Water Filtration..

[shainline]

Guess what I want to know about???? RO/DI! Right now I use a Tap Water Filter. It deionizes the water. I just purchased a tool to check the water, its called a TDS EZ. I was taking a sample to my LFS to get it checked and today decided to buy one myself. Anyways with a new filter in place its testeing the TDS at 0! Reading the manual on the tap filter it says that PH test kits cant measure the deionized water properly and that you have to use a PH adjuster.. What I am trying to find out is: Are RO/DI units the same?? My PH has NEVER been right! Been adding ph+ the past week to get it to come up. Not suppose to affect the alkalinity but got that tested today and my 29 is at 14!!!!!! I am also trying to figure out how difficult a RO/Di unit will be.. Is it worth it? My unfiltered water here reads at 196 on the TDS unit. Basically says I have hard water. Please any advice will be welcomed!

 

[scsinet]

Originally Posted by SHainline
http:///forum/post/3165277
Guess what I want to know about???? RO/DI! Right now I use a Tap Water Filter. It deionizes the water. I just purchased a tool to check the water, its called a TDS EZ. I was taking a sample to my LFS to get it checked and today decided to buy one myself. Anyways with a new filter in place its testeing the TDS at 0! Reading the manual on the tap filter it says that PH test kits cant measure the deionized water properly and that you have to use a PH adjuster.. What I am trying to find out is: Are RO/DI units the same?? My PH has NEVER been right! Been adding ph+ the past week to get it to come up. Not suppose to affect the alkalinity but got that tested today and my 29 is at 14!!!!!! I am also trying to figure out how difficult a RO/Di unit will be.. Is it worth it? My unfiltered water here reads at 196 on the TDS unit. Basically says I have hard water. Please any advice will be welcomed!

Okay well the first thing you have to know is that pH is more the result of other values than it is a value that should be directly manipulated. Other water parameters, namely calcium and alkalinity, will "set" the pH for you. Are you testing for these parameters? If so, what are your readings?
pH up and down products can do more harm than good, I wouldn't play with them at all. There isn't really a lot of point to testing your filtered water, because it has had all of it's alkalinity stripped out, causing pH to vary wildly. Even agitating the water by carrying it around in a bucket can throw the value by several points. Don't bother testing it. If your tank's alkalinity is good, when you put the water into the tank it'll straighten itself out.
As for your filter... you are going to find that the filter you have (I'm familiar with it) will need to have it's rather expensive filter cartridge replaced very often, especailly with hard water. Those things "get" a lot of people because they are cheaper to buy than an RO unit, but they cost a TON more to operate. All it is is a big DI filter. DI resin is incredibly good at what it does, but it doesn't have a lot of capacity. RODI units combine an RO membrane which does the "heavy lifting" (and lasts for thousands of gallons), then use a DI stage after it to just do the finish polishing of the water. You'll find an RODI unit a much better investment than this tap water thing.

 

[shainline]

THANK you thank you for responding! And with such a detailed one too!

K my water was tested yesterday by my LFS and 55 gal was PH 7.8/alkalinity 12/salinity 1.024 calcuim 420/nitrite 0/nitrates 40. 29gal PH 8.0/ alkalinity 16/ salinity 1.023/ calcium 360/ nitrites 0/ nitrates 20.

 

[scsinet]

Originally Posted by SHainline
http:///forum/post/3165507
THANK you thank you for responding! And with such a detailed one too!

K my water was tested yesterday by my LFS and 55 gal was PH 7.8/alkalinity 12/salinity 1.024 calcuim 420/nitrite 0/nitrates 40. 29gal PH 8.0/ alkalinity 16/ salinity 1.023/ calcium 360/ nitrites 0/ nitrates 20.
Your pH should not be as low as it is with the readings you are listing. I'm wondering if your LFS is wrong. Do you have any of these test kits yourself? If not, have you backed up this LFSs results from anywhere/anyone else?
If those readings are correct... there are only a few other potiential areas that could be a problem, Co2 being one of them. It's not as common to have a Co2 problem, but it's not unheard of.
How old is the tank, how often do you change the water, and what is your livestock list? Can you give an overview of your filtration setup?

 

[shainline]

I test the PH at home. with an API liquid test. When I test at home my reading is different. My tank is 3 1/2 months old. I have an Eco system hang on back Wet/dry system for my filtration I added an Aqua clear Power filter today. 60-110 gal. Lighting Coralife 10K with 65 w Actinic. I have a BW false perc, False Perc Clown, bicolor blenny, dragon goby, pipe organ coral, Neon Zoos, Xenia Polyp, Ricordea Blue shroom, Ricordea orange, ricordea green, Daisy coral, hawkins blue echinata, dendro coral, PJ cardinal, about 20 hermits, 30 sm snails, roughly 70bls LR, cleaner shrimp, 2 pepperment shrimp, and 2 cleaner clams. WOw that sounds like a LOT! Thats my 55.. My 29 gal has chili coral, Ricordea Blue shroom, Ricordea orange, ricordea green, Palythoa pink bubble gum, and another type of xenia that pulses. bout 20 crabs and a shaving brush plant. Aqua Clear Power filter for up 50 gal, and a Super Skimmer up to 65.. This tank is a bio cube. I have my own testing stuff for, trites, trates, ph, calcium, amonia, alkalinity. they are all API.. Im reading that API is not the best??? I was never good in Chemistry Im slowly VERY slowy getting the hang of it. Ohh the Bio cube 29 has been up for 6 weeks. to save my tiny blue hippo. she was being bullied. then added a finger blenny, and a fire shrimp they all died! been about 9 days now since the last one died.

