rodi filters

[sittnon18s]

just wondering how important ro water is to a reef tank. im now using tap water

[Nereaga]

It is VERY important. Tap water has tons of added heavy minerals and harmful chemicals in it. These chemical benefit our consumption, however in the ocean, these are not found and could be harmful to tankmates.

RO/DI water is recommended, this water filtration strips water of all contaminants and allows the salt to add all the trace elements and things neccessary for a reef.

I would highly recommed using at least RO filtered water.

Have you ever tested your tap water for phosphates or nitrAtes?

Brad

[aquaman67]

It depends on the tap. You could be getting very pure water from an underground source.

If you're not having problems, keep doing what you're doing.

[Playa-1]

I would agree with aquaman and Nereaga. You water quality is very important. So it really depends on your tap water. I think filtering your tap water with a quality RO/DI filter is cheap insurance to protect your tank.

You also have to consider other factors such as the age of the pipes in the house and under the streets, the tap water source, what the pipes are made of, what could potentially leach into the water, What chemical is being used to disinfect the water, fertilizer and chemical runoff in your area, local industry, etc..., Not to mention potential algae issues from phosphates and silicates.

The answer by many municipalities is to use a series of sediment filters, add bleach and fluoride, and then pump it out to you through a series of degraded old pipes.

I would love to know that percentage of water treatment executives that have their own in home water treatment systems.

[Toddrtrex]

After seeing an algae outbreak in my tank after letting my RO membrane get "used up" and my TDS getting pretty high, I will never use tap water again. Should note that my tap's TDS isn't all that bad, around 140 or so.

[Padrino]

Agreed! You will be happier when you use RO water and for all the same reasons mentioned above.

When you install an RO/DI system, be sure to install a inline TDS meter or have a mobile device to meter the TDS level. This way you can verify that your RO system is working properly and it also gives you an idea when your equipment needs replacing (filters/membrane)

Good luck!

[sittnon18s]

cool thanks for the imput. i just ordered a 6stage ro2di unit. not sure if it has a tds meter or not i will check into it. my problem i have now is a major cyano problem. been siphoning it off the sand bed and rocks and doing 10% wc a week and cutting back on the nutriant load in the tank, seems to be getting a little better but once i get the ro unit up hopefully this will help a bit

[dwd5813]

rodi filters are very important. some people are fortunate enough to have good quality tap water, but that can change over time as treatment facilities implement new methods, pipes break or corrode, etc. having your own source of pure water is relatively inexpensive and provides a certain peace of mind in the case of any troubles, since you can verify the quality of your source water. congrats on the decision to get a system, you won't regret it.

[sittnon18s]

when i use the ro water do i have to add anything to it to bring the ph up or any other thing up to the norm

[AZDesertRat]

No RO or RO/DI doesn't need any adjustments.

RO and RO/DI give you consistency you will not get with tap water.
Don't get wrapped up in "Stages", its a sales ploy the ebay vendors use to sound impressive. For a good RO system you need 3 "Stages" and an very good RO/DI you need 4 "Stages", no more no less. A good low micron(I micron or less) prefilter. a 0.6 micron Chlorine Guzzler carbon block, a 75 GPD Dow Filmtec RO membrane and a full sized 10" canister vertical DI with a full sized 20 oz refillable cartridge. Thats it, you don't need a thing else. Ebay quality units use crappy filters and designs so they wil add things like two higher micron carbons or even granular carbon which is a no no and little low capacity horizontal tubes thye call DI so they stack two or three of them to impress you. Thyey may also stick a granular activated carbon taste and odor drinking water filter on that you will just throw away if tank water is all you are after.
For $169 you can get a full featured RO/DI with all name brand high quality filters and components plus a handheld TDS meter, inline pressure gauge, RO bypass valve, flush etc.

[dwd5813]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13988550#post13988550 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sittnon18s
when i use the ro water do i have to add anything to it to bring the ph up or any other thing up to the norm
salt mix should take care of everything. test it at temperature and with proper salinity to see if everythings okay, and you can add things if needed.

[sittnon18s]

i just checked a few things on my tap water and it is
dkh--4
nitrate--0ppm
phosphate-- 0.5ppm
is there anything else that might be bad that i should test for

[AZDesertRat]

Copper is a big one. You cannot possibly test al the thing you need to test for and hobbist grade test kits do not have the level of accuracy or detection levels you will need. Tap water is a bad proposition due to its inconsistency, it may be OK today but what happens when the distribution main down the street breaks and there is a backflow incident in the neighbors yard with his garden hose stuck in a treewell or horse trough? Or when a storm rolls through and the treatment plant is inundated with high sediments and TDS.
Its not worth the risk even a little bit in my mind and I am a treatment plant operator and supervisor by profession. What may be safe to drink may not be safe for a reef system. Drinking water standards and reef standards are two entirely different things.

[Padrino]

Also you need Ro water to properly calibrate your refractometer. Having this unit out of whack by even a little bit with effect all of your readings as salinty directly affects how much trace elements can be held.

Take a look at this thread, its long, but well worth the read!
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1287118