Using Ro Water For Shrimp Tank

HI everyone,
I've mentioned before how Un-Shrimp friendly my tap water is.
PH over 8
GH 15
and Nitrates 80+
TDS 300

I've battled against these in a few ways-thanks to LOTS of help on here and my Cherries are now breeding happily-4 berried at present!

One of the ways that I've been dealing with the tap water, is by mixing it with supermarket bottled water. Around 60% bottled to 40% tap.
All parameters are now perfect and, as I said, instead of shrimp dying all the time, the colony is growing.

It's getting to the stage now, however, where I'm getting really fed up carrying home all this water, and although it's pretty cheap, I know it's ultimately ridiculous giving shrimps bottled water so am planning on getting a little RO unit.

So, my question is (finally!) Would I just use the RO water in the same way as the bottled, to 'dilute' the tap water?
I presume I'd have to have a mess around with the ratios before using my 'mixture', but, basically, is this the general idea when using RO for everyday shrimp like Cherries?

Sorry for the long post-I wanted to make sure I'd included a bit of background, hopefully someone that uses RO water in this way will be able to advise!
Many thanks

 

stella1979

 

I use an "RO Buddie" system which I found on Amazon. I use the four-stage option. Replacement cartridges run around $26 WITH shipping. One cartridge will last me about 5-6 weeks, but I mix RO water with my tap water -- roughly one-third tap water to two-thirds RO.

 

stella1979

HI Valerie,
Is stella1979 the person to ask about this?

 

HI Valerie,
Is stella1979 the person to ask about this?

She uses RO water for her fresh and saltwater tanks. She uses certain products to adjust the RO water for her freshwater tanks instead of mixing it with tap water.

 

I use an "RO Buddie" system which I found on Amazon. I use the four-stage option. Replacement cartridges run around $26 WITH shipping. One cartridge will last me about 5-6 weeks, but I mix RO water with my tap water -- roughly one-third tap water to two-thirds RO.

Thanks Mark, this is the kind of unit I'm thinking of getting. It looks like what I thought of is exactly what you do, mix the RO with tap to create better (and hopefully stable) parameters.
I was just a bit worried about changing from my bottled/tap mix to RO/tap as obviously bottled water still has minerals etc in it whereas RO essentially doesn't.
I guess I'll have to experiment with a few different ratios!

She uses RO water for her fresh and saltwater tanks. She uses certain products to adjust the RO water for her freshwater tanks instead of mixing it with tap water.

Thank you!
Hopefully she'll be able to give me a bit of advice if she has a moment. This is SUCH a baffling subject (to me) - the more expert imput, the better!

 

Thanks Mark, this is the kind of unit I'm thinking of getting. It looks like what I thought of is exactly what you do, mix the RO with tap to create better (and hopefully stable) parameters.
I was just a bit worried about changing from my bottled/tap mix to RO/tap as obviously bottled water still has minerals etc in it whereas RO essentially doesn't.
I guess I'll have to experiment with a few different ratios!


Thank you!
Hopefully she'll be able to give me a bit of advice if she has a moment. This is SUCH a baffling subject (to me) - the more expert imput, the better!

Good luck! There are people who can help you "walk through" it. If I can be of any help, feel free to ask! I am kind of new to RO water, having just started in March of this year, but i'm glad I found out about the Buddie device.

 

HI Emma. Yep, Valerie is correct, I do use 100% RO water for my freshwater tanks, but I have to add a few things to it to replace mineral levels and adjust the KH so I have a stable pH. Ugh... it is still a bit baffling to me, as I don't have a firm understanding of water chemistry, but I did get good advice from someone who does. I went from there and made sure to test my 'recipes', (there was SO much testing), before using 'my water' with living things. Anyhow, I can't go too deep into the rabbit hole with you, but I can tell you what I know, and what works for me.

Okay, so first of all, I'd recommend that you search Flip Aquatic's YouTube channel for anything related to water quality or chemistry, and take in all you can from that.

I believe you have two options... you either mix RO water with tap to achieve the mineral level and KH/pH you want, or you use RO only and add products to it in order to achieve the same end. Your tap parameters sound very much like my own, though my GH runs north of 20 and TDS is 325-350. I live in a city, very near to farmland AND the ocean. So, I wondered what else might be making it through my tap water. At the very least, the water co. is using all kinds of methods to sterilize water and I don't know that there aren't 'things' in there that may upset sensitive species. Anyhow, I decided not to use it at all.

