making own saltwater

[PirateJing]

Hey guys , I was wondering what's the best way for me to make my own saltwater at college . I live in a dorm and I can't make ro Di water . I would like some advice thank you !

[mmelnick]

Buy distilled water and bring it to your dorm. Then you can use it for top off and to mix water when needed.

[chucktdbm321]

Lot of times walmart and grocery stores will even sell Rodi water. It is usually labeled drinking water but check that it doesn have any additives. And it should say proccessed by: Ro and di or something

[Blueangel44]

Buy distilled water and bring it to your dorm. Then you can use it for top off and to mix water when needed.

That is exactly what I do for my tank! You can buy Distilled water for around 85-99 cents a gallon.

[TheUnfocusedOne]

That is exactly what I do for my tank! You can buy Distilled water for around 85-99 cents a gallon.

 

your gettin riped off, wally world is usally $0.65-$0.77 for DI or RO.

[Blueangel44]

your gettin riped off, wally world is usally $0.65-$0.77 for DI or RO.

Ah you see I go to Publix since it is real close to me Next time I know to go to Walmart!

[TheUnfocusedOne]

Ah you see I go to Publix since it is real close to me Next time I know to go to Walmart!

 

I haven't been to a Publix in years but my guess is that Walmart is cheaper. Theres a few different kinds, there drinking, distilled (i think it might be RO) and some baby water stuff. I'm pretty sure the drinking water is the best, but someone else might wanna confirm that. One of my friends tested the water a while ago and found that one type had much lower TDS than the others, but I can't remember which one that was right now.

[Blueangel44]

I haven't been to a Publix in years but my guess is that Walmart is cheaper. Theres a few different kinds, there drinking, distilled (i think it might be RO) and some baby water stuff. I'm pretty sure the drinking water is the best, but someone else might wanna confirm that. One of my friends tested the water a while ago and found that one type had much lower TDS than the others, but I can't remember which one that was right now.

I use crystal distilled water and it works great! Was that the type?

[chucktdbm321]

yes the drinking water is the one to get. as i said make sure it doesn't have added crap in it. It should said processed by RO then DI. It has 0 tds usually. The distilled still has some and not sure who uses the baby vitamin water lol

 

Edit: if you are going to have your own bathroom go get the mighty might from air water and ice. Its a Rodi unit that doesn't need plumbed just needs a faucet

[mmelnick]

You guys are really using the drinking water instead of distilled? Did you check the TDS of that water? Distilled water should be 0 TDS no matter what since it's always going to be condensed steam. But I would never trust that wal mart actually cahnges the filters when needed on the drinking water. And I doubt that they have a target of 0 TDS for "drinking water".

[TheUnfocusedOne]

You guys are really using the drinking water instead of distilled? Did you check the TDS of that water? Distilled water should be 0 TDS no matter what since it's always going to be condensed steam. But I would never trust that wal mart actually cahnges the filters when needed on the drinking water. And I doubt that they have a target of 0 TDS for "drinking water".

 

 

Yeah I thought I was backwards. I just can't remember which on I buy anymore. I have a spetrapure system coming this week so I dont really give a #### about wallmart water anymore .

[PirateJing]

I might get the mighty mite when i have a bit more extra cash , and could i have a specific drinking water brand to get? I saw Crystal distilled water just now. Is that fine?

[MusicISUnlimited]

You guys are really using the drinking water instead of distilled? Did you check the TDS of that water? Distilled water should be 0 TDS no matter what since it's always going to be condensed steam. But I would never trust that wal mart actually cahnges the filters when needed on the drinking water. And I doubt that they have a target of 0 TDS for "drinking water".

 

+1 Distilled for life!

[TheUnfocusedOne]

I might get the mighty mite when i have a bit more extra cash , and could i have a specific drinking water brand to get? I saw Crystal distilled water just now. Is that fine?

 

My friend had a mighty might and it crapped out on him after a few months (high tds) so he switched back to water from walmart. Id suggest spending the extra cash on a spectrapure system, I've yet to hear a bad thing about them.

[Dasani]

If you but water from wal-mart, don't get it out of the big filter thing. You don't know when the last time they changed their filters was and the water could be crap. Just get 1g distilled jugs.

[mmelnick]

If you but water from wal-mart, don't get it out of the big filter thing. You don't know when the last time they changed their filters was and the water could be crap. Just get 1g distilled jugs.

 

Exactly! Get DISTILLED water. Distilled is distilled so any brand will do. Or get an RO filter. Those are really the only 2 safe options that are really viable for a succesfull reef tank IMO.

[PirateJing]

Alright distilled water is the best option for me . But there is nothing bad in distilled right ?

[Oceanus]

No. Nothing bad in distilled.

[AZDesertRat]

Distilled may not be 0 TDS but it will be very close. RO/DI is the best option but distilled is a close second.

[reeftankguy]

You guys are really using the drinking water instead of distilled? Did you check the TDS of that water? Distilled water should be 0 TDS no matter what since it's always going to be condensed steam. But I would never trust that wal mart actually cahnges the filters when needed on the drinking water. And I doubt that they have a target of 0 TDS for "drinking water".

 

 

^^^^^^^^^^^ THIS ^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

You buy RODI at your own risk! Distilled is the best if you cant make your own and test it with TDS meter

[AZDesertRat]

No. Good RO/DI is preferred over distilled as it should be more pure. Steam distillation can carry volatiles through the process that then get reconstituted in the distilled water. RO/DI does not have this problem, and can yield a true 18.2 megaohms resistivity.

I would not buy water from a vending machine without a TDS meter, actually I would not buy or make any water period without a TDS meter. Usually vending machines are only RO too since they are intended for drinking water so no DI stage.

[reeftankguy]

No. Good RO/DI is preferred over distilled as it should be more pure. Steam distillation can carry volatiles through the process that then get reconstituted in the distilled water.

 

AZD,

 

I get my distilled from Sams Club... I test for copper and check the TDS every other couple of batches I buy,

all have always tested at "ZERO"

 

And like I said... If you can’t make your own "Buy Distilled" Do not buy RO from a machine...

 

I can afford any RO/DI on the market... I prefer to buy distilled... Much less of a hassle, just pop the top and mix in with salt... and I do recycle the empty jug

 

 

Care to elaborate more on the volatiles?

[AZDesertRat]

Sure, many volatiles or aromatics are light so travel with the steam and get recondensed, its a well know fact. Most environmental testing labs now use RO/DI rather than distilled for travel blanks and lab water for that reason. Distilled like deionized is agressive and can leach compounds out of plastics if its sits there long enough. You may not see it with a hobbyist grade TDS meter but I guarantee you you can with a conductivity or resistivity meter, its not really 0 TDS, its 0 indicated TDS.

 

If I have to purchase prepackaged water it would be distilled also but I have owned a RO/DI system for the last 16 years so have not bought water in years. My RO/DI units pay for themselves in the first year of operation and are paying me back after that and I get better quality too.