Don't forget to clean your reservoirs

I ran out of Alk solution, so time to mix some more. As part of that routine, I take the lid off my ATO reservoir and check it out. I want to make sure that water still looks drinkable.


Big

Fat

mildewy

cockroach

Some sort of egg sac on the bottom, a few legs and antennae at the bottom. I have no idea what state of nasty decomposition this thing was in. But (I guess this is because it is 0 TDS) the part out of the water was nasty nasty nasty. The part under the water looked fresh. I've seen my fair share of dead and decaying insects. This was very odd.

So any thoughts on RO/DI, 0 TDS, and its impacts, if any, on decomposition? Maybe it is lacking in necessary bacteria. And, how long that it may take before that water is not 0TDS? (For some reason, it only now occurs to me to test that it was still 0... oh well).

Anyway, I had to dump it and wash it out with soap and all that. Curious to see if I see any spark of "happiness" : in my tank once this is all cleaned up

EDIT: 6 gallons in reservoir

 

Not knowing the size of the insect, just my opinion it may not have been large enough to cause much of a spike. It could be that the TDS is not testing for the decay in the water like a nitrate test or something would. Either way good call on dumping and cleaning it out.