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SSalty
01/30/2007, 09:58 PM
Hey guys and gals. I know this is my first post, and later I will introduce my-self and what kinda of tank I have, but I am in a big hurry. I am new to the hobby, and I know that an R.O system would be a good investment. Few questions, I just got my R.O System installed and to tell you the truth I don't know much about it. I know what it does but I don't know what I need to do before I can start adding the water to my tank. I need to add top off water but before I can do this, I want to make sure the R.O water is in the right condition.

Should I test the water before I add? What kind of tests? Should I airate the water before I add to the tank? Basically could someone give me the basics that I need to know about R.O water?

Again I am sorry for being so demanding, and I will use the search function when I have time. On top of getting my first tank going, school is consuming all of my time.

Thanks a bunch.:beer:

AZDesertRat
01/30/2007, 10:33 PM
The first thing you need is a TDS meter. Without it you are just guessing as to the water quality. For reef water you might want to add a DI filter after the RO for the best quality. RO by itself is much better than tap water but is still only 90 to 98% fewer contaminants, its the DI that does the final polishing.
The water will not need any special treatment or testing other than with a TDS meter before use as top off water. For water changes you will want to add your salt mix and a heater and aerate the water for at least a few hours before use.
Let me know if you have a TDS meter and I can walk you through all the tesing you need to do as well as what maintenance is required for an RO/DI system.
And most importantly Welcome to Reef Central!

SSalty
01/30/2007, 11:13 PM
Thanks for the quick response. I have no idea what a TDS meter is or where I would purchase one. I also don't know anything about D/I. Is the D/I filter expensive? What does it consist of?

My aquarium is getting low and I need to add water within the next day, so I am getting a little nervous.

I see you are from Phoenix, I live in Bismarck ND, but my parent have a home in Scottsdale. I love going down to visit. Anyway, thanks again.:wave:

rudezuk
01/30/2007, 11:39 PM
Check out Air Water Ice dot com

AZDesertRat
01/31/2007, 08:13 AM
One of the sponsors here on RC has a great deal on an add on DI filter and also good prices on TDS meters. Get a handheld TDS meter, they are more versatile than inline types.
Check out www.thefilterguys.biz .

Conceyted
01/31/2007, 08:17 AM
I would stay away from Air Water Ice. Initially it was a great purchase but years later I have realized the filters exhaust too quickly and I have spent way too much money on a sub par system. I am sticking with Spectrapure.

SSalty
01/31/2007, 11:38 AM
I don't have time to wait for a TDS meter, I NEED to add water today, my tank is getting low. Is the a deffinelty must??

AZDesertRat
01/31/2007, 12:14 PM
Long term Yes. I would get one soon and establish a maintenance and testing plan so you can track water quality and filter life but you will probably be OK in the meantime. Same with the DI, I would add it soon so you can provide your reef the best quality water from the beginning.
Conceyted, I also use Spectrapure for my RO/DI unit and supplies but without knowing the difference in quality between theirs and others it might give a newbie sticker shock.

champscorner
01/31/2007, 05:05 PM
sorry for jumping in on this post but i just hooked up my ro/di unit and had a question. when i,m done producing a batch of water and i shutoff the incoming water line should i drain the water out of the ro filters compartments, or is ok to leave the compartments full until i make my next batch?thanks for any answers.

AZDesertRat
01/31/2007, 05:11 PM
Always leave the housings full. I find it better to shut off on the downstream side of the unit so the housings stay full and pressurized but you need an autoshutoff valve or the waste stream will continue to run.

champscorner
01/31/2007, 05:18 PM
thanks!! i'm getting ready to order a booster pump(well water) and the auto shutoff form the filter guys soon. if you have any other suggestions please feel free as i'm new to the whole ro/di thing. thanks again.

AZDesertRat
01/31/2007, 05:21 PM
If you are going to all that expense I would add a drinking water kit and use it for the house too. I have a 14G pressure tank and have RO plumbed to my kitchen drinking water fauset, ice maker, launndry sink RO and reef DI so I get full use out of it. RO water is great to drink and make coffee with.

champscorner
01/31/2007, 05:34 PM
that would be nice. i bought the ocean reef 4 form the filter guys so the ro kit came with the unit. the problem is i'm not real sure how to use it to make drinking water fast enough. i split off of my washing machine line and i use a pressure tank as i'm using well water so my psi is only around 40 to 45. when i turn on the ro valve water just trickles out slowly. is there a way i could make so when i wanted to fill up a gallon water jug i could do it quickly? is it as easy as hooking up a booster pump?

AZDesertRat
01/31/2007, 05:40 PM
You need the bladder/pressure tank. Even with a booster pump its still going to trickle, only a little faster. With a pressure tank you will have xx number of gallons of pressurized water on hand for immediate use and it can recover overnight or when you are not using it. With my 14G pressure tank I get just over 11 gallons immediately before it starts to trickle and it recovers in a few hours. With the booster pump and pressure tank both it will recover faster.

SSalty
01/31/2007, 10:15 PM
My thead has officially been jacked:blown: Haha just playin'. I actually learned a few things from this.

Anywase. TDS is on order, and in the meen time I checked the PH of my RO. It read around 6.8 ppm. Does this sound about right? At school my biology teacher ran a test on the hardness of the water and she said it was just fine.

AZDesertRat
02/01/2007, 08:17 AM
Measuring the pH of RO or RO/DI water is pointless. You will not get a beneficial reading due to the lack of ions and the dissilved CO2 present in the water. Don't worry about pH, your salt mix will bring it to where it needs to be.