jaddc February 1, 2011 February 1, 2011 Hey everyone, So I noticed that DC water has some pretty high nitrate levels (I measure about 40-60 ppm in SE DC). I live in an apt so a ro/di system is not very feasible. I saw the amquel plus product and I thought of using that to treat the tap water for water changes. I am wondering what other people do to counter the high nitrates in this area. Do most people have ro/di systems? Thanks! Jeff
Vadim February 1, 2011 February 1, 2011 I live in a condo and i have a RO/DI system. I just bought a faucet adaptor and hook it up whenever i need water. I am looking for a water storage container that would make life easier.
collegeman February 1, 2011 February 1, 2011 I have been using tap water and been battling algae. I ordered a tds meter, rodi system, booster pump, and pressure guage over the weekend. The tds meter came today and my water was at 329ppm. I love to save money in the hobby and i can tell you that a rodi system will save you lots of problems in the future. You can either purchase a portable rodi or a regular one and get a faucet attachment as Vadim stated.
LanglandJoshua February 1, 2011 February 1, 2011 Agreed, I just switched from tap water to RO/DI from the Marine Scene. If you chose to use RO/DI and let your calcium levels and alkalinity levels drop you may get a bad algae bloom. I am just now seeing the algae stop its invasion. I had sheets of it over my sand. I happen to have extremely hard tap water, which is probably why I had good calcium levels for so long. As for getting your own RO/DI I agree with those guys above...do it. I will as soon as I can.
Coral Hind February 1, 2011 February 1, 2011 If you chose to use RO/DI and let your calcium levels and alkalinity levels drop you may get a bad algae bloom. Why do you think a drop in cal and alk causes a bad algae bloom?
LanglandJoshua February 1, 2011 February 1, 2011 Because I had low calcium and alk, then dosed with B-ionic. Before the dose the red algae was starting to grow back within a day. Now it is not growing. Its actually falling apart.
Chad February 1, 2011 February 1, 2011 Hey Jeff, welcome to WAMAS, btw. I don't think I would write off having an RO/DI unit just yet, you just have to be creative about it. What you could do is get a faucet adapter. Hook the RO unit to your bathroom sink, put a 5 gallon bucket in your tub and run the RO output line to the bucket and the waste line to the tub. When all done, you can unhook everything and store it under your sink (or wherever else you want). No risk of an overflow to another apartment when you forget to shut it off since overflow would just go down the tub drain.
Brian Ward February 1, 2011 February 1, 2011 Nitrates are one of the problems, but don't forget about Chloramine (which DC uses except for 2 weeks every year), lead, and copper that is all in the water. You might be able to do a FOWLR tank without using a RO/DI but if you want to do corals - especially some of the more sensitive corals - you must have an RO/DI unit from the start (your rock will absorb the heavy metals and leach them back into the tank water). Most people do have their own RO/DI units. If you are doing a small tank: 20-30 gal or less then you can probably get away with buying your RO/DI water from a shop but it is a bit of a drive and a lot of work to haul it up to your apartment. I also recommend getting at least one of the small units - put it in your bathroom or laundry room if you have one.
Coral Hind February 1, 2011 February 1, 2011 jaddc, Yes welcome to the club! I use tap water for my fish only but like others have mentioned you will want to get an RO unit eventually if you want to keep sps corals. Softies and LPS are even fine with tap but you will see more algae issues using tap. The DI is not a must have in my opinion. Because I had low calcium and alk, then dosed with B-ionic. Before the dose the red algae was starting to grow back within a day. Now it is not growing. Its actually falling apart. I doubt it is related to the alk / cal level but more likely that the tank settled in and the nutrient level became stable.
jaddc February 1, 2011 Author February 1, 2011 Thanks for all the replies. I'm all for RO/DI water and I like the idea of a small unit. A faucet adapter may or may not work because my faucet is "fancy" -- the aerator is a bit flush to the rest of the faucet (I guess to make it more sleek-looking) which would make connection and disconnection a pain. I tried unscrewing the aerator with some taped up pliers and it was obnoxious to get a grip. Maybe not as obnoxious are hauling up DI water in buckets, but obnoxious. I may go under the sink and plumb in a Tee and have the whole thing completely hidden. Time to get creative!! Jeff
Coral Hind February 1, 2011 February 1, 2011 When I lived in apartments I would use a $5 self piercing saddle valve under the sink. When it was time to move out I just shut off the valve, removed the 1/4" tubing, and left it there. They never looked under the sink and take notice of it.
jaddc February 1, 2011 Author February 1, 2011 When I lived in apartments I would use a $5 self piercing saddle valve under the sink. When it was time to move out I just shut off the valve, removed the 1/4" tubing, and left it there. They never looked under the sink and take notice of it. Of course -- Brilliant! Thanks! J
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