RO/DI units environmentally destructive?

[Alexraptor]

Whats this crazy preposterous talk about RO and the environment?

 

Seriously, water always ends where it starts, up in the atmosphere one way or another, wether it be via the coean or a water treatment plant. The metals? they too end up where they began, out in nature, its not like were pumping out gasoline, what we have left over is natural elements. the only waste is where human beings are concerned, not the environment itself.

[strangelove]

For the record, I use dechlorinated, 1-2 week aged Lake Michigan tap water for my reef tank. My reef tank has been setup for over a year now, is fully stocked with corals and fishes, and is doing very well.

 

What do you mean aging water for 1-2 weeks, and how does that differ from RO/DI water, I've heard that letting water sit for a couple days allows chlorine to evaporate, does this happen with phosphate and nitrate too? If you could explain yourself without getting preachy, I'm sure people would get what your saying.

 

I'm always looking for a cheaper alternative from buying filtered sea water and RO water at the LFS. If I could do it right at home for cheap than you betcha.

[Jackopus]

Ya know, this thread really ####es me off

 

First, start a thread you violate, to troll for answer you won't accept anyway....

 

as an engineer I design wastewater plant systems that are trying to reduce water waste, then return the water to a zero violation ( as pure as it came from the ground as )

 

Nearly all US cities have a 89% return ratio of water, that is used to lose, in other words only 11% is a total lose. and most of that is from watering your dang grass

 

To argue about RO/DI water is insane, through natural re-absorbtion the water returns the contaminates to a nominal level.

 

With Global Warming we are increasing the water levels, and causing land lose. If that arguement holds water....

[CBAZHAW]

I was just contemplating that as I was watching my car go through the full service car wash today but quickly changed thoughts about reprogramming my in ground sprinkler system since we've had so much rain this year in Texas. Thank God for global warming and Al Gore for inventing the internet so we can discuss this topic!!!

[musho3210]

Oh...so because Vegas wastes billions of gallons of water a year then it's ok for us to waste a little bit, since our little bit is inconsequential anyway? Or, because I live next to one of the largest bodies of freshwater in the world means its okay to waste it?

 

That's our answer? It's okay to waste water because what we waste is small compared to others? Maybe that's why our environment is going to the pits, because most of us think that our small little world has little impact to the rest of the world at large. But it does.

 

Switching topics a bit -- what do people in this Board do to give back to our oceans? Anyone contribute to reef preservation or conservation efforts? If so, which ones?

 

Thanks for humoring me. These are some the things I think about as I look at the little slice of ocean in my living room...which of course is already hypocritical in it of itself. To ease my conscience, I'm a financial supporter of the Coral Reef Alliance (http://www.coralreefalliance.org/), a nonprofit member-supported organization whose mission is to promote sustainable coral reef management and tourism.

 

I don't work for CRA nor do I get anything for plugging them. But if all of us contributed a fraction of what we spent on livestock and equipment to organizations such as these, maybe we'll preserve a little bit of what's left of the oceans for our grandchildren.

 

 

it seems like you only hear what you want to hear dont you...

 

First off you must have misinturpreted my post since i never said that its a small amount of water your wasting so it doesnt matter. I just said that your waste water is just plain water and you could never waste water next to michigan lake since it all comes back to you, Every drop that enters michigan lake has a probablity of ending up in your sink. YOur "waste water" is water so it doesnt need to go through a treatment process since there is nothing bad in it. It is quickly passed through the waste treatment plant.

 

Second you left my whole part of my post out, RO/DI wasnt even invented for reefing, it was invented to purify water and it does just that. You think MH lights were invented for reefing of fluorescent light was invented for reefing? No, how about going to bottled water companies and start a protest on how they use RO systems for there water.

