RO/DI water

[Goonter]

Alright, i bought a system, hooked it up, it is putting out 0 ppm water, is this safe to use in the aquarium? I know sounds like a stupid question, but i am used to running to walmart for water and i am getting sick of this algae i have. Also, is RO/DI water better than Distilled? because i have been using distilled for the past 2 months and it has gotten rid of 99.99% of my cyanobacteria, but now i have GHA or byopsis (unsure which) going like crazy and i am wondering if it is a water problem also?

[skydive]

It's the best and the safest! Make sure to discard the first 5-10 gallons. I don't know why but that's what they say.

 

The GHA could possibly be from the water or from overfeeding, the two main causes. Without more info it's hard to say.

[disaster999]

+1 on overfeeding. too much phosphate in the tank which leads to algae bloom. cut back on feeding and lighting time

[disaster999]

noob ro/di question

 

is it normal for the ro/di water that just came out of the unit thats been sitting overnight to read 20ppm+

 

i had to leave the unit running for around 5-10 mins before it reads 0.

 

if its normal, then for people with a holding tank plumbed into their system...how do they keep the tds in the water reading 0 if the water in the unit is turned off because the tank is full and the water has been sitting in the unit overnight?

[The Propagator]

Nope. Not normal with mine.

[disaster999]

then what could be wrong with mine?

[vg30et]

noob ro/di question

 

is it normal for the ro/di water that just came out of the unit thats been sitting overnight to read 20ppm+

 

i had to leave the unit running for around 5-10 mins before it reads 0.

 

if its normal, then for people with a holding tank plumbed into their system...how do they keep the tds in the water reading 0 if the water in the unit is turned off because the tank is full and the water has been sitting in the unit overnight?

 

Yes, it is normal and it's called TDS creep - http://www.airwaterice.com/category/.z.merlin/

 

>> What on earth is TDS creep? Membranes produce pure water with the aid of water pressure. Greater pressure, more water and better quality water to a point. When an RO is running up to full pressure the water quality can be really exceptional. However when an RO is in the off state with no water pressure the membrane is still sitting in water. The membrane continues to try to process this low pressure water. The water produced at this pressure level will have a much greater amount of TDS. This initial poor quality production has been an RO problem all along. <<

 

I usually let my RO unit run for a minute or so before diverting the water to my DI canisters. This helps preserve them.

[disaster999]

thanks for the info, i havent installed a T valve between the line that goes from the RO membrane to the DI resin, does it help if i flush the system for a few mins before using?

 

also, if i want to add a storage tank later on that automatically fills when its low, how can i ensure that the tank always gets 100% pure water and not the initial poor quality?

[The Propagator]

I guess mine so clogged up it doesn't occur then LOL!

[bdare]

+1 I don't have that problem either...

[AZDesertRat]

All RO membranes will experience TDS creep regardless of brand or GPD. In an RO/DI system the DI resin catches the initial high TDS water so you may not see it on the final RO/DI side. I guarantee you if you test from the RO only side you will see an elevated TDS for the first few minutes. If you could install a pass to drain so its wastes the first bit of water each time the unit starts it would greatly extend the life of your DI resin but this is not always easy to do or cost effective if your system is automated. If you make water manually its as simple as installing a tee and ball valve between the RO and DI and flushing a quart or so to waste. Some systems already have a RO bypass valve such as the Premium units from www.buckeyefieldsupply.com so no need to add anything, just open the bypass for a minute or two.

[Sergeant-G]

I used to use walmart water and it was supposedly distilled ro water, I tested the phosphates and there was a very significant amount in the water, I just recently switched to a water supplier in town until I can get an RO unit I am not having any problems as of right now the only thing I have is the normal diatom bloom that a new tank has