IS TDS a misunderstood topic in the fishkeeping hobby or profession

IS TDS a misunderstood topic in the fishkeeping hobby or profession:

TDS in Aquarium

A common social notion is that soft water will have low TDS. This is not correct. Water softness is related to water pH. Alkaline water is considered hard water while acidic water is soft water. TDS has been one of the most misunderstood subjects, mostly because of the focus on bottled water or filtered water for human consumption. The disturbing fact is that in found of clean tank water we filter out many essential minerals from water, which has adverse effects on aquatic life too. People want to reduce water TDS for their freshwater aquariums, but why can’t fishes live in distilled water?

In nature when water flows over rocks & stones in rivers and streams, the water gets mineralized. Observing nature we could understand that TDS is essential for healthy fish. But how much TDS is actually healthy? Well, different fish have different requirements, so far as the water TDS is concerned. For example, the TDS for aquariums with African Cichlids would be higher compared to that of Discus.

Once we know a balanced fish tank TDS is needed, we can plan and maintain it accordingly. Some people do it by using RO water or by mixing tap water with RO water. Though it is more important to find out the cause of TDS than to find out how much is it. As the TDS meter can’t tell if the TDS is because, of essential salts or minerals, excess calcium or pesticide, etc., it should not be the instrument that could be relied on to depend completely. Instead, it is not relevant to understanding the cause of TDS in the aquarium as the TDS itself. In our experience, OZPOLISH H2O does increase the TDS due to the addition of necessary minerals in water but this way it mimics the nature from where the aquarium fishes are coming. It also helps in increasing the growth rate of nitrifying bacteria in aquariums. When we know the TDS is due to good things, it is a good TDS. High TDS in a fish tank is not always bad, rather it is often essential.

TDS in Your Aquarium Water a Blessing or a Curse?