You didn't mention KH in your original post. Are you testing for that? It's important. I don't know a whole lot about shrimp, but believe they require a low KH. KH must be present though, as this is what buffers your water, and thus, maintains a stable pH.

So, when I was shopping for products to dose my RO water with, I needed things to achieve a KH level and a GH level. The GH provides minerals for the critters in the tank, (very important for osmoregulation in fish), and the KH (maybe together with the GH... I think), will determine the pH. My advisor had years of experience with Seachem products, so I went with the same. In the time since, I've seen people complain that these products aren't what's best for different reasons, but I have not seen any issues in the year and a half I've been using dosed RO water. Here's what I have...

Seachem - Alkaline Buffer -----This raises my KH, but using enough (along with the GH product below) to bring my KH to 5, (what I've been told is near the minimum for a stable pH), brings the pH higher than I want it. Make sense? So, I also use this...

Seachem - Acid Buffer ------This lowers pH somehow, and using it only brings the KH to 4, which I've been told is the absolute minimum for water with enough buffering capacity to hold a stable pH.

This is what I use for GH....
Seachem - Replenish ------But, I've been told another product is better for mineral replacement in planted tanks. I have not researched this, mostly because I initially bought two large bottles of Replenish, and only now, a year and a half in, have I opened the second one. Literally, I opened it yesterday. Anyhow, you may want to look into this other option.
Seachem - Equilibrium

Or... just skip all that Seachem stuff, pick others, or go with the Shrimpy KH/GH product that Flip recommends.

Orrrr.... just mix with tap to achieve your desired levels. Seems your tap has been good enough so far.

Either way, do lots of product research (if you decide to dose) and lots of testing before using your new recipe.

I use an "RO Buddie" system which I found on Amazon. I use the four-stage option. Replacement cartridges run around $26 WITH shipping. One cartridge will last me about 5-6 weeks, but I mix RO water with my tap water -- roughly one-third tap water to two-thirds RO.

Mark, I just wonder why you're having to replace cartridges so often. Given, the RO buddy probably uses smaller cartridges, but it still seems awful fast in comparison to a full size unit. My own cartridges lasted about 9 months before I started seeing TDS creep. I'm sure you've got your eye on things, but I just wonder if perhaps you could get 'better' refills that would last longer. For example, with the DI stage of the RODI system, I have a choice of DI resins, and some have better lasting effects than others. Just an FYI.

 

HI Emma. Yep, Valerie is correct, I do use 100% RO water for my freshwater tanks, but I have to add a few things to it to replace mineral levels and adjust the KH so I have a stable pH. Ugh... it is still a bit baffling to me, as I don't have a firm understanding of water chemistry, but I did get good advice from someone who does. I went from there and made sure to test my 'recipes', (there was SO much testing), before using 'my water' with living things. Anyhow, I can't go too deep into the rabbit hole with you, but I can tell you what I know, and what works for me.

Okay, so first of all, I'd recommend that you search Flip Aquatic's YouTube channel for anything related to water quality or chemistry, and take in all you can from that.

I believe you have two options... you either mix RO water with tap to achieve the mineral level and KH/pH you want, or you use RO only and add products to it in order to achieve the same end. Your tap parameters sound very much like my own, though my GH runs north of 20 and TDS is 325-350. I live in a city, very near to farmland AND the ocean. So, I wondered what else might be making it through my tap water. At the very least, the water co. is using all kinds of methods to sterilize water and I don't know that there aren't 'things' in there that may upset sensitive species. Anyhow, I decided not to use it at all.

You didn't mention KH in your original post. Are you testing for that? It's important. I don't know a whole lot about shrimp, but believe they require a low KH. KH must be present though, as this is what buffers your water, and thus, maintains a stable pH.

So, when I was shopping for products to dose my RO water with, I needed things to achieve a KH level and a GH level. The GH provides minerals for the critters in the tank, (very important for osmoregulation in fish), and the KH (maybe together with the GH... I think), will determine the pH. My advisor had years of experience with Seachem products, so I went with the same. In the time since, I've seen people complain that these products aren't what's best for different reasons, but I have not seen any issues in the year and a half I've been using dosed RO water. Here's what I have...

