Buy Ro Di Water
I've been using tap water with dechlorinator and I know that's a no-no but I can't shell out for an RO unit, but I don't know where to get it around here. My LFS uses tap water in his reef tank and it seems to work fine. He has a really cool lion fish and lots of corals. Anyway if anybody knows where to get RO water in the Beaufort, SC area let me know. Thanks for reading.
buy ro di water
If you go to Wal-Mart they have reverse osmosis water for about .85. It is labeled as "drinking water" but if you read the fine print on the label it will say something like "purified through reverse osmosis filtration." That is what we do for our 14G biocube as we also don't want to shell out for the RO unit.
A lot of fish stores sell ro/di water or so they claim but be careful. I started out this way and always had problems with hair algae. I used to think it was something I was doing wrong but once I got my own ro system the algae started going away so it was more than likely a water quality issue.
So what I'm reading here is since I'm not getting an ro/di unit now, the best option is distilled drinking water. I did check craigslist and there aren't any hits for it. And my LFS uses tap water for the store tanks so no luck there either. Plus his tanks have algae and stuff in them usually. I always figured that was a light issue though because he has one T5 fixture on a 125 gallon tank.
post on hardware classifieds your looking for used RO/DI, someone will PM you pretty quickly. If not, I agree, go the distilled water route. But would be much easier to just buy a used one. Spectrapure is good and sells refurbished units. BRS has a good unit as well. Good luck. I know folks who go the tap water route. you'll be fine just watch your water params for nitrates and phosphates, cut down your lighting and start low go slow with stocking of fish and coral regardless... (if algae persists).
Not sure where you are located but in the phoenix area we have hundreds of Water & Ice type stores, seems like one on every corner. They are RO only but for the most part do a excellent job so the TDS is usually very low, maybe 3-5 down from 600+. Every store I have visited or used was very happy to pull out their TDS or conductivity meter and show me the results once I told them it was for a reef system. I would not hesitate to use a good manned or staffed water store in most cases if they are like that and their product is good, yes it has a small amount of TDS but they take pride in their product unlike a vending machine that gets wiped down with a bleach rag once a month.
wow, Im guessing if your LFS uses tap water, then mine does too. They lied to me about several things at first and even told me the salt they sold was good used with tap water. Luckily I bought all distilled. Luckily a new LFS just opened and Ive seen his RO unit in action and its a brand new unit so Im hopefull there. Offered me all I want for free too.
I think I'm pretty much sold on just getting an ro/di unit now. lol I looked up the purple cap distilled water from walmart and on the nutritional value sticker it shows 3500 mg of potassium. I figure if that's there then what else is too? I'm already getting some pretty bad algae on my sand bed and it's only been 2 weeks so I think I'll just bite the bullet. What do you guys think of this unit?
I'm in pretty much the same boat as you dalovesj. My plan is once the RO/DI system gets here to slowly change all the water out, but I have fish in mine so I can't very well drain all the water and start over. If there were no fish I might do that, though. And if you're using RO without the DI the water is still much much cleaner than your top water is. After the RO membrane depending on the membrane used it's like 90% clean. I'm no expert, but I've been reading a lot over the past few days.
RO/DI (or RODI) stands for Reverse Osmosis and Deionization. RO/DI water is produced by running tap water through an RO/DI unit in order to remove the total amount of dissolved solids in the water. These solids include elements like nitrates, phosphates, and chlorine, as well as various metals like copper and lead that enter the water due to the metal plumbing found in most houses.
An RO/DI system is a 3-5 stage all-in-one filter that purifies tap water and produces 0 TDS water. It removes mobile charged ions such as salts, metals, and other materials found in tap water that can lead to algae blooms and a number of other problems in aquariums.
You will also be able to make perfect quality water without even leaving the house! There is no more need to buy RO/DI water or expensive fresh saltwater from your aquarium store, since you will always have what you need, right at home. (This can really come in handy in an emergency!)
