RoDI

Okay I understand the idea of RO, clean water But with RODI you get a clean water with no minerals. So with this RO is drinkable as is distilled water, but DI water is not because it will literally leach the minerals from YOU.

So with this in mind HOW in the heck is a mineral leaching water supply great for reef aquariums? I mean a lack of phosphates, nitrates, silicates, chlorine and other harmful or pesky things in the water is great BUT do you have to re-ionize with (obviously not a copper nut) but other less harmful mineral?

I want to know if I'm some kind of crazy or is there something I'm missing?

 

A good synthetic salt mix such as reef crystals adds in all the neccessary minerals that are taken out during the RODI process. The idea of RODI is to start with perfect, clean water and add back in only the minerals necessary to a reef tank. This eliminates all chances of impurities such as phosphates, nitrates, silicates, chlorine, etc

 

I don't currently have a reef setup nor the reef crystal salt I have the basic Instant ocean salt. Would it do the same effect as the reef crystals or no?

 

Yes it would, most any salt mix designed for reef aquariums should have the same effect.

 

Well thanks for the info it's good to know and well since my dad's shop has a LARGE RODI system it shouldn't be too hard to donate to sneak a few gallons every so often =P

 

This question came up just a couple weeks ago, and someone posted an article from a science mag that debunks these myths. Most notably:

1) DI water does not leach minerals from your body.

2) Minerals found naturally in water are not in ingestible form; they're dissolved solids- IOW, rocks. We get our minerals from the foods we eat and fruit/vegetable juices we drink, not water.

I've searched for a while now and can't seem to find that article. However, I did come across this:

Amazon.com: SpectraPure? 3 Gallon Drinking Water Kit For RO/DI System: Kitchen & Dining

This isn't the exact article, but still provides scientific evidence in favor of drinking purified water versus rocks:

http://www.purewatersystems.com/faq.php

 

as for that 3 gallon holding tank I'm sure it's not coated on the inside so DI water is collecting it's needs from the internal walls of the tank. I'm not saying that if you drink a glass of DI water you'll die from mineral extraction, but it will take some.. Now if you drink nothing but DI water yes it will likely harm you. I understand that most "mineral" water is just dissolved solids and such and we don't collect the majority of our minerals from water but the DI water will still leach minerals to balance it's self.

As for the second link, Their talking about RO water not RODI water. DI water is so clean that all the dissolved solids have been removed. to 're-ionize' the water to keep it from leaching solids from say a fountain most people will take a copper nut and drop it in the bucket for a few minutes before adding the super clean water to said fountain. The copper nut acts as a sacrificial coil so that the water will become balanced, over A LOT of water and time the nut will dissolve.

Deionized water is an usually pure form of water. Water actually is a very aggressive solvent. In our normal contact with water, it already has a lot of things dissolved in it, and is pretty tame. Deionized water is so aggressive that it will begin to attack metal, plastic, or even stainless steel. It will dissolve carbon dioxide in the air. If someone was to drink deionized water, it would have the opposite effect of a vitamin, drawing out the minerals and vitamins in your body. It is common knowledge that drinking deionized water is harmful, but I am not sure if there are any documented studies.

 

That claim has been scientifically proven false. The way your body functions will prevent it. I have no doubt that a copper nut will dissolve in RO/DI water, but it will also dissolve in distilled, tap, and even seawater.

 

After thinking about it for a bit and typing out a few drafts I was going to ask you to provide some sort of scientific journal or accredited article that stated it was safe to drink but alas I'm in no mood for a kind of 'war' on the idea.
I will agree that there is potential and that drinking DI MIGHT be safe in small amounts, but drinking it day in and day out with out a supplement could be hazardous. (it's my opinion and that is all)

As for using it in a reef system I see the idea of using the marine salt replenishes that which was removed by the DI system and thus makes it safe for use with fish.

 

Agreed.

Any further debating would be a moot point, as personally, I prefer my beer.