Tear this up please....

I am always seeing posts in varying forms that relate to "using tap water" vs "RO/DI" and 'what about well water'.... I wanted to develop a 'catch all' post about source water and pro's and con's of each type and the risks associated. I was quickly overwhelmed in data. Thus, I ended up summarizing in the caption below.

What points would you add to this???

I intention is to create a 'standard' reply and reference so that when I see these posts in the future, I will have 'collected the wisdom of the community' and be able to relay a reference.

Fire away please..... at the least I'll learn from your critique...

M

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A common post on 3reef deals with various forum members using various sources of water as the “source water” for their reef aquariums. I thought I’d do some research and compare some of the various commonly listed sources. This is not comprehensive by any means. There are many people on the boards far more qualified than I to discuss water quality. I personally already use a SpectraPure RO/DI System, thus I looked at this only enough to reconfirm my previous conclusion that … oh my God… you better use RO/DI water… otherwise you are playing Russian Roulette with your water and asking for trouble eventually. Granted, many people do not use RO/DI water and have great success. They should consider themselves fortunate. There is no question in my mind that RO/DI water should be the source water for reef aquariums.

Some quick research on the topic revealed some rather shocking results. Well water routinely contained Coliform bacteria. Well water and City Water routinely contained Aluminum, Calcium, Chloride, Copper, Iron, Lead, Magnesium, Manganese, Silver, Sulfate and Zinc. Other fun stuff like Nitrites, Nitrates, Benzene, and Combined Uranium are included in Municipal Water Reports. YES… Combined Uranium!! And this from a Water District ranked as Superior.

Bottled water was actually WORSE than tap water in many cases. Yes, WORSE. The bottom line is that different regulations apply to tap water than bottled water. Bottled water is fundamentally filtered for taste… not for purity. It is not per se any “better” than tap water. Bottled water labeled as “Reverse Osmosis” Water does tend to be better but RO at what level? It is difficult to be assured of what you are actually getting.

Well Water, Rain Water and Lake Water is a total random draw. You could get anything depending on where you are. In addition, you could get great variance each time you use the same lake/well/rain fall depending on local conditions.

With RO/DI, you basically get water…. H2O. You need to make sure the TDS is zero at the output. TDS zero mean the Total Dissolved Solids in the water is zero. Yes, there are some contaminants in RO/DI, but it is clearly the best available source.

The pecking order basically goes like this…. RO/DI Water is best. RO/DI > RO > Tap > Bottled Water > Well > Rain > Lake Water

There are several reasons why reef aquarists should care about source water for making salt water or ATO systems. The most common result from using “bad” water is massive algae blooms. All those contaminants in the water are nutrients for the algae. The metal found in some water sources can also be toxic to corals… Copper for example. In addition, there is simply a knowledge and control issue. DO you REALLY know what you are putting in your tank??? I would rather KNOW.

My overwhelming conclusion was that RO/DI Water was an absolute MUST for reef aquariums.

Reference Articles
There are TONS of articles on Water Quality. These are just a few.

http://www.harvesth2o.com/rainwater_safe.shtml

http://documents.publicworks.houston...eport_2006.pdf

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverse_osmosis

http://www.ewg.org/reports/BottledWa...-Investigation

 

Distilled should be in between RODI and RO. Otherwise, a good summary.

 

you forgot distilled water.



also Interesting tidbit Uranium is a trace element in sea water.

 

Thank you....

You must do well in college... you always catch me in something!!! I love it.

Anything else to press the downsides or benefits of different sources??

M

 

Well, I don't think I'd mention that RODI has contaminants. It usually doesn't have anything, and what may be there is likely in such small quantities and so inert biologically (don't forget, it'd only be non-conductive contaminants, which also don't react to any of the DI resins) that they're not significant.

That's kinda a matter of choice, though.

 

Blackraven, Agree.... I just struggle because nothing is perfect. RO/DI is simply as good as we can get.

I just felt the write up was "weak" because in my mind RO/DI is a MUST and not using it is the root cause of so many problems... but I didn't feel I really made a persuasive case to that effect.

M

 

One key point is RO/DI gives you consistency, with a properly maintained filter system you get the same quality treated water every time.

Tap water no matter what the source can be inconsistent, a storm rolls through and the treatment plant changes their chemical feed or treatment method. A line breaks down the street and dirt and contaminants enter the distribution system, if you are lucky they catch it and disinfect and flush thus raising the chlorine level but possibly stirring up sediment or rust in the lines. Or the neighbor had his hose stuck in a tree well or horse trough or worse yet the pest control guy had a hose stuck in his tank filling it up, we don't even ant to think about these but they happen every day and you have absolutely no control over it nor are you even aware of it.

I am a municipal treatment plant operator and supervisor by profession with 35+ years in the industry and we generally do a good job but its not always up to the operator or plant.

With purchased water, no matter if its bottled on a shelf or dispensed from a vending machine or the LFS, you are at someone elses mercy
and dependent on their maintenance or more often than not, lack of maintenance for one reason or another. Did you know a recent major independent survey of bottled drinking water found a full 47% did not meet federal drinking water standards? Thats drinking water standards which are a long way from reef quality or RO/DI standards. Just because it is safe to drink does not mean it is good for your reef system, far from it in fact.

Distilled is the next best choice if you cannot afford a RO/DI system or buy from a trusted source. Distilliation may carry some contaminants through in the steam and it recondense it back in to the treated water but its usually minimal if at all. Copper is an old fear that is not really relevant any more, stills are now glass or epoxy lined exotic metals with no copper like found in Mayberry or on Waltons Mountain.

Across the country the average TDS is around 250 and rising all the time. As we recharge treated effluents and use water softeners we raise the salinity and TDS levels. RO/DI is the only affordable technology to reduce or eliminat these contaminants.

 

AZDesertRat,

When I wrote "There are many people on the boards far more qualified than I to discuss water quality.", I was referring to YOU.

Thanks. I'll include your comments.

Mark

 

wanna tackle the issue of using RO/DI in freshwater?

 

Not really... just reef tanks... my little mind is taxed enough learning reefs in greater depth....



I think after a year of research I'd no longer rank myself "clueless noob" and I'd give myself a "novice" ranking. In writing these blog notes, I am trying to synthesize my learning and start to apply that knowledge better as I set up my new 120 gallon tank. Every time I write these, I get comments that improve my knowledge. I REALLY want a showcase tank. I think it is going to take me years of dedication to get there.... but that's where I want to end up.... the showcase AND the knowledge to back it up.

M