Some simply answers to common questions on the use of RO-Water and discus. Q. Why use water that has been passed through a reverse osmosis filtration system?

A. In order to remove impurities from your tap water.

Q. Do I need to add anything to the product water?

A. Yes - in order to make the work safe for discus you will need to add minerals and a buffering agent to the RO product water.

• The minerals are for the healthy growth and health of the fish

• The buffering agent is to avoid pH crash

• These items can be added to the product water by a wide range of means e.g.: [list] [*]Using store products like ro-right, pH stable and discus essentials.

• Using a degree of tap water that has been passed through a carbon filter or conditioned with a proprietary conditioner e.g. Seachem Prime.

• Adding powdered minerals or compounds to the water.

Q. I have heard that the pH of pure wate is 7 why do i get strange readings from my product water?

A. You can only measure the pH of pure water accurately and reliably under lab conditions and with highly specialised probes and training. Only measure the pH of your water once is that been reconstituted.

Q. How come I can measure nitrates in my RO product water - I thought ROs removed nitrates.

A. ROs do remove nitrates but as with many substances that ROs remove, a small amount will pass through the membrane. Factors such as temperature, age of the membrane, original level of contaminants, water pressure, pre-filters - all play a role in what passes through.

Please contact me with any other questions that you would like to see answered here.