RO/DI

I know its been asked before. But how many people don't run RO/DI water and have a successful tank?

 

My expectation is that you will get a similar answer to mine repeatedly.....here it is. A Ro/DI was my first purchase after getting a tank and before I ever put a drop of water in it. They are inexpensive, particularly compared to everything else available to purchase in this hobby, and will save you a fortune in the long run. Chasing algae and out of whack parameters is a major reason why people give up on their tanks and using Ro/DI water is a huge step to avoiding so many of those issues. When I ran a fresh water tank I did not use one and instead used a chemical purification solution...I forget what it was, but is essentially just nutrilized the chlorine in the water. It was fine for a short while but algae became a major issue and I had no understudying at the time that it was my water that played a major factor. Anyway, you may get one or tow responses from people who say they are ok without one but i suspect they use purchased water, have few or no corals and most likely have not run their tank for more than a year. Just a guess....it will be interesting to see.

 

My expectation is that you will get a similar answer to mine repeatedly.....here it is. A Ro/DI was my first purchase after getting a tank and before I ever put a drop of water in it. They are inexpensive, particularly compared to everything else available to purchase in this hobby, and will save you a fortune in the long run. Chasing algae and out of whack parameters is a major reason why people give up on their tanks and using Ro/DI water is a huge step to avoiding so many of those issues. When I ran a fresh water tank I did not use one and instead used a chemical purification solution...I forget what it was, but is essentially just nutrilized the chlorine in the water. It was fine for a short while but algae became a major issue and I had no understudying at the time that it was my water that played a major factor. Anyway, you may get one or tow responses from people who say they are ok without one but i suspect they use purchased water, have few or no corals and most likely have not run their tank for more than a year. Just a guess....it will be interesting to see.

 

Bump

 

Used to use non RO/DI tap (well water) on my fresh water tanks years ago but when I setup my SW tank this spring an RODI was the first thing i bought. I think it was worth it too. My parameters ahve been good and i havent had any unwanted algae.

I know its not the answer to the question your looking for so here is this answer.

I went to my LFS to have my water tested when i suspected a bad test kit. The employee at the store was talking about her tank (20 long mixed reef) and she said that she just tops off from her sink. she is on city water and was explaining tome that she felt really hypocritical telling people to always use RO/DI when she never does and has a thriving tank.

Different things work for different people which is one of the things that makes this hobby really interesting to me. Just because some people use city water wont mean that it will work for the next person. So many factors at play.

 

I assume your LFS is Thatfishplace seeing where you are from. Im sure there are more people out there that do just that. With a 20 gal i would assume that her evaporation is minimal. Did she say what she does for water changes? If she does a 10% weekly change using pre mixed water then a small amount of tap water may not have a big impact on her system. Im following but won't be getting rid of my Ro/DI..... it continues to work well for me and my system.

 

Yeah thats where I was. She didnt say what she uses for water changes and also was in no way advising me that i should not use RODI, just telling me her method.

Good to see someone local on here. I think your the closest member I've seen to me.

 

Im in chester county so yes, I'm close. Thats an amazing LFS and i usually get advice that at least points me in the right direction. If you see her again, it would be an interesting question to ask. That and how long she has been running the tank for.

 

I bought my RO/DI unit before I had my DT. After the trouble I had with algae my first tank I wanted to reduce as many problem areas I could and using RO/DI is an easy way to make sure your water will not end up being an issue.

 

I did not start out using RO/DI water. I learned quickly. Now I have one installed.