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View Full Version : After 20 years of using bathtub water I switch to an RO unit. NOW ALGAE CRAZY


tang named junkyard
02/18/2014, 08:55 PM
Well, there's a saying. If it's not broke don't fix it. I've used bathtub water for ever on my reef system with zero issues. I decided to give an RO unit a spin. I did a 2 20 gallon water changes in a couple days and wow the algae went nuts. You would think I was using the waste line off the RO unit.

davocean
02/18/2014, 09:11 PM
Well, w/out knowing your tank history and all, my guess would be maybe your LR has absorbed phos from previously used water and now showing the negative signs, maybe.

Squidmotron
02/18/2014, 09:16 PM
That is... actually kinda awesome.

fishysteve
02/18/2014, 09:29 PM
Did you flush the cartridges before collecting the water for use? The membrane has a preservative I think, that needs to be rinsed out before you use the water.

MakomekTVN
02/18/2014, 09:41 PM
This sound like you been eating Mcdonald's everyday for 20yrs and feeling so healthy then one day you switch to healthy food and after week of healthy food you got a heart attack.

tang named junkyard
02/18/2014, 09:52 PM
I ran the RO for an hour per the instructions.

PHOS: .25
Nitrates: 0
PH: 8.2

FlyPenFly
02/18/2014, 11:35 PM
Threw as probably an algaecide or copper in your pre-rodi water.

whosurcaddie
02/18/2014, 11:37 PM
Threw as probably an algaecide or copper in your pre-rodi water.

Where can I buy this algaecide LOL!

ingtar_shinowa
02/18/2014, 11:43 PM
throw more ginger at it.

OrQidz
02/19/2014, 01:20 AM
should there be phosphate in the RO? You're sure you aren't mixing up the wastewater line? (sorry had to ask!)

Is the RO the only thing you've changed? I don't know how big your system is, but two 20gallon water changes in a few days could maybe upset the system (am I reading that right about the water changes?)

tang named junkyard
02/19/2014, 02:08 AM
+1 on ginger comment

tang named junkyard
02/19/2014, 02:09 AM
I haven't really changed anything else. The corals all look great

d2mini
02/19/2014, 05:32 AM
what is bathtub water???

tang named junkyard
02/19/2014, 10:34 AM
Means I would go to bathtub with a 5 gallon bucket, fill it up and put it in. No additives. Worked great for 20 years in 2 different cities. The week I turn to RO the algae is stoked. If I can't clear it up I'm heading back to tap water. Also, I rarely do water changes. The tanks have worked well with that for ever.

fishysteve
02/19/2014, 11:20 AM
So you don't do water changes and you use tap water to top off. That doesn't sound like a good idea. It's just concentrating all the crap in the water.

fishysteve
02/19/2014, 11:22 AM
Maybe ginger would do the trick.