Hello, ummmm, my name is six and i need help.

[callmeSIX]

I would not run out and buy a refractometer or anything else right now. I also use a plastic, swing arm hydrometer and have for 50 years. Is it accurate? Not at all so you have to calibrate it. You do that by bringing it to your LFS and have the person there test their water with their refractometer. Then use your swing arm hydrometer and using a permanent marker, make a line on your hydrometer with the reading on their refractometer. Let them spend the money.

As for your well water, that is questionable and I would not use it unless you put it through an RO.

Well water could be loaded with metals and I feel that may be your problem as your fish do not look sick.

Ph, salinity and temperature will not kill your fish unless they are way off. Only metals will do that.
I also do not think it is ammonia.

Good luck

Well, I went down and he gave me one for free. We've been friends for over a decade, so he wants to try and help. So I now have a digital reader as well as the swing arm one. So there's that.

Alao, I don't use my water because it being well water I won't even drink it, I'd never put my fish in it haha so I go to my buddies house and use his water. Not as good as ro water but better than well and it had a closer PH than what else I found. I have recently learned, that's fine able with salt mixing and the like. So I'm gonna look into an RO system of my own and see if I can get that going which, from the sounds of it, will help in the long run.

So going forward, RO water only.

Thank you for your input.

 

[callmeSIX]

Okay. I will prioritize an rodi system first a foremost. A HOB system will be a challenge due to the tank being only a couple inches from the wall. I would have to move the whole thing out a few inches. Not impossible but definitely not singing I'm jumping for joy over either.

In the mean time, I will start purchasing ro water from my local water outfit for my water changes and top off going forward.

 

[twentyleagues]

Okay. I will prioritize an rodi system first a foremost. A HOB system will be a challenge due to the tank being only a couple inches from the wall. I would have to move the whole thing out a few inches. Not impossible but definitely not singing I'm jumping for joy over either.

In the mean time, I will start purchasing ro water from my local water outfit for my water changes and top off going forward.

Remember ro/di this is important. Ro water is better than tap but di is the real difference. Hopefully your lfs sells ro/di and takes care of filter maintenance.

 

[callmeSIX]

Remember ro/di this is important. Ro water is better than tap but di is the real difference. Hopefully your lfs sells ro/di and takes care of filter maintenance.

I sincerely doubt it. But we do have some water stores i suspect will have it that I can get. I suspect he uses the same water I've been using.

 

[twentyleagues]

I sincerely doubt it. But we do have some water stores i suspect will have it that I can get. I suspect he uses the same water I've been using.

Oh. That is possible. I have a few stores within a hour or so of me they all do ro/di and sell premixed saltwater too. A couple dont do maintenance like they should though one reason I got my own ro/di that plus lugging 5g water containers gets old quick.

 

[callmeSIX]

Oh. That is possible. I have a few stores within a hour or so of me they all do ro/di and sell premixed saltwater too. A couple dont do maintenance like they should though one reason I got my own ro/di that plus lugging 5g water containers gets old quick.

I haul 50 gallons at a time. Luckily I have equipment to move things around. So I regularly have 50 gallons of water available but it's just tap water. I want to look into maybe setting up a bigger system to hold 100 gallons of pre mixed rodi water. I'm designing something now to see what I can get done.

 

[twentyleagues]

I haul 50 gallons at a time. Luckily I have equipment to move things around. So I regularly have 50 gallons of water available but it's just tap water. I want to look into maybe setting up a bigger system to hold 100 gallons of pre mixed rodi water. I'm designing something now to see what I can get done.

I use 55g brute trash cans. I have 3 of them. I dont have them set up in some ornate fashion. I use the same pump a Jebao 4500 to pump ro/di into one of the salt mixing bins and the same pump to mix it and the same pump to send the water to the tank. I just have to change out the 3 different pvc pipe configurations I use via a simple union. Pretty quick and easy. I used to have a much more elaborate water mixing station but those barrels I used long ago are really expensive now. Put it this way I bought 3 55g brutes, the pump the stand the rodi brute sits on and a box of salt for less then 1 of the holding containers costs.