 

Third you have forgotten that you cannot waste water for the world, you can waste water for the area of the world you live in but you cannot take water out of the world without hauling it in spaceships and flying off to pluto and dumping the water there. In case you didnt know, water evaporates into clouds, clouds store this water until it gets too dense. Clouds release the water. It is a constant cycle. So no matter what there will always be the same amount of water in our world besides the people who haul it into space which isnt very many.

 

Water going down the drain doesnt mean its lost forever. It just means it goes back to natural water bodies or un natural water bodies in the world only to be evaporated, then rained down on your home another day.

 

And how is wasting water going to destroy our reefs may i ask? Last i heard the ocean was getting more water not losing it (although the water it is getting is no good, but none the less it isnt losing water)

 

I thought when i clicked this link i would find someone going on about how certain species of starfish are eating sps corals at alarming rates and their natural predators are being taken away from the ocean or how the giant anemones wild numbers are decreasing or how global warming is lowering the salinity of the ocean and how it is making water too hot so corals are sickened with bleaching.

 

RO/DI units being communicatively destructive would be a more apropriate title since it isnt doing anything to the whole world.

 

And last but not least, buy a DI filter or distill your water. Cause your tank probably isnt doing as good as it could. Maybe you should research into other ways of purifying water. Collect rain water for gods sake if you dont want to waste water, rain water is probably better than tap water.

[Jackopus]

it seems like you only hear what you want to hear dont you...

 

First off you must have misinturpreted my post since i never said that its a small amount of water your wasting so it doesnt matter. I just said that your waste water is just plain water and you could never waste water next to michigan lake since it all comes back to you, Every drop that enters michigan lake has a probablity of ending up in your sink. YOur "waste water" is water so it doesnt need to go through a treatment process since there is nothing bad in it. It is quickly passed through the waste treatment plant.

 

Second you left my whole part of my post out, RO/DI wasnt even invented for reefing, it was invented to purify water and it does just that. You think MH lights were invented for reefing of fluorescent light was invented for reefing? No, how about going to bottled water companies and start a protest on how they use RO systems for there water.

 

Third you have forgotten that you cannot waste water for the world, you can waste water for the area of the world you live in but you cannot take water out of the world without hauling it in spaceships and flying off to pluto and dumping the water there. In case you didnt know, water evaporates into clouds, clouds store this water until it gets too dense. Clouds release the water. It is a constant cycle. So no matter what there will always be the same amount of water in our world besides the people who haul it into space which isnt very many.

 

Water going down the drain doesnt mean its lost forever. It just means it goes back to natural water bodies or un natural water bodies in the world only to be evaporated, then rained down on your home another day.

 

And how is wasting water going to destroy our reefs may i ask? Last i heard the ocean was getting more water not losing it (although the water it is getting is no good, but none the less it isnt losing water)

 

I thought when i clicked this link i would find someone going on about how certain species of starfish are eating sps corals at alarming rates and their natural predators are being taken away from the ocean or how the giant anemones wild numbers are decreasing or how global warming is lowering the salinity of the ocean and how it is making water too hot so corals are sickened with bleaching.

 

RO/DI units being communicatively destructive would be a more apropriate title since it isnt doing anything to the whole world.

 

And last but not least, buy a DI filter or distill your water. Cause your tank probably isnt doing as good as it could. Maybe you should research into other ways of purifying water. Collect rain water for gods sake if you dont want to waste water, rain water is probably better than tap water.

 

Seriously, just put him on your ignore list. I have better studies produced by Bo-Diddly Tech that make more sense than his rant.

 

I was just contemplating that as I was watching my car go through the full service car wash today but quickly changed thoughts about reprogramming my in ground sprinkler system since we've had so much rain this year in Texas. Thank God for global warming and Al Gore for inventing the internet so we can discuss this topic!!!

 

yup

[musho3210]

oh and i support my reefs by getting either aquacultured or second hand live rock from people who are closing down there tanks and its either garbage or for sale. Tank bred or raised fish, and only aquacultured corals.