Seachem - Alkaline Buffer -----This raises my KH, but using enough (along with the GH product below) to bring my KH to 5, (what I've been told is near the minimum for a stable pH), brings the pH higher than I want it. Make sense? So, I also use this...

Seachem - Acid Buffer ------This lowers pH somehow, and using it only brings the KH to 4, which I've been told is the absolute minimum for water with enough buffering capacity to hold a stable pH.

This is what I use for GH....
Seachem - Replenish ------But, I've been told another product is better for mineral replacement in planted tanks. I have not researched this, mostly because I initially bought two large bottles of Replenish, and only now, a year and a half in, have I opened the second one. Literally, I opened it yesterday. Anyhow, you may want to look into this other option.
Seachem - Equilibrium

Or... just skip all that Seachem stuff, pick others, or go with the Shrimpy KH/GH product that Flip recommends.

Orrrr.... just mix with tap to achieve your desired levels. Seems your tap has been good enough so far.

Either way, do lots of product research (if you decide to dose) and lots of testing before using your new recipe.



Mark, I just wonder why you're having to replace cartridges so often. Given, the RO buddy probably uses smaller cartridges, but it still seems awful fast in comparison to a full size unit. My own cartridges lasted about 9 months before I started seeing TDS creep. I'm sure you've got your eye on things, but I just wonder if perhaps you could get 'better' refills that would last longer. For example, with my DI stage of the RODI system, I have a choice of DI resins, and some have better lasting effects than others. Just an FYI.

I'll have to check into that, Stella. Never having had an RO system before I didn't think about the cartridges being used up "fast." They are small, but still.

 

HI Emma. Yep, Valerie is correct, I do use 100% RO water for my freshwater tanks, but I have to add a few things to it to replace mineral levels and adjust the KH so I have a stable pH. Ugh... it is still a bit baffling to me, as I don't have a firm understanding of water chemistry, but I did get good advice from someone who does. I went from there and made sure to test my 'recipes', (there was SO much testing), before using 'my water' with living things. Anyhow, I can't go too deep into the rabbit hole with you, but I can tell you what I know, and what works for me.

Okay, so first of all, I'd recommend that you search Flip Aquatic's YouTube channel for anything related to water quality or chemistry, and take in all you can from that.

I believe you have two options... you either mix RO water with tap to achieve the mineral level and KH/pH you want, or you use RO only and add products to it in order to achieve the same end. Your tap parameters sound very much like my own, though my GH runs north of 20 and TDS is 325-350. I live in a city, very near to farmland AND the ocean. So, I wondered what else might be making it through my tap water. At the very least, the water co. is using all kinds of methods to sterilize water and I don't know that there aren't 'things' in there that may upset sensitive species. Anyhow, I decided not to use it at all.

You didn't mention KH in your original post. Are you testing for that? It's important. I don't know a whole lot about shrimp, but believe they require a low KH. KH must be present though, as this is what buffers your water, and thus, maintains a stable pH.

So, when I was shopping for products to dose my RO water with, I needed things to achieve a KH level and a GH level. The GH provides minerals for the critters in the tank, (very important for osmoregulation in fish), and the KH (maybe together with the GH... I think), will determine the pH. My advisor had years of experience with Seachem products, so I went with the same. In the time since, I've seen people complain that these products aren't what's best for different reasons, but I have not seen any issues in the year and a half I've been using dosed RO water. Here's what I have...

Seachem - Alkaline Buffer -----This raises my KH, but using enough (along with the GH product below) to bring my KH to 5, (what I've been told is near the minimum for a stable pH), brings the pH higher than I want it. Make sense? So, I also use this...

Seachem - Acid Buffer ------This lowers pH somehow, and using it only brings the KH to 4, which I've been told is the absolute minimum for water with enough buffering capacity to hold a stable pH.

This is what I use for GH....
Seachem - Replenish ------But, I've been told another product is better for mineral replacement in planted tanks. I have not researched this, mostly because I initially bought two large bottles of Replenish, and only now, a year and a half in, have I opened the second one. Literally, I opened it yesterday. Anyhow, you may want to look into this other option.
Seachem - Equilibrium

Or... just skip all that Seachem stuff, pick others, or go with the Shrimpy KH/GH product that Flip recommends.

Orrrr.... just mix with tap to achieve your desired levels. Seems your tap has been good enough so far.

Either way, do lots of product research (if you decide to dose) and lots of testing before using your new recipe.



