring the phosphate my phosphate tends to always be a little high my tap water comes out 2.0 if I add a phosphate reactor with gfo in it on a 90 gallon tank will that drop the phos to a decent level it’s a planted tank

[@emberck]

Great vídeo! So, if I understood well you won’t need Prime with RO water, but you can store the water in any container without problems? For how long approximately? Thx!!!

[@GreenAquaShop]

No, you don't need Prime with RO. Don't forget that the RO has nothing to get rid of bacteria, so if you leave it standing long enough and dust or other stuff gets into it (like you reach into it with your hands) can contaminate the water. The container and hoses will need occasional cleaning!

[@kerrypitt9789]

@@GreenAquaShop if you keep the container sealed it should be okay?

[@PabloSanchez-yb1hr]

Hoy do you maintain the deposit?

[@dwarkeshkanani4963]

The tds increase if you store in a container not only container if you store water in anything the tds might increase to 20-30 depending on what you store

[@nemo8649]

Hi Tommy and GreenAqua Team …. Thank you this is great tutorial 😊👌 I have a question ….. I have 60p tank setup with seyriu stone…. After changing 50% of the Ro water, the Tds drops to 130ppm in the video it is said that around 130 ppm is good….. I don't have to add GH+ then….?😃 Thanks

[@ronaldbehr]

@green Aqua , what about the fertilities for planted tanks? I tested the TDS its around 120PPm after ferts do you still have to add GH/KH or GH + to tank?

[@vprocap1888]

Big fan ❤️‍🔥

[@arboretas]

I want to use RO for my betta tank but i don´t know what KH/GH i should aim for..

[@theoscapes2799]

Is it necessary to, like with reef tanks, include the DI (deionization) stage?

[@GreenAquaShop]

We're not using it in freshwater 👍

[@araniranir7492]

And I'm curious why use ro at all? What benefits does it better than e.g. my tap water which is about 100tds.

[@kanaalmenno]

so can i just do half ro half tap to reach a nice balance?

[@roelnoten]

How about trying to keep KH 0 to not deplete the aquasoil ?

[@timothyvandermeer6807]

wat to use GH or GH/KH with dragon stone?

[@herbertgunther8951]

Is there a reason why the filters and membrane have to be changed after a certain time instead of a number of liters? Doesn't it more depend on how intense i use the System than for how long? I use my system just for about 30l a week, can i use the prefilters for a longer period?

[@kostascb1972]

Good question, I'm curious too. All filters have two limits one is time the other is usage whichever comes first. But I don't understand how the filtering media deteriorates with time when not used so much.

[@dwarkeshkanani4963]

​@@kostascb1972 say about the spun filter need to be changed in every 4-5 months if your water is above 400ppm Usually the manufacturer say 6000-8000ltrs Reverse osmosis usually come upto 1-2 years depending on your filter changes I would recommend instead of using 2 pre filter try using 3 1-spun 1- wound 1- carbon So that the small particles is absorbed in the wound filter :)

[@chloechauvel1900]

Hello, thank you for this video! What do you recommand for a nano shrimp tank? These shrimps need a zero KH, so I'm using specific shrimp salts but I have difficulties stabilizing the water. I have a technical soil but the water is still very acidic as I add a lot of co2, and one of my plants melted. This is a dutchstyle tank so no rocks... Thank you for your expertise

[@stenbornebroek6486]

I want to set up a tank with wood and seiryu stones combined, I’m afraid that the seiryu stones aren’t enough to raise the kh. Do you use GH/KH plus in tanks with wood and stones or only GH plus?

[@gvue4396]

I would like to see an actual set up

[@b.alexandru2390]

It's good for the old, the new Orban, it has to be passed through the filter

[@TheMartynneil]

You mentioned using a TDS meter to check the levels in the tank, then adding in the GH/KH Buffer, waiting and measuring again, but didn't say what reading you were aiming for. I understand this will vary a bit depending on tank inhabitants so for my specific tank what would you say is a good TDS reading for a fairly well planted discus tank?

[@MKM070]

Would like to know this as wel

[@ampac]

That completely depends on the GH (i.e. total Calcium and Magnesium) that is required in a discus tank. As far as I know, discus are soft water fish (you need to confirm this). After you confirm the target GH for discus then convert it to ppm (1° dGH = ~17.8 ppm). So, if your target is 4° dGH then you would target ~70 ppm.

[@mixeer0700]

What if i have stones that rise GH?

[@lukaszpiech9130]

Thank you for movie. I always had and i still have one issue in relation to RO, this is large amount of waste water. I even bought pump to make RO water production more efficient but still i am getting to much waste. I don't know why is this happening. What can i do to investigate what is the reason of big water waste?

[@lukaszpiech9130]

@@piotrcz.1158 Możliwe chociaż to 450. Wczoraj na 5 litrów RO miałem co najmniej 30 litrów odpadu. Zastanawiam się czy może wpływ na to ma fakt że filtr RO jest podłączony za zmiekczaczem wody

[@zsuzsannalaszlo7280]

Sziasztok, ha jól értelmezem, amikor lágy vizet szeretnék előállítani, akkor mindkét csapot nyitni kell? (mármint nem csak azt, amin a lágy vizet kapom, hanem amin a 'hulladék' víz is jön?) Vagy az utóbbit csak akkor kell nyitni, mikor átöblítem a rendszert?

[@sjoerdboschman418]

Lovely video. I still have 1 question tho. How significant is the change from cured tap water compared to using RO water?

