Help bring kent marine down!

[ucdpike2001]

Hi all you saltwater fish hobbiest.
I recently bought a ro system from kent marine. This system states that it removes 99% of all impurities from the water. well it actually only does about 50% of nitrates and nitrites. Well i used their "purified water" and 5 days later the nitrite levels in my tank were at 10ppm and nitrates 140ppm. THe system was professionaly set up. So there is no error on my part. I am presently a chemistry major at the university of california, davis. Which just happened to allow me to have my water professionaly tested. Which is where i got my numbers from.
As a result of all this i lost a blue tang and an imperator angel. Kent marine refuses to refund my money for the defective product or pay me for my losses of my fish. Oh yeah, i had there bodies tested at the ucdavis verternary lab and they also had high levels of nitrates/rites. It pays to be a pre-med student
My fish tank has never had levels this high. My set-up is perfect. I have 2 berlin skimers, a wet-dry filter, uv and 150 pounds of live sand and 100 punds of live rock. I have only a salfin tang and 6 chromis in addition to the 2 fish i lost in a 100g tank very minimal tank load.
I am looking for any written documentation that states both nitrites and nitrates are harmful to fish and high levels. I need excellent sources. None of the fish books i have cleary state whether they are harmful or not. They state not healthy.
Please help

 

[cincyreefer]

Well, here are a few things that jump out at me right now. First, what kind of water were you using before you started using the RO unit? Was it the same tap water that is being filtered by the RO unit? If it was then I don't see anyway in how the RO unit made the water worse, or killed your fish. Second, if you had those fish for a decent amount of time, then I don't think those levels killed the fish. I have seen it time and time again where fish have lived in similar levels, if not worse. Third, did you mix up the salt in the water for at least 24 hours before you put it in the tank? When you say you tested the "bodies," what exactly did you test? The actual membranes themselves that filter the water? Fourth, I don't believe there is such a thing as a "perfect" set up. There are some really good set ups, which this sounds to be, but the only perfect setup is the ocean. Lastly, my biggest question is this... How long has the tank been setup for? By any chance is it around 3 or 4 weeks?
I am in no way affiliated with Kent Marine or have any reason to defend them, but these are just some questions I would have to ask before I would stop endorsing their products, which have always worked great for me (including their RO unit...). Sorry I can't help you with what you were wanting, but I don't know if trying to take down the whole company is a good objective. Did you try seeing if they would replace the RO unit to see if maybe you did get a faulty one, and see if another one would test differently? They have always been pretty easy to deal with in all my experiences.
I am not intending this post to attack you at all, I am just trying to help solve any problems there might be... whether it be Kent's RO unit or possibly something else.

 

[bang guy]

Sorry ucdpike2001, Even straight tap water isn't going to give you Nitrite reading like that. You're barking up the wrong tree IMO. The RO had nothing to do with the death of your fish.

 

[jacksonpt]

I am also curious to know about how you prepare your water. I have a Kent RO/DI unit that does a tremendous job, but I still have to properly prepare the water before I can use it. Fresh RO/DI water gets airiated for 36 hours, then salt is added, then airiated for another 36hours. I've had that tested several times (though never at the university of california, davis). My levels always come back excellent.
On a side note... I'm not water chemistry expert, but I'd be surprised if standard tap/well water had 140ppm trates/trites - that just seems awful high to me. When I first started in the hobby, I used tap water for about 2 years before I got my RO/DI unit. My trate/trite levels were always high, but no where near that. Usually in the 5-10ppm range.
I would guess that your problem is elsewhere. Overfeeding is very common... could that be your problem?

 

[beaslbob]

ucdpike:
First of all sorry for your losses.
I have no doubt your nitrIte and nitrAte levels increased with RO/Di water. But I highly doubt you got those nitrATes directly from the RO/DI water. It is also possible the water was actually pure and therefore had all the buffering and trace elements removed. ph alk calcium all changed and things died in your tank. that caused the rise in nitrItes and nitrAtes. After all the main source of nitrates and nitrItes is the bioload not the input water. And with sufficient plant life you nitrAtes should have been consumed as they were being produced.
I suggest the ro/di unit worked as advertised.

 

[cathbad]

Was the water dechlorinated before entering the ro membrane? If I am not mistaken chlorine can damage some types of membranes.

 

[beaslbob]

Originally posted by DevilBoy
beaslbob,
i dont know who you are, but every post i read by you really doesnt make much sense... and you ask ask about plant life.... and i have seen other users tell you that you have been wrong many times. but it seems to me, 99% of the people that replied to this thread said it didnt have nothing to with the ro/di water... and you are saying maybe it did.... just my opinion sorry
No reason to apologize. We are all here to learn including me. Did you test the water immediately after it came from the RO/DI unit? I thought you tested the aquarium water a week later. Perhaps that is where I didn't understand. If you do test the water immediately from the unit and it is pure, then you can simply reread my original post.

 

[tony detroit]

My guess is you did something wrong. Kent marine has never been known for making a BS product. Most of their stuff is flawless. I had a problem with a skimmer from them, and they ended up letting me keep two for the price of one. I'm talking a big ass skimmer too, not some little prizm piece of crap.

 

[marine fanatic]

Originally posted by tony detroit
not some little prizm piece of crap.
Many people have great success with the prizm skimmers, is there really a need to bash on it?

 

[bheron]

ucdpike2001, I can feel your frustration. But its wise to verify all options first before making an accusation like this. Just like checking all of your references when writing a paper! The peope on this forum are among the most knowledgeable in the industry - list to them!
also, just about every post I've seen from Beaslbob contradicts everyone else's opinion! makes me wonder, too. but it also is what makes this forum that much better - if we didn't challenge, if we didn't disagree, we wouldnt learn, and we would be cheated!

 

[tony detroit]

---sorry
Prizms work great, I was just referencing it wasn't some little teeny tiny skimmer. It was a 48'' skimmer rated for a 800gal tank.

 

[marine fanatic]

Understood tony, sorry if I took it wrong..and yes, a 48" IS a huge skimmer

 

[tony detroit]

Originally posted by Bang Guy
Sorry ucdpike2001, Even straight tap water isn't going to give you Nitrite reading like that. You're barking up the wrong tree IMO. The RO had nothing to do with the death of your fish.
Very true bang.
There is nothing in a RO unit to raise your Nitrite or Nitrate levels period.
You could have run straight tap water and not phucked up everything that bad. My guess is that you screwed up somewhere via overstocking and don't realize it.
---Sorry, the truth hurts, but it is no reason to give kent marine a bad name because of your personal phuck up.

 

[starfishjackedme]

I think this guy is just trying to start a flame or get somebody's goat.