Mark, I just wonder why you're having to replace cartridges so often. Given, the RO buddy probably uses smaller cartridges, but it still seems awful fast in comparison to a full size unit. My own cartridges lasted about 9 months before I started seeing TDS creep. I'm sure you've got your eye on things, but I just wonder if perhaps you could get 'better' refills that would last longer. For example, with the DI stage of the RODI system, I have a choice of DI resins, and some have better lasting effects than others. Just an FYI.

Thank you SO, SO much Stella for taking the time to write such detailed information, it's really kind of you.
It really is a journey into the unknown, but you've explained it really well in nice simple terms that make sense!
Sorry that I forgot to mention my KH, it tends to be around 7, which I think is OK, but is obviously something that I'd need to get right when perfecting my water 'recipe' (thank you-I love that term for it!)
Hopefully I'll be getting my unit this week, I'm just in the process of double checking that it will connect/unconnect to my washing machine 'tap thing', then I'll be good to go....and I'm sure, back seeking more advice!
Honestly, though, thanks again for all the helpful info-I'm feeling much more confident about it now!

Good luck! There are people who can help you "walk through" it. If I can be of any help, feel free to ask! I am kind of new to RO water, having just started in March of this year, but i'm glad I found out about the Buddie device.

Thanks for that Mark, I'll definitely be asking for help once I get going! You and Stella have been great in helping me see that it will be doable, some things that I've read (not here!) have made it all seem SO mysterious/don't mess with it....kind of thing.
Now I feel much more confident! ☺

 

Mix that water!

 

Mix that water!

Thank You!
I certainly shall be very soon....! ☺

 

I use an "RO Buddie" system which I found on Amazon. I use the four-stage option. Replacement cartridges run around $26 WITH shipping. One cartridge will last me about 5-6 weeks, but I mix RO water with my tap water -- roughly one-third tap water to two-thirds RO.

I also have the 50gpd RO Buddie but the 3 stage. I read that the 4th (DI) cartridge only lasts 5-10 gallons of water so even if it's a buck more, it's not worth it. You can add another DI cartridge brand that will last much longer if you really want/need. DI is only really needed for saltwater tanks. The 3 stages of filters cost about $10 ea on amazon and should last at least a year or more if you're using it for a shrimp tank (5g/week or less).

I get 5 TDS from the 3 stage RO Buddie and mix about 3 gallon to 2 gallon of tap (dechlorinated) for my shrimp tank. My tap varies from 300-550 TDS so I use a TDS meter to check and shoot for 100-150 TDS for water changes in my RCS (neocaridina) tank. My tank usually sits around 250-330 TDS. I'm still working to lower it a bit more as my colony isn't really growing much.

 

You are very welcome. Like I said, I'm no expert, but I like to help if I can.

DarkOne brings up a very good point... TDS meters. Get yourself one, as this is the quickest and easiest way to know that your 'recipe' (be it dosed RO, or a mix of RO and tap) is achieving the same parameters as it was last week. For example, I don't test my mixed water for pH, KH, & GH very much at all anymore, but I check the TDS every time.

My recipe has been good to me for a long while now, however, one of the complaints I've seen about Replenish (GH) is that one bottle may vary from the next. Meaning, if I was dosing 2ml to 4g's RO to achieve a GH of 6, perhaps with my next bottle, 2ml would achieve 4 or 8 GH. If I also knew that my mixed water had a TDS of 125, but the most recent batch with a new bottle of Replenish read a TDS closer to 70 or 200, well then, I would know that the Replenish is the culprit, and I would have to dose, test, and figure out my new recipe. (BTW - This is the #1 complaint I've seen about Replenish, and the other option by Seachem is Equilibrium, which is dry, so less likely to have variations.)

So... tests are more time consuming, more aggravating, and less precise than a TDS meter, (because of the human error factor.) This doesn't mean we don't need them! We definitely need to test mixed water, just hopefully, not every time. The TDS tells you nothing about what's in your water, only the presence of dissolved solids. It does give you peace of mind that your recipe is making the same water. You'll also use it on your raw RO water to see that the cartridges are in good working order and don't yet need replacing. Bonus! TDS meters are cheap.

