TDS?

Ok I shall be the fool who asks what is the good ranges for total dissolved solids? I am playing with Isaacs new TDS meter he won in the auction, It gives me the TDS ppm but I have no clue what is good or bad...... any links onTDS charts and associated fish for the TDS range?

What was the reading?

I like to keep mine around 120-140. No higher than 200 though.

What tank? My 600~g moorii/ plant system is reading 555, my 90g discus is reading 389, Tap water is reading 306, my 120g mixed African is reading 407.........

The directions on this thing aren't the best either......

Lowest reading I've gotten on all my tanks is 330.......

lol.

i guess with that kind of stocking, it would be a little higher. Mine are low for the shrimpies.

Have you ever found a decent chart? All my searches have come up pretty empty.....

Depends on your needs. Generally the higher the TDS reading the harder the water. I use mine to determine when to change my RO filters. RO/DI filtered water should read 0 ppm (pure water). Probably in FW world this is where you want your discus tanks. (Caveat I've never kept discus so I don't know.) It's just a measurement of the dissolved solids in the water. "Solids" is a pretty generalized term that's not limited to iron, calcium, salt, flouride etc etc etc. What your optimal is always depends on what you're keeping.

Wiki article (good read)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_dissolved_solids

http://www.albuw.ait.ac.th/Group_R/TDS/report-4/Database/Q&A.htm

and of course the obligatory liveaquaria.com article which doesn't mean much...

http://www.liveaquaria.com/PIC/article.cfm?aid=220

In reef world you want to control what solids are kept in your water. I start with RO/DI that reads <10 ppm then mix the salt of my choice based on the mineral levels in the salt mix. (Salt itself is a given here, but calcium, magnesium, iodine are all other considerations). The benefit of using water that reads 0ppm is that you can create the water parameters specific to the nutritional needs of coral. Starting with pure water also helps to avoid fluctuating parameters, problem algae and certain fish diseases. SW invertebrates are often intolerant of copper for example. The hard fast rule in a reef is never add what you can't test for.

I'd think in FW world the lower the TDS the easier controlling PH and GH would be. The tank contents can also swing TDS. Holey Rock, some soils, fertilizer, and driftwood all leech solids into the water. So that's to say you'd probably have better luck searching out species specifics as opposed to some overly generric chart to tell you where TDS readings should be in general for your aquatic environment.

TDS meters only tell you that there may be all kinds of stuff dissolved in your water whether it is marine or fresh water.......Fresh water with a near neutral pH with a low DH and KH will have a lower TDS reading if there is no dissolved salt......Check your TDS meter in the calibration solution or in a good brand of distilled water.....The reading should be very low......When this meter is used in a tank and it reads fairly high it is telling you that a water change would be helpful.....But, then again, if the supply water is full of calcium, salts, and iron (hard alkaline water) the TDS reading is useless........In all actuality the TDS meter is only useful in checking the purity of RO water and a gadget that confuses everyone else......I have a very nice free one that sits in a drawer and the battery is probably dead after I used it a couple of times after a friend gave it to me.

Watch out Fern is testing all the waters!

lol. i have never even thought about testing TDS. i figure that is just one more thing to worry about lol.

Its a new toy
Ok I'll take it to work today and see what its reading on the RO..... I'll also pick my bosses brain on what he knows about tds and fresh water tanks.....

Isaac, I may have to get you a new battery

I got it cuz i like everything that has to do with digital lol..., Fern thats a good thing, learn how to work on it so you can show me after

Fern wrote:

Have you ever found a decent chart? All my searches have come up pretty empty.....

Really no set chart that I am aware of. I don't think TDS has a great impact on fishies unless of course it is extremely high. I do know that it will affect shrimp breeding and invert keeping in general though.

Fern wrote:

:Its a new toy :

You like toys don't you?

Fern wrote:

:
Isaac, I may have to get you a new battery

Used that toy a little to much already.





Come on now.... you set yourself up for that.

its ok i dont think a batt for that TDS will cost more than $2 lol

I was bidding to check quality on RO water.

I havent check it out yet but according to Fern is looking good so far..

Yaaaa its pretty much ballpark #'s unless you are dealing with RO quality.....


Did you say new toy K?

Lol@KMX..yea i hear that TDS has to do more with RO water and SW tanks

so pretty much did i wasted my money on that?? lol

I bet Elrollo will buy it from you if you decide you don't want it......

but that doesnt measure ph and ammonias??

ok i found out, the TDS that we need is the COM100 that comes with all readings..oh well!!