salinity

[MarshaW]

I purchased a ro/di unit from Reef Bulk Supply and my son-in-law installed it and I finally got to fill a 5 gallon container yesterday; only took 1 hour and 5 minutes to fill the container. :o I added 2.5 cups of I.O. yesterday and this evening when I tested the salinity, it read 1.011. Do I add more I.O. to bring the salinity up? Our city water tastes nasty and I was totally surprised at how good this water is with the filtration unit.

[Henry Bowman]

Yes, you add more salt until the reading is 1.025 or 1.026. Depending on where you keep your tank, you need to try to match the reading. I also recomend matching the temp. You ARE planning on a water change, not just adding water to make up for evaporation. Right?

[MarshaW]

I'm new at this hobby and I'm trying to learn. It's been cycling for 2 weeks and 2 days, so should I go ahead and do a water change? The diatom is now on the rocks and sand, so I went ahead and added 2 mollies and 3 snails and all are doing good.

[Flipper62]

I purchased a ro/di unit from Reef Bulk Supply and my son-in-law installed it and I finally got to fill a 5 gallon container yesterday; only took 1 hour and 5 minutes to fill the container. :o I added 2.5 cups of I.O. yesterday and this evening when I tested the salinity, it read 1.011. Do I add more I.O. to bring the salinity up?
.

Yes, as said above^^^ You want to add more salt until the salinity is around 1.025 / 1.026. Get the salinity the same as the tank.

Our city water tastes nasty and I was totally surprised at how good this water is with the filtration unit.

Its not good to drink the RO/DI water.....Its the DI that makes it not good for you. The DI unit takes out all of the TDS...this is great for the tank but not so good for your body.

However, The RO is fine. I have a bypass valve that I use when I want to fill some 5 gallon water jugs with RO water for drinking. The RO is the same thing that you will buy from your local water delivery company for your water cooler.

[jtrasap]

Its not good to drink the RO/DI water.....Its the DI that makes it not good for you. The DI unit takes out all of the TDS...this is great for the tank but not so good for your body.


That's not quite true. RO/DI water is not going to hurt you in any way shape or form. Yes, RO/DI water, if the filters are kept up, is very pure. It is a hypotonic solution, but, as soon as it comes in contact with your saliva, it's no longer that hypotonic solution. And as it passes on down into the stomach, that pure water is all but gone.

Don't believe the hype. Believe the science....;)

[fooseball08]

do some tests on your tank water and post those results and we can help more... test your:
salinity
nitrites
nitrates
ph
amonia

[Flipper62]

That's not quite true. RO/DI water is not going to hurt you in any way shape or form. Yes, RO/DI water, if the filters are kept up, is very pure. It is a hypotonic solution, but, as soon as it comes in contact with your saliva, it's no longer that hypotonic solution. And as it passes on down into the stomach, that pure water is all but gone.

Don't believe the hype. Believe the science....;)

Please post the science.

I'm not saying that I disagree with you, I would just love to read the article that you have on the science fact.

Its been said for years that its not good for you. But I dont know that for a fact myself since I didn't do the tests. However I do know that it doesn't taste very good.

I would love to read the science fact.....and Debunk what has been said

[returnofsid]

How did you test salinity? If you added 2 1/2 cups of IO to 5 gallons of water, it should be reading 1.025. I'd suggest that however you're testing salinity needs to be double checked. Could be a refractometer that's out of calibration.

[locust]

You need to add more salt. Make sure your readings are correct by checking with another refractometer.

[MarshaW]

Flipper, I will email my professor who is a chemist and I'll ask him about drinking the ro/di and then I'll post it here.

I tested with a new refractometer that was calibrated by my lfs, and my numbers were good; keep in mind that I'm learning. After I tested, I took a sample to my lfs and my numbers were very close to theirs.

Should I keep the top off of the 5 gallon container for aeration(?)?

Henry, since the tank has been cycling for only 2 weeks and 3 days, I don't think I'll do a h2o change right now; diaton is now forming. I'm filling a jug so I can top off because I lost allot of water on my 100 year old wood floor last night because the zip tie wasn't tight enough on one of my hoses. I plan on going to Auto Zone to purchase hose clamps that I can tighten down very tight. 3 gallons of water on the floor was a mess to clean up, but I'm sure most everyone here knows what I'm talking about; guess iI need a shop vac to sucton the water from under the tank.

[dirtStar]

Could you be reading the refractometer wrong?
Possible bubbles in the water on the scope?

The new saltwater can be mixed with a powerhead for circulation.

Dont tighten the hose clamps too tight, or you will find that they will bread the pvc or plastic fittings. Make them very snug.