 

Good morning!
Sorry DarkOne and stella1979 that I didn't reply 'last night'-first the battery on my Tablet went flat then it got late here before it'd recharged!
I've just got a TDS meter-it's very helpful that you both say that it's the basic benchmark when mixing RO water (be it remineralising or with tap) I'd imagined trying a formula, testing ph, GH, KH, noting these, adjusting the mix, testing the ph, GH, KH etc etc...
I can see from what you say that the TDS gives a good indication that you're in the right sort of area-and THEN test further. That makes sense (and sounds a lot easier!)
It's really interesting what you said, Stella, about the Replenish and how it changes from bottle to bottle. I wonder how such a big firm like Seachem justifies that but isn't it good that forums like this exist so that people can share the info and therefore warn others to be aware of it.
And finally, I'm reassured by what you said, DarkOne on using 'about' 3g/2g. Like I said yesterday, before the replies here, I'd really got the feeling that this was such an exact science, where you needed to get the get the mix exactly the same as the previous one down to the last drop, it just sounded terrifying!
Now I'm feeling (almost!!) confident! ☺

 

And finally, I'm reassured by what you said, DarkOne on using 'about' 3g/2g. Like I said yesterday, before the replies here, I'd really got the feeling that this was such an exact science, where you needed to get the get the mix exactly the same as the previous one down to the last drop, it just sounded terrifying!
Now I'm feeling (almost!!) confident! ☺

This depends on the volume of water you're changing. I have a 20 gallon long for my shrimp tank and I do about 25% water changes so there are times that I do closer to 4g/1g (RO/tap) or 50/50 if I'm in a hurry and can't wait for the RO water. I try to keep it around 3g/2g though but I've been trying to lower the TDS in my tank for a few months now (slowly) so a little bit either way doesn't really matter. If my tank was 5 gallon or smaller, it would be more of an issue.

If this hobby was an exact science, not many people would be able to afford it because of the testing equipment involved. Even thermometers are +/- 2°F unless you spend hundreds of dollars for accurate thermometers.

 

I change 25% in all my shrimp tanks every week with RO water which is remineralised to what I need
if you want to get the TDS down then you need to start using more pure ro water that's the only way this is going to come down as an example my 400ltr decided to go to 300TDS in red crystal tank and that was because I was not monitoring the tanks then, I was doing a 10ltr pure RO every other day for two weeks before I got it to 150 at the same time the GH went to 11 now my tank is stable at 140TDS and 4 GH which is perfect, so you need to start using a lot less tap water, you can make RO when your at home and store it in containers and use as required, if you are using tap water without testing with a meter you are heading for trouble you must reminerilse to what's needed that means depending on what the tap water reads determines how much ro is needed to get the tds to where it should be, shrimp are very fragile and take a bit of looking after they need the right conditions to survive in a tank,

 

Thanks Richie, I've just tested my tank, it's only a little 20 litre one, and the TDS is 192 which is maybe a bit high (?) but compared to my tap water at 300-I'm quite pleased!

The thing is, I'm very happy with where I've got the parameters to with the Fluval Shrimp Stratum, Seachem Denitrate and Sainsbury''s bottled water (half bottled/half tap) but, the trouble is that I just can't keep justifying all that bottled water (and it's very heavy carrying it home every week!)

Hence my plan to get the RO unit as a one off purchase to hopefully maintain all current parameters-as the shrimp seem to be doing so well in them.

The thing is that I don't want to go from my shrimps doing well in their current environment to mixing up water and making mistakes causing problems.

I'm still unsure about whether to use complete RO and remineralise it as Stella and you do or mix with my tap like Mark and DarkOne-I realise that I'm going to have to do lots of testing in the beginning (and probably in the future) to make the water as good as I can, but that's where I, sort of, am at the moment!

 

hI emma it much harder I find to maintain parameters in smaller tanks with shrimp you'll find the water changing all the time,once you get a routine that's it, are you keeping red crystal or cherry? as I always say if its working for you no matter what the book says or people keep doing it, the thing with shrimp is consistency, a ro unit will pay for itself in no time you'll have better control more young and shrimp happy, transition over to ro water will not be a problem, the water will come out pure O across the bord you can even leave the TDS go up to 5 before you change a filter,all you do then is remineralise to what you want, if your tds in the tank as crept up {example} 200 and you want it 180 the reminerlise to 160 which then brings it back down or when you top up use pure ro, over time practice will get it right, but what you must not do is a drastic change all at once, like bringing the tds down say from 500 to 150 in one go you will kill the shrimp with shock, if you did get a problem I can restock for you as iam in Bedford. I don't charge for my shrimp I get so many I give them away, but youd have to collect, you will get good deals on second hand ro units on gumtree ect

This is a 20ltr tank I've just taken pictures of tds220 temp22c gh11 all RO water they are sakura fire red basicaly a high grade cherry

 

Thank you Richie, that's really helpful-and basically it was what I was hoping to hear! That I'd be able to change over to RO with a bit of (lot of!) care and attention.