[shaggydoo541]

I wanted to get everyone's opinion on this issue that has been bothering me for some time now. How do you, reef enthusiasts, reconcile your use of RO/DI water with your supposed love of the environment? For every 100 gallon of RO/DI water you generate, you waste 75-90 gallons...i.e., just flushed down the drain, where it has to be remediated, etc. wasting precious resources. I'm sure most of you are aware that RO/DI units only extract 10-25% of the water that passes through its membranes. The rest are wasted.

 

Is your hobby contributing to our environment's destruction?

 

For the record, I use dechlorinated, 1-2 week aged Lake Michigan tap water for my reef tank. My reef tank has been setup for over a year now, is fully stocked with corals and fishes, and is doing very well. I thought long and hard about getting an RO/DI unit, but felt it to be hypocritical.

 

Thoughts?

 

 

Here is my thoughts. You are a bleedin heart hippie who should be dechlorinated yourself Do you belong to PETA by any chance?

 

It is very likely our hobby contributes to some form of envirnmental destruction. But everthing we do (as a species) does. Do you flush your poo down the toilet? Oh geez... there goes a giant log of destruction. Cry me a river hippie boy, do yourself a favor and get over it.

 

For the record, this is a stupid thread and I only replied because I thought it humorous to do so. Goodnight!

[musho3210]

this is why i love this forum, people are so much more open here.....

[Gill Snork]

Does anybody realize that the water we have on the planet is the same amount of water we have had since the earth was created (I'll leave # of year out to not offend anyone with / without religious beliefs)??

 

Just because you consume it does not mean its mass is destroyed or removed from the earth.

 

Water conservation is merely a system specific mass balance that only involves the boundries you set. Doing a mass balance around a cup of water someone is drinking shows we are are going to run out of water within seconds. It doesn't account for the fact that that water will return to the "enviroment" within hours and that you can always fill the cup again.

 

Perspective is what matters in this discussion.

 

My perspective is that any water is "Earth's water" and it will never go away.

[musho3210]

yes thats why this rant or whatever it is makes no sense cause water is always in a cycle and it can only leave if used in a chemical reaction (one could argue there is always the same number of hydrogen atoms and oxygen atoms no matter what they are bonded with) or if the water is hauled out into space.

[Gill Snork]

Correct,.....

 

If ANYTHING, there is MORE water available due to the burning of fossil fuels (water is a product of combustion) than there was before.

 

So, if I use this convoluted logic, the human species has actually contributed to the INCREASE in water presence on earth and should be granted a free pass to waste as much of it as they want.

 

........ ......... ....... ..........

 

-Gill

[musho3210]

even though the increase has proven to be bad.....

[YeahitsK]

Correct,.....

 

If ANYTHING, there is MORE water available due to the burning of fossil fuels (water is a product of combustion) than there was before.

 

So, if I use this convoluted logic, the human species has actually contributed to the INCREASE in water presence on earth and should be granted a free pass to waste as much of it as they want.

 

........ ......... ....... ..........

 

-Gill

 

Not true. Water is necessary to create the fossil fuels in the first place. The hydrogen is removed and incorporated into the hydrocarbon chain during formation. During combustion the hydrogens from the chain are combined with atmospheric oxygen to produce water vapor. So it's neutral with the exception of losses due to combustion inefficiency.

 

There is slightly (very, very slightly) LESS water present on Earth as a result of one thing and one thing only- the space programs that have sent objects containing Earth water beyond the gravitational pull of our planet.

 

If you want to feel better about your RO/DI waste, know that extremely pure water is used extensively throughout industry and the amount produced makes your home usage literally a drop in the bucket. But for reasons others have explained here it's all a part of the water cycle. This is ridiculous frankly.

[chieferich]

I was just contemplating that as I was watching my car go through the full service car wash today but quickly changed thoughts about reprogramming my in ground sprinkler system since we've had so much rain this year in Texas. Thank God for global warming and Al Gore for inventing the internet so we can discuss this topic!!!

 

woot.