 

[shainline]

10% water change about every two weeks. today I took out 7 gal out of the 29.. tryin to help out the alkalinity. its at 16.

 

[scsinet]

Okay it doesn't sound like you are overstocked in any case... When looking at stocking, you don't really count corals, so it sounds like in the 55 you have 5 small fish, and none in the 29 at the moment.
The reason I asked about your livestock list is that poor gas exchange (and/or overstocking) can cause Co2 levels to rise in the tank, driving down pH. I doubt that's going to happen in a 55g with 5 fish, especially running a wet/dry filter of any kind (good gas exchange).
API test kits are used by almost all LFSs, but their readings are hard to interpret and IME the chemicals expire rapidly with them. Since LFSs use them, that's why I always like to use LFSs to back up my own test results, rather than rely on them entirely. At the minimum, you should take your water to two different stores to verify your readings if you don't want to do your own testing.
Personally, I use the Seachem kits. I find they strike a nice balance between the low end kits like API and the really high end stuff like Salifert, Lamotte, etc. Seachem makes a "marine basic" kit that tests for the most common stuff... it's about $25 online.
What have you done to cycle the 29g? Do you have ammonia parameters? Unfortunately if you test for ammonia in the 29g now, since it's been 9 days, it's not going to tell us much, because the tank has been fallow for enough time for the ammonia to be consumed by the bacteria.
Sorry to hear of your tang... but to be pragmatic, it's probably just as well, he probably wouldn't have done very well in a 55g regardless.
With the 55g, let's take a step back on pH for the moment... how are the fish doing in that tank? Is everybody active and eating? Any ill signs?

 

[shainline]

The seachem test kits are what I was looking at. The only problem with getting my water tested by two LFS' is that I only have one in town. There were some trites in the water up until I added the new filter. only as high as .5 (in the 29gal) I keep all the records of my water tests from my LFS. I did test things last night and PH in 55 was 8.4 cal 440 and all others 0. Ph in 29 8.2 Calcium 420 alkalinity 18 and all others 0.
My fish in the 55. Everyone is happy and doing GREAT! Always have been no matter the readings the LFS gets.
Loosing the tang kind of sucked. She was one of the fish i Really wanted. I like their mannerisms. But I learned my lesson, she was very difficult!

 

[scsinet]

Any tang in a young tank can be a big challenge.
From a pH perspective, if your fish are fine otherwise, then there is no need to be so concerned as to try to rush to a conclusion. pH is less important than most people think... it's one of those things that everyone has "heard of" so naturally everyone thinks it's one of the most important water parameters, but IMO it's one of the least important - for the most part because as I said earlier... if all of your other parameters are okay, then this one will just fall into place.
So... I'd suggest picking up a new test kit and seeing what you get. If your fish are not showing any ill effects, then you've got time to take a methodical, measured approach towards this. Tanks as young as yours can be really weird, and your fish are frankly one of the biggest indicators of the system's health. That's no excuse not to be proactive to be sure, but with the information we have, go ahead and order your test kit, have it shipped ground, and when it comes in, let's see where we are.

 

[shainline]

how bout alkalinity? Its kind of high in my 29 gal. And other than the 'basic' test kit what else should I test for? Has anyone told you that your awesome?!?! THANK YOU for helping me!

Hopefully one day I will get a tang. I just like them. they are neat to watch.

 

[scsinet]

With alkalinity, if there aren't any fish in the tank, continue to do your regular water changes, and it will come down on it's own.

 

[shainline]

K, will do

 

[shainline]

What type of Rodi Unit do you reccomend? I did a 50 & water change on the 29 today and a 10% on my 55 and my filter is already 1/2 used up! GRRR! So I am checking into getting a rodi unit. But there are so many to choose from.

 

[scubaj]

Check out **Link Removed** I got mine there and discussed my tank setup and needs with them over the phone. They are very helpful.

 

[scsinet]

Originally Posted by ScubaJ
http:///forum/post/3166666
Check out **Link Removed** I got mine there and discussed my tank setup and needs with them over the phone. They are very helpful.
Links to other retailers and forum sites are not permitted.

 

[spanko]

Try to google
Spectrapure rodi
Coralife rodi
Kent Marine rodi
Pinnacle rodi
Aqua Reef rodi
Water General rodi
Go for 3 stage and up according to what you would like to spend. Also look at GPD (gallons per day) and get the one that would best fit your needs.
When you find something that fits you pocketbook and needs come on back here and ask about it quality wise.

 

[shainline]

So go for 3 stage... I mean I really am not in the mood for dropping 500 on something but I need something that is going to do the job

I still have two more filters that go with the tap water filter I have so Ive got a bit of time to find the right one. When I find one. I'll be back

 

[scsinet]

Suffice to say there is no reason why you should pay more than $149.95 for a unit.

 

[jrse7en]

Originally Posted by SHainline
http:///forum/post/3166911
So go for 3 stage... I mean I really am not in the mood for dropping 500 on something but I need something that is going to do the job

I still have two more filters that go with the tap water filter I have so Ive got a bit of time to find the right one. When I find one. I'll be back

I have an RO unit that I bought for 69 dollars and does a good job. Granted its not a DI but I can add that when I feel a need too. It's a coralife 24gpd unit. Coralife has an addon DI unit if the RO does not help you out. I don't know the specifics of your source water but mine is well water.

 

[jrse7en]

OO and thanks SCSI for your advice on the sump/refugium thread from a couple months ago. Don't mean to hijack this thread but your design works great. Thanks!