Switching to RO...

I know I deserve 100 slaps for waiting this long..but I'm finally gonna do it..Everything in my tank is looking very drab and algae is starting to become a problem.. I'm in a small 2 person apartment so getting a system is out of the question..i just don't have the room..so I'm gonna go get a couple new gas cans today and go get my first 10 gallons of RO from the LFS and do a water change with it then continue topping off with it..Do you think there will be noticeable differences? Would using tap water inhibit my coral growth? I know It affects the algae growth..I only feed 2 krill every three days so I don't think my tank is over nourished..I also heard that silicates were usually in tap water and they promote algae growth..i started running rowaphos yesterday but then i thought I may as well just start using RO..anyway..just thought I'd share..

Ivan

 

I don't have RO, it's not in the works for me, I don't have the space of the money, I'm also not in the position (home-wise) to do it.

I was having AWFUL algae blooms. I got a carbon bag called Chemi-pure". I tossed one bag in the sump and within a day or so the algae was all but gone.

I'm gonna be on tap water for a while

 

I do a switch every few weeks. I get 12 gallons of Distilled water and use 6 for water change then the rest for top offs for the next week . then I boil 10 g of water and use that for a week or so for the trace elements . then I do the distilled water again with the next water change about a week after that. My algae problems are dissipating as well as the cyano.

 

cyano has been my biggest problem..mainly on the sandbed..gha is starting to spread on the rocks as well

 

Yes.

Depends on what Auburn adds to the water but probably so. iron, copper, chlorine, chloramine, etc.. It all is bad for corals. And water treatment doesn't remove them, they are still in the water. About the only exception would be the chlorine and it will simply evaporate. The rest are still in the water.

Most predominantly, silicates promote diatoms.

Turn the lights off for 3-4 days. The cyano will go away. The corals will be pissed but it won't hurt them.

 

I'm not sure if this is coincidence or not..but after putting in the rowaphos yesterday..the cyano has nearly disappeared! Just did a pwc with the RO..i plan on doing one every week or so to get out as much tap water as i can..hopefully things will start improving! Thanks!

 

I think the Rowaphos was coincidence but glad the cyano is going away. If it comes back, try the 3 day light routine. And remember, one super huge water change will get more out faster than 100 partial water changes will. If you do a 20% water change it will take over 4 water changes to get half of the original water out of the tank. If your goal is to get the original water out, larger water changes are the ticket, not more smaller ones.

 

I run an RODI in my 1 bedroom apartment. It fits underneath the sink easily and still leaves plenty of room under there for storage, it's not very large at all. I wonder if maybe you guys are overestimating how large these systems are?

 

Right! I have my 5 stage system tucked under the sink and have no isses seeing it or dealing with it at all. I have easy access to it for when its time for filter change.

 

Use a power head on the cyano area... it hates the heavy flow...I have been using it..