I was thinking of just introducing the RO mix slowly every week when I do my PWC-and even sticking with a bit of tap/bottled for a few weeks just to be on the safe side.

At the moment, I've just got Cherries in one tank and Amanos in the other. I'd LOVE to try Crystals but, you can imagine that with my current water situation, I no way thought it even remotely possible. When I get up and running and become more confident with the RO, I'd definitely love to start keeping them, so may well take you up on your kind offer!

Can I just finally ask-do you use a mix of remineralsing products like Stella or an All-in -One like Salty Shrimp. I have been looking at this product and it seems quite promising for a beginner like me.

 

hI Emma two Must for all shrimp the Bactor AE if you don't know is for young and old shrimp in 20ltr use very little, it's on the tub mix it with a little tank water, get it from pro shrimp the other is the mineral I think all shrimp keepers use, iam always online so please if you need help just get intouch, if you need to top up use your RO neat yo probly wount be putting in a lot so it's not a problem,once you are stable with the cherries I can talk again as you can keep crystal with them and they wount cross breed and once the balance is right they will all breed, another one to help and shrimp love is spinach,get boiling water drop 3 or 4 leafs in and boil for 40seconds rinse with cold water what I then do is get a wooden scuer or over grown tooth pick put a little led on one end so it will sink but before thread the spinach on drop in tank shrimp will love it and it's good for them, get intouch anytime if you have a problem I'll post a pic of spinach in a mo

As you can see there are crystal and cherry together

 

As you can see there are crystal and cherry together View attachment 467043 View attachment 467041

Those Crystals are FANTASTIC!
Your pictures put my little colony to shame!
I started using the Bacter AE a couple of months ago after a recommendation on here, you're right, it really does make a difference. I'm very disciplined in the amount that I use as I've read that over-use can be catastrophic, but it is fun to see all that shrimp scurrying around when I've added it.
I sometimes give mine a bit of spinach, the Amanos seem to be more enthusiastic about it than the Cherries (but then again, they go crazy for any food!)
And I'm glad that you mentioned ProShrimp, they're a great little firm aren't they-really helpful (and free postage!) I'm always buying little bits and bobs from them.
I must say that I really feel that I've learnt such a lot since asking my original question and am genuinely grateful that you and the others are taking the time to give me so much valuable advice and experience. It's all so helpful ☺

 

Iam sure I speak for all, you are most welcome

 

Not that I have any experience with it, but yeah, if I were starting fresh, I'd go with the Salty Shrimp remineralizer. It comes highly recommended by top shrimp keepers like Flip and Richie, so why go with anything else? Also, adjusting KH and pH the way I do with an alkaline and an acid buffer was a bit of a pain at first, so if there's a safe all-in-one product I could use for making perfect water for a new shrimp tank, (still assuming I hadn't already started with RO), I'd go for it!

As things are, I feel I learned the (not really) hard way, and it's what I feel safe with considering my experience. In no way do I feel that Seachem is better or worse, and very well may look into making the switch when I finally start to run low on some of my products.

 

Thanks Stella!
I must say that you all have given me the confidence to go ahead and buy my unit, it's due to arrive today in fact.

I'm going to go with the Salty Shrimp, as you say it looks the ideal product for a novice like me, (as well as the experts!) I watched the video on Flip Aquatics and as you say, it's highly recommended there too.

I know that I'm going to have lots more questions this weekend when I'm getting to grips with my new unit, I'm thinking of maybe starting a new thread in the 'water' section as it might be useful to anyone thinking of getting a RO unit, not just for shrimps.

Luckily Valerie tagged you so that you found me here, but, I'm thinking, over in 'water' more people could benefit from all your (if you have the time) and Richie's EXTREMELY helpful advice and experience.

Thanks for all the help so far! ☺

 

I think you're right and it would be great of you to share your experience in the Water forum to help others like yourself. Feel free to tag me any time.

 

Thank you Stella!
I'll see you over in 'water' with my first questions v soon!! ☺