[strangelove]

OK I'm not too concerned about RO filters wasting water, but can someone please explain WATER AGING and how it is done. Could the person that started this thread please explain yourself. It would be much appreciated.

[musho3210]

its used in freshwater but not many people do it now.

 

Aging the water just means having the water sitting there. Thats it, then the chlorine evaporates and you have dechlorinated water. Thats all, only removes things that can evaporate. Heavy metals, copper, nitrate, phosphates, all stay behind.

[strangelove]

its used in freshwater but not many people do it now.

 

Aging the water just means having the water sitting there. Thats it, then the chlorine evaporates and you have dechlorinated water. Thats all, only removes things that can evaporate. Heavy metals, copper, nitrate, phosphates, all stay behind.

 

Oh than that's a useless way to prep water for your tank, aging water is only good for declorinating water.

[Alexraptor]

unless your talking mixed water in which aging is good for stabilizing parameters before use

[musho3210]

i want this guy to come here, read what has been said, and then say "oh crap i just got treated"

[Mr. Fosi]

According to his (her?) profile, he hasn't been around since before post #15. Of course, he may have come by without being logged in but who gives a rat crap? He's just the latest lazy-minded ecotard to get shredded.

 

If he does post again, it won't be to admit he is wrong. He'll come back and say something like, "You guys don't care about the earth (environment, etc...) and I do. You're all a bunch of meanies and I'm going to go back to back to namethatreefsite.com where they're so much better than you!"

 

I feel pity for him. It must really suck to carry around all that guilt baggage.

 

Of course, he's been carrying it around long enough that he has started to exploit it as "see how much more thoughtful I am than you". Now that he has grown accustomed to using it as an intellectual status symbol, tied in with his ego and his sense of ethics, he won't abandon it no matter how convincing the evidence against it.

[Gill Snork]

Not true. Water is necessary to create the fossil fuels in the first place. The hydrogen is removed and incorporated into the hydrocarbon chain during formation. During combustion the hydrogens from the chain are combined with atmospheric oxygen to produce water vapor. So it's neutral with the exception of losses due to combustion inefficiency.

 

Just to defend myself, you basically are stating that water existed before hydrocarbons- unless you are more enlightened than most people on the earth about its creation, I do not think you can confirm that.

 

I was referring to the conversion of "stored hydrocarbons" aka fossil fuels to water and CO2 as my basis since no other animal burns stuff but humans and we have only been doing it for a relatively short period of time. I was doing it to point out the rediculous nature of the claim on the thread, not to get into Creation Theory.

 

-Gill

[YeahitsK]

Water existed before hydrocarbons. I wouldn't touch creation theory with a 10 foot pole myself, where did you get that out of what I said? Do you understand how "stored" fossil fuels are created (decomposition under heat and pressure of ancient life forms which are made out of mostly......water)? Water has been essential to life forms on our planet, there's no question which came first. Water went into making fossil fuels, water comes out when we burn them, sorry it's a fact.

[neanderthalman]

Even if we did get into creation vs. evolution, you'd be pretty surprised at how civil such a discussion could be on this site. Assuming a certain several-times banned texas based troll didn't catch wind of it, of course.

 

Other lounge-lurkers will know who I'm referring to. Fortunately he never looks at the rest of the site, so we can discuss in peace.

 

Ok, lets begin. Please refute carbon dating, potassium-argon dating, dinosoars, drug resistant TB, and the principle of Occam's Razor.

 

Oh, God put it all there to fool me? oh. crap. I guess I lose this one.

 

The idea of water being "wasted" is just plain stupid. However, we can "waste" fresh water by pouring it all into the ocean. Then it becomes saltwater and undrinkable. We need to do something about all of this freshwater pouring into the ocean from our lakes and rivers. I say we dam up all of our rivers to keep our FW landlocked and safe from contamination in the ocean.

[FateX9]

you noobs are still using water in your aquariums

HILARIOUS!!!!!

too much to read but liked that statement!