R/O water-is a supplement needed?

one lunger

one lunger

New Member
I am using Red Sea brand salt, which calls for using R/O water which is not a problem. However, is it necessary to add a supplement to the water, such as RO Right, or does the salt mix take care of that? I have been using RO Right in my freshwater systems.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by one lunger http:///forum/thread/384513/r-o-water-is-a-supplement-needed#post_3368426
I am using Red Sea brand salt, which calls for using R/O water which is not a problem. However, is it necessary to add a supplement to the water, such as RO Right, or does the salt mix take care of that? I have been using RO Right in my freshwater systems.
Never dose anything you can't test for. RO water has nothing in it, its pure. You add your salt mix or reef crystals (depends on what you want). A pinch of baking soda or reef builder in the top off is all that may be needed, but check alkalinity first to see if you need to.
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
IMO no. If you need to dose to maintain tank parameters dose the tank directly or with topoff water.
Never add anything to the RO before mixing salt. Nothing - Never.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by pepito113 http:///forum/thread/384513/r-o-water-is-a-supplement-needed#post_3368449
Flower why do you put a pinch of baking soda in your mix???

I went back and looked at what I posted, maybe my the sentence was hard to understand. I only put buffer in my top off water but even then, only if you need to after tests show you need to buffer it at all....never the mix.
I was told that buffering the top off water so the alkilinity was correct will stablize the PH..I was dosing for PH at the time and was told it was just a bandaid.
 
pezenfuego

pezenfuego

Active Member
NaHCO3 --> Na+ + HCO3-
HCO3- + H20 ? H2CO3 + OH-
H2CO3 (aq) ? dden="false"
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]-->H2O (l) + CO2 (g) the warmer the solution, the less CO2 is soluble so it eventually finds its way out
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We can add everything from the left of the three equation together and do the same with the right of the three equations to get:
NaHCO3 + HCO3- + H20 + H2CO3 --> Na+ + HCO3- + H2CO3 +OH- + H20 + CO2
And then cross of the products and reactants that are the same to end up ultimately with:
NaHCO3 --> Na+ + CO2 + OH-
Doing so is for the purpose of simplification, this equation is not something that would happen all at once, but in the above three steps.
As the [NaHCO3] increases so does [OH-] and we all know that as [OH-] increases, the pOH decreases which gives us a more basic solution.
Just in case you were wondering how that baking soda worked its magic.
 
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