Plus, buying an RO/DI machine will save you a lot of time and money in the long run. Not only will it prevent you from troublesome problems like algal blooms, but it will save you from having to keep continually buying RO/DI water from your aquarium store. A quality machine will cost a bit no matter what (at least around $150 for a good one), but the investment is definitely worth it as it will easily save you money over time!
Yes! Even if you are buying RO/DI water from your local fish store or have a small tank, you need an RO/DI system for your saltwater aquarium! Often local fish stores will sell fresh saltwater with a TDS level of 3-5, which can still cause some issues in your tank. Give yourself the peace of mind and buy an RO/DI filter, knowing that you are using true 0 TDS water!
Additionally, choosing a filter generally requires extensive knowledge of what pets you want to keep, but an RO/DI system will work with reef, freshwater, and marine aquariums. Tap water will only work for some fish, but RO/DI water will work for most anything! Thinking of getting another tank? Get an RO/DI unit! It will cover all your bases.
Even for freshwater fish, having an RO/DI unit can be very helpful. The mineral concentrations and pH of tap water may vary from home to home and may not be suitable for your fish. And in some places, you risk exposing soft water fish to hard water.
LiquaGen's 5-stage RO/DI unit is an excellent option for first time reefers who are on a relatively clean city water supply with low chlorine levels. The 5-stage unit is designed primarily for reefers but can be used for fresh water or salt water aquarium enthusiasts and a wide array of applications where ultra-pure zero TDS is needed. The 5-Stage unit is built on one frame (making it portable) and does not require permeant installation, modification, or drilling. Installation of this unit should not take more than 5 minutes!
Here's the quick answer: RO and DI filters use different physical reactions to clean water. Reverse Osmosis (RO) is used to partially clean-up tap water to make it roughly 90% to 99% pure. Deionization (DI) filters exchange positive hydrogen and negative hydroxyl molecules for positive and negative contaminant molecules in water. DI filtering and other processes are sometimes referred to as "water polishing."
Understanding the difference between reverse osmosis (RO) and deionized (DI) is important when identifying the right water purification unit for your lab. Having access to high quality water is essential for laboratories to carry out their daily processes and workflows. By taking a closer look at different methods of producing both types of water, RO and DI, you can feel confident in your decision regarding water purification systems.
RO grade water, or Type III water, is quite simply the reverse of the naturally occurring process of osmosis. Osmosis is the movement of water molecules from low ion concentration to high ion concentration through a semipermeable membrane. For example, the osmotic process is used by our cells to maintain osmotic balance of the intercellular environment(s). The method of producing RO water is a simple matter of applying increased pressure to one side of the system. By applying additional pressure to one side, in the case the untreated or dirtier water side, feedwater is forced through semipermeable membranes resulting in more purified water. The RO process can typically remove 90-99% of contaminants. Although not perfect, RO purification is a cost-effective method because if used properly RO membranes can last for years.
DI grade water, or Type II water, is purified water that has had almost all its mineral ions removed, such as cations like sodium, calcium, iron, and copper, and anions like chloride and sulfate. The DI process leverages specially manufactured ion-exchange resins that exchange hydrogen (H+) and hydroxyl (OH-) ions for dissolved minerals, and then recombine to form water (H2O). Over time, positively and negatively charged contaminants in the water displace all the active H+ and OH- molecules on the DI resin and at that time the filter must be replaced. Another benefit of the DI purification process is that it is an on-demand process for supplying DI or Type II when needed. Because the ion-exchange resin in not a physical filter with a pore size bacteria and dissolved organics will not be captures, so knowing production water requirements is essential when selecting a water purification unit.
There are several ways to establish the quality level of purified water. The simplest test is a direct measurement of electrical conductivity or resistivity. Most dissolved inorganics are either positively or negatively charged and can transmit an electrical current when electrodes are inserted in the water. The more ions that are present, the greater the conductivity, or the lower the resistivity of the water sample. Conductivity is expressed in µS/cm (microsiemens/cm) and is used to measure water with many ions present. 041b061a72