Shrimp tank TDS creeping up between water changes, what's causing it?
My neo tank sits at 150 TDS right after a change but is at 190 by day five with no new feeding or additions. Soil substrate, a few catappa leaves, sponge filter. Is that just the soil leaching and the shrimp waste, or should I be looking at the top-off water? I'm topping off with tap right now. Pic of my meters below.
6 comments
Topping off with tap is your answer. Evaporation leaves the minerals behind, so TDS climbs every time you add tap. Top off with RO or distilled and only use remineralized water for actual changes.
Yep, same thing happened in my low tech tank. Switched to RO top off and it stayed flat within a few points.
ah that makes sense, I've been topping off with the same tap I use for changes. grabbing a jug of RO tonight. is distilled from the grocery store fine or does it need remineralizing for top off too?
Distilled is fine for top off, you're only replacing evaporated water so nothing needs adding back. Remineralize only the water that goes in at a change.
perfect, grabbed a gallon of distilled this morning. will report back on the TDS after a week of topping off with it.
Good. Check TDS right after a change and again on day five, flat within 5 to 10 points means the top off was the culprit.
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