common sense reminder

Yesterday I was working on my mothers tank and had something occur that I thought would be a good idea to post as a reminder of something many of us take advantage of.....test your RO water before adding it to your tank

I have an RO/DI system at home, 75g per day system. I live in the midwest, and during the winter it seems like I am lucky to get 10g a day from it (due to the cold and I dont have a pressure pump on it). So with my tanks, I have not been able to keep up the supply for me and for her. So she has been going to get water from the LFS for top offs.

So yesterday we went over there to help her with her tank as she was loosing her leather corals and her inverts. She said her corals were just disintegrating. So tested her SG and it was 1.037

We talked with her and she said she had been getting water at this particular store and they got the water for her. So she would top off with this water. Well, there was a jug of water sitting there and I stuck my finger in there and tasted it and it was salt. Come to find out she was asking for RO/DI water for saltwater tank (she thought the RO/DI was different for freshwater and saltwater ) and they were just giving her saltwater. Never testing it she dumped it in.

So, over the evening we did a 20g water change with fresh water only.

This probably does not occur very often BUT what happens more often then people think...filters, membranes and resins are not changed by LFS very often because they are expensive. This causes TDS and nitrates to build up (I am having a nitrate problem in my tank right now because I have been filling up with my water and needed to change the filters). Some stores do not areate the water when they store it, so this causes a bunch of things.

And, what I have had happen to not only my tank when I first started and when I worked in the LFS...salt concentration. When my first tank was installed the store filled it up with saltwater. Once the tank was completely filled, the guy decided to test the SG...it was 1.038. Somebody double mixed the saltwater.

I came into the LFS and was busy and was selling a ton of SW. At the end of the day I realized I hadnt tested it and when I did the SG was at 1.034. Another time I tested it when I first came in and the saltwater was at 1.000, so there was no salt added.

Just a reminder to always check your water before adding it to your system....you cant trust the LFS

 

Great reminder! K+

Also to remember that when you acclimate new arrivals, and use the tank water, you need to replenish the tank with saltwater, not FW. Those of us with an ATO system, tend to forget that its automatically adding FW.


Yeah, I did that one 2 weeks ago, checked my salinity during my bi-weekly check, and was at 1.017! Didn't loose anything though, thankfully!

 

I have the LFS guy check with refractometer, I'm standing right there too.. TDS meter is also visible.. but not all LFS will let you in the back, unless you buy alot of stuff and are friendly with them..

 

Good call Shackmel!

Man, if anyone at the LFS I go to made water up for a customer and didn't check it they would be out the door before the end of the day. Who lets these guys have jobs that animals lives depend on?

Not me. No way.


-Doug