[@krishnahandoko]

This would probably depend on the water quality of your tap water

[@dorianf1456]

I have a ro/di system from when I did salt water. I now only do freshwater. Should I remove the di filter so it's just ro only?

[@GreenAquaShop]

Yup no need for the DI, just an extra hassle

[@Josba92]

Nice video, i have a question, my tap water is ph 7 and tds 117, do i need a RO filter?

[@GreenAquaShop]

That seems to be soft. I would not use it. Here we have around 450+ppm from tap

[@geofishdude9488]

What degree of KH should you aim for when remineralizing the water?

[@GreenAquaShop]

Measure the TDS and aim for 120.

[@pwaquatics3290]

When buying an RO unit do I need to have a pressure gauge and tds meter attached to unit? I already use a tds meter to check when purchasing from shop. A lot of companies in USA try to sell tds meter and pressure gauge attached. Thanks

[@dwarkeshkanani4963]

Not required

[@piotrmajchrzak2045]

My tap water is around 104 TDS. In tank i have 320 now. I have problem with GH and KH - there are in high level. Shut I have to use mineralizator? Or firstly to lower TDS in tank to around 120 and after that put GH or KH mineralizator.

[@GreenAquaShop]

If the aquarium mineral level is so high, you probably use decoration that hardens the water or rich fertilizers like EI ones. In such case, i would not use GH or KH minerals at all. Just make sure the TDS never goes below 120ppm in between 2 water changes.

[@piotrmajchrzak2045]

@@GreenAquaShop Ok. But if I go down with TDS to 120 what will be with Ca and Mg. You shut move on in next q&a.

[@priyankardas2668]

Very nice informative video. Just a small question.. seriyu rocks won't raise GH also?how do you keep the KH GH low in a seriyu rock scape..I find my kh gh goes pretty high. do water changes keep it down within range?

[@GreenAquaShop]

Yes they raise the GH, you'll need to live with GH fluctuations between water changes, the more you do, the more stabile you can keep it. We remineralize to TDS 120 regardless of the rocks.

[@priyankardas2668]

@@GreenAquaShop ohh okay thanks..If I water change once a week I see the TDS rise from 50 to 130 almost. Hence if I still remineralize, it would get higher. Can it be done without any remineralization?

[@athalas1988]

A videóitokban sokszor látni, hogy tömlővel töltitek fel az akváriumokat valahonnan. Arra lennék kiváncsi, hogy nálatok az üzletben/kiállítóteremben, ahol rengeteg RO vízre van szükség, hogyan oldjátok ezt meg? Van ilyen nagy rendszeretek ehhez, hogy folyamatosan rendelkezesre álljon, vagy sok vizet tároltok el előre?

[@GreenAquaShop]

Szia, igen vannak tároló hordóink, ami folyamatosan fel van töltve. Vízcserénél pedig pumpák segítségével juttatjuk el a lágy vizet az akvárumokhoz. 👍

[@domenicosabatino3281]

Very interesting tutorial, thanks a lot! Just a question: after the use and switch off of the system, it’s important to leave the system under pressure or it’s necessary to discharge the residual water in the system?

[@KenLe1998]

You have to keep the system under pressure, because the membrane mustn't dry out.

[@sauliusjurksa]

So which restrictor should i use for 200 gpd membrane?

[@dwarkeshkanani4963]

650

[@perrudidanielsen2014]

How big system do you need to fill up 100 Liter in 20 min

[@LaccerHS]

I live on the 9th floor, so water pressure is really low (filling up even a 15 liter bucket takes several minutes), does it affect the efficency of an RO system, or will it be just slow?

[@GreenAquaShop]

Yup, but you can use booster pump to reach the desired pressure for your RO system.

[@nguyenquoctrung1984]

tds link please

[@krisnaive]

Nice and informative video. Can I add dechlorinated water to say a 30% to a 70% RO to balance my PH to 6.8 and TDS to about 120ppm? Will I still need to add the GH/KH plus salts?

[@ampac]

Measure the TDS of the dechlorinated tap water and calculate the resulting ppm. The ratio will be proportional. In a 30 - 70% ratio you would need tap water with TDS of ~400 ppm. You will not be able to "balance" the pH by mixing tap and RO water not by adding remineralization salts. GH salts do not change the pH. KH salts will increase it, how much depends on the salt (for example, potassium carbonate will increase the pH much more than potassium hydrogen carbonate).

[@krisnaive]

@@ampac Thanks a lot!

[@Taffy116]

hello :)

[@LukaszTiiger]

At what level do you keep GH in the aquarium?

[@GreenAquaShop]

4-6

[@ypsllon]

Thanks for another great tutorial! How much % 'water waste' is released by the system while producing RO water?

[@yomanqueentown4495]

To get 1 liter of 'soft water' you have 9-10 liters of 'waste water' with RO systems ;-)

[@KenLe1998]

@@yomanqueentown4495 that's bullshit The ratio is usually around 1:1 to 1:3

[@kerrypitt9789]

Does it depend on what the pre filtered water is like?

[@GreenAquaShop]

That's when your system is the least effective. By adding more membranes and a booster pump you will be more like 50-50%

[@Wang_dadi]

@@yomanqueentown4495 wtf

[@antoniszormpas9025]

Do I have to use gh/kh plus with only dragonstone scapes too?

[@GreenAquaShop]

Yup we usually use the GH/KH for that

[@antoniszormpas9025]

@@GreenAquaShop Thank you! 🙏