Guest JasonD March 7, 2007 March 7, 2007 Is RO/DI water needed for a FOWLR tank? My FW tank has undetectable nitrate and barely any algae growth using tap water (thanks to heavy plant growth). I had some diatoms after the tank cycled, but they went away in a couple of weeks. When do you need to step up to using RO/DI water in a SW tank?
Caribbean Jake March 7, 2007 March 7, 2007 Using an individual reverse osmosis, deionization, or a combination RO/DI water filter unit to purify tap water sources before use in either fresh or saltwater systems provides far superior water quality. These types of filters remove nitrate, phosphate and other chemical elements found in tap water that can lead to algae blooms and other problems. If you have a high level of contaminants in your tap water, a high performance RO unit for maximum filtration is recommended. The quality of water going into the tank can have a huge impact on your overall success in keeping a saltwater aquarium. For most freshwater application, using standard tap water with the addition of a water conditioner to remove chlorine and heavy metal will suffice. But in saltwater aquariums the use of tap water could possible cause problems such as undesirable algae growths and the inability to keep some species of fish and/or invertebrates alive. The use of a tap water filter, such as a reverse osmosis (RO) or reverse osmosis/deionizing (RO/DI) unit, can help reduce all unwanted pollutants out of your tap water. This will allow you to start with pure water to mix with a synthetic sea salt and for topping off the tank from evaporation.
jason the filter freak March 7, 2007 March 7, 2007 I'm going to say this... for some it is for some it isnt...
Caribbean Jake March 7, 2007 March 7, 2007 I'm going to say this... for some it is for some it isnt... After using the TDS meter and gathering 216 ppms reads on the Fairfax County Tap Water, I will say it is a most., I will not want to risk $$$$$$ (fish and corals) and use the tap water conditioner on my livestock
Mystical Lady March 8, 2007 March 8, 2007 I was one that was determined NOT to use RO/DI water.... but after fighting my tank parameters for months I decided to start buying the water from the store just to see if there was a difference.... almost immediately I could see the parameters change for the better........ I bought a RO/DI unit about a month ago and have been absolutely undeniably happy about the purchase ever since..... I should have bought a unit sooner than I did and not been so stubborn about it...... I love my RO/DI unit!!
ArtC March 8, 2007 March 8, 2007 Is RO/DI water needed for a FOWLR tank? My FW tank has undetectable nitrate and barely any algae growth using tap water (thanks to heavy plant growth). I had some diatoms after the tank cycled, but they went away in a couple of weeks. When do you need to step up to using RO/DI water in a SW tank? Do you know what is IN your tap water? If not, then you don't know if it's OK to put it in your tank. Ask your water utility, or maybe more directly useful, ask WAMAS people who have the same water supply. I used the cheesy Kent Bare Bones RO when I started. Annapolis has pretty high TDS, and apparently a good bit made it through the RO. I still had negligible nitrate in my tank, but that's because it all went directly into the forest of hair algae! Switching to full size RO/DI killed off all the algae (or at least kept the growth down to the point that the tangs did.) Best hobby purchase I ever made. Depending on your water source, there could be any number of other chemicals that the RO would take out. All those get more concentrated in your tank as you replace evaporation. The DI cartridges won't have to be replaced often if the RO can handle what is coming in. Is RO/DI water needed for a FOWLR tank? My FW tank has undetectable nitrate and barely any algae growth using tap water (thanks to heavy plant growth). I had some diatoms after the tank cycled, but they went away in a couple of weeks. When do you need to step up to using RO/DI water in a SW tank?
n8dogggg March 8, 2007 March 8, 2007 Do you know what is IN your tap water? If not, then you don't know if it's OK to put it in your tank. Ask your water utility, or maybe more directly useful, ask WAMAS people who have the same water supply. I used the cheesy Kent Bare Bones RO when I started. Annapolis has pretty high TDS, and apparently a good bit made it through the RO. I still had negligible nitrate in my tank, but that's because it all went directly into the forest of hair algae! Switching to full size RO/DI killed off all the algae (or at least kept the growth down to the point that the tangs did.) Best hobby purchase I ever made. Depending on your water source, there could be any number of other chemicals that the RO would take out. All those get more concentrated in your tank as you replace evaporation. The DI cartridges won't have to be replaced often if the RO can handle what is coming in. Dont mean to hijack this but it seems like useful information for this forum, if one does decide to get a RO/DI unit, what is the minimun amount of stages you would recommend? Of course more is better, but for some of us that would like to work our ways up to the $300 Unit, would a 3 stage be ok if I were looking into it?
Mystical Lady March 8, 2007 March 8, 2007 http://www.epa.gov/safewater/dwinfo/index.html you might find your water quality report here....
rsarvis March 8, 2007 March 8, 2007 I was going to try to go the tap water route, but after at least a dozen people told me a filter is a must-have or that it's the best purchase they've ever made, I decided to just go ahead and get one. I got the compact reefkeeper at airwaterice--it isn't too expensive--and am about to install it. I'm in Annandale, on Fairfax water, my tap's TDS measures around 140. Looking forward to the miraculous change in water quality. Here's hoping...
lanman March 8, 2007 March 8, 2007 I was going to try to go the tap water route, but after at least a dozen people told me a filter is a must-have or that it's the best purchase they've ever made, I decided to just go ahead and get one. I got the compact reefkeeper at airwaterice--it isn't too expensive--and am about to install it. I'm in Annandale, on Fairfax water, my tap's TDS measures around 140. Looking forward to the miraculous change in water quality. Here's hoping... I got the same unit - it arrived with a broken ASOV (automatic shut-off valve). I e-mailed them a picture of it, and they sent a replacement within hours. Seems like a pretty good company. bob
trble81 March 8, 2007 March 8, 2007 Here's a noob-cake question (and I don't mean to possibly veer off the subject a little) but how do you install a RO/DI unit? I don't have a particular one and I looked at the general instructions on airwaterice's website but I was wondering if installing it under a sink and putting another faucet in the sink. Basically I want to know if you can "install it" by just connecting a water line to it and then when your done, take it off (like a hose or something). If that's not the case, I'll have to brush up on my plumbing knowledge :wink:
lanman March 9, 2007 March 9, 2007 Here's a noob-cake question (and I don't mean to possibly veer off the subject a little) but how do you install a RO/DI unit? I don't have a particular one and I looked at the general instructions on airwaterice's website but I was wondering if installing it under a sink and putting another faucet in the sink. Basically I want to know if you can "install it" by just connecting a water line to it and then when your done, take it off (like a hose or something). If that's not the case, I'll have to brush up on my plumbing knowledge :wink: Yes, you can. I got a Y-adapter, and hooked the hose up to the same faucet as the washing machine. I hung the unit in the laundry room, which has a convenient drain for the excess water. So basically, you need a faucet to hook it up to, a drain (it comes with instructions on drilling into a drain pipe), and a container for the RODI water. The amount of filtered water you get per amount of waste water varies by the temperature of your water, etc. My icy-cold well water wastes a ton - like 10 times as much goes down the drain as into the bucket. bob
Caribbean Jake March 9, 2007 March 9, 2007 Dont mean to hijack this but it seems like useful information for this forum, if one does decide to get a RO/DI unit, what is the minimun amount of stages you would recommend? Of course more is better, but for some of us that would like to work our ways up to the $300 Unit, would a 3 stage be ok if I were looking into it? Check airwaterice.com they have units of 4 and 5 stages recommended for reefkeeping starting at $135 and up. They are a good and reputable company, and has supported me through the last 3 years. I am happy with this RO/DI and glad I didn't pay more than $130 back then
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