J Fox Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 Going to fill new BioCube 29 tonight or tomorrow. The BIG question... Which water to use... My RODI system is not up and running yet. LFS has RODI for .50 gallon bring your own container. I don't have containers. LFS also has boxes of premix for $19.99 for 4.6 gallon boxes I have a 20 gallon roughneck can (new) for my soon to be RODI station, and lots of Red Sea Salt. Local grocery store has distilled water for .99 gallon. Any thoughts on each choice and which would you do ? Thank you in advance for your thoughts Link to comment
Ryan_E Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 Home Depot 5 Gallon Bucket with Lid: About $5 each (6 total) = $30 30 Gallons of LFS RODI @ .50 a gallon = $15 Mix in your 20 gallon bucket with the salt you already bought.... Total Cost: 45$ 30 Gallons of LFS premixed water: Almost $140.00 Distilled water option is somewhere in the middle.... Go the Home Depot and RODI water route. The buckets will be necessary for water changes and whatnot later. On a side note, 20 bucks for 4.6 gallons of saltwater is a total ripoff. Premixed in a container or not. Link to comment
cruiZe Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 +1 to Ryan's plan. You'll need the buckets. If all of that in one trip is too much to fit in the car just get 3 buckets and do 2 trips. I did both LFS - RO water and grocery store gallon jugs when I first started. The walmart distilled had around 10 tds IIRC which isn't horrible until you get your own setup Link to comment
Simulated Fish Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 Home Depot 5 Gallon Bucket with Lid: About $5 each (6 total) = $30 30 Gallons of LFS RODI @ .50 a gallon = $15 Mix in your 20 gallon bucket with the salt you already bought.... Total Cost: 45$ 30 Gallons of LFS premixed water: Almost $140.00 Distilled water option is somewhere in the middle.... Go the Home Depot and RODI water route. The buckets will be necessary for water changes and whatnot later. On a side note, 20 bucks for 4.6 gallons of saltwater is a total ripoff. Premixed in a container or not. +1 I bought 2 5g buckets and filled my tank in 3 trips with $1.10 saltwater by the gallon Link to comment
jamescstein Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 Make sure of the TDS of the RODI in the store. Ask them to test it and show you. Link to comment
J Fox Posted February 12, 2016 Author Share Posted February 12, 2016 On my way to HD then LFS Thanks Link to comment
J Fox Posted February 13, 2016 Author Share Posted February 13, 2016 OK the dirty deed is done. Ive been to HD and got buckets and lids, $16.05 for 30 gallons of RO at LFS. The girl working there tonight did not have the ability to test TDS for me Having said that she did say its the water they use for all the tanks in store (which all looked nice) and two other regulars I guess showed up to get buckets filled while I was there. Hoping all is ok... Store has been in business 25 years... (See how I'm trying to convince myself this water is aces) haha ... Ok now to get the big can mixing. Thanks again for the input and help making the decision.... Link to comment
Simulated Fish Posted February 13, 2016 Share Posted February 13, 2016 OK the dirty deed is done. Ive been to HD and got buckets and lids, $16.05 for 30 gallons of RO at LFS. The girl working there tonight did not have the ability to test TDS for me Having said that she did say its the water they use for all the tanks in store (which all looked nice) and two other regulars I guess showed up to get buckets filled while I was there. Hoping all is ok... Store has been in business 25 years... (See how I'm trying to convince myself this water is aces) haha ... Ok now to get the big can mixing. Thanks again for the input and help making the decision.... I'm sure it is fine. Did you ask how often they change there filters? I can't imagine the TDS being any higher then 10 unless they never change the filters. Link to comment
J Fox Posted February 17, 2016 Author Share Posted February 17, 2016 Follow up on this water thread - My TDS meter showed up yesterday and I tested everything.. I had one bucket of the LFS RODI left over and tested that as well. It came up 70 - That being said It was one of the HD buckets that I previously had here and used for mixing salt water to change out in dry rock cook for the previous year. ( yes year... delay after delay ) I did rinse the two buckets I had with some distilled and wiped them out with paper towels. Didn't go bonkers, just poured some in and swished it around. Could that still have left enough residue to register that high ? Would it be overkill to change out some of the tank water with new mixed with distilled just to be sure? Thanks for your thoughts. Link to comment
cruiZe Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 I'd get another sample from the LFS - prob the salt residue made it read high. 70 TDS is horrible from RO, but it's not like your tank will explode . Going forward just make sure it's good. You're going to be doing water changes anyway and you're tank is going to be nasty when cycling so I wouldn't panic Link to comment
Ryan_E Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 My meter never reads zero whenever I pour RODI into a different bucket. It always reads zero in my bucket that it is made in, but no matter how clean I think the other buckets I pour it into are, it always registers TDS. You are probably fine. Next time, take your meter to the LFS and test it there. I wouldn't do anything drastic with water changes unless you are having problems. Like cruiZe said, just make sure it's all good going forward. Link to comment
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