TDS stuck above 300 - not sure why!

[Afsheen]

Hi all!! New to the forums here, but so excited to have found a community with so much in common!

I recently started a caridina tank, and having the toughest time getting tds below 300. Using lava rock on neutral substrate.

Doing 10% water changes everyday with RO water, but GH is now down to 3, and PH has randomly jumped to around 6.8.

I cant add GH salts or PH buffer for risk of upping the TDS of my RO..

Unsure how to proceed. Shrimp are still molting here and there with no sudden deaths yet (dosing iodine), but not seeing any signs of breeding, so I'm concerned.

[Vincent Tran]

What is the TDS of the RO water you are adding in? If it is true RO water, your 10% water changes should bring it down fast. Please share some pictures of your lava rock and your substrate too.

[Afsheen]

Thanks for the reply! RO is running at 36ppm, but that's without ant PH buffer or GH salt.

Pics coming shortly!!

[Travisdt]

lava rock and heater : high tds from my experience...

[Afsheen]

Pictures of the tank below!

[Afsheen]

Lava rock is high tds too?! I just took my heater out..

[aquamaniac]

I’m not sure if that is lava rock but I’m almost certain that rock is what is causing your high TDS. Remove it and see if it makes a difference after water changes.


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[SamSam563]

I wouldnt recommend doing water changes everyday. It stresses out the shrimp and could potentially kill them. It's okay if your tds is over 300 but just make sure its slowly going down. Do not do big TDS jump or you will kill them all

[swoof]

Not lava rock. Could be the marimo balls causing high taste. Who knows what was in the water they came from.

[adayrit]

Is that rock chalky? Like crumbles when you touch it, you get chalky hands. Etc. I would put the rock out in the sun until it completely dries, then check for chalk. You cant see chalk right now when its wet

[Afsheen]

Roger that - ill remove the rock tomorrow and analyze what comes out.

RE the moss balls - they've been in this tank for the last 3 months or so, so I'm assuming it's absorbed all this tanks nutrients (?)

[Jawaeater]

Some lava rock supposedly doesn't leech minerals, but I just went through a bad experience of the lava rock I was using leeching a lot of KH into the tank. I now avoid all rock in any soft water tanks.