Will my water be reef safe after RO/DI system? (water quality listed)
 

Hello Reef Central.
I am in the process of buying a RO/DI system. I was thinking about buying a Bulk Reef Supply75 gph RO/DI 5 stage standard system or a BRS 5 stage RO/DI Chloramines standards system. I am also open to suggestions on which system will be better for me based on my water quality.

I'm getting tired of driving into town and filling up my 5 gallon water jugs at a windmill RO water centers. I was thinking on upgrading to my own RO/DI system. Will the Bulk Reef Supply stated above be safe for my 140 gallon reef tank set up or should I continue buying water in town? Also, we have heard the water quality is not really up to par in order to drink therefore we also have to buy drinking water. Will this RO/DI along with the water drinking kit make the water safe to drink? I appreciate your help and thanks in advance. Here is the 2009 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report for you Chemist out there.

Year 2009: ( I tried writing them down for better reading but I couldn't make it fit in a table form on here so I took pictures instead)

If Some Photos are to hard to read let me know I will gladly write some of them down for better viewing.
http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/...alwater013.jpg
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I'm Sorry its coming out backwards I'm not sure how to edit the pictures. Im sorry this is turning into a hassle I will send a link to the pictures.
http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/...alwater004.jpg

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I didn't read through all your water, but in general, the normal 5 stage unit will be fine for your water. The chlormine unit has more better carbon to help break up the chlormines so it does not damage the membrane, but I don't think you are adding chlormines to your well water.

Short answer. Yes. Any ro/di system will remove all contaminants. BUT you must change the filters regularly. You can drink the purified water. DI water is a bit flat for my taste, but the RO water is fine. Many bottled water products have minerals added to it for flavor and DI removes these fminerals.

I have the BRS 6 stage deluxe system. Love it. Very nice product for the price. I recommend getting the Tds meter and if you can swing it get the flow meter. These will help you maintain your filters. BRS also sells a drinking water attachment.

And buy the right chlorine or chloramine filter for your treated water.

:headwally:
I cant get it to work here is a link to the album.
again sorry for the inconvenience.

http://photobucket.com/reefwater

Ok sounds like a good deal. Do I have chloramine? on my list I have a Cloride at average level of 19 is that the Chloramine? I also have a chromium at 2.8? I don't seen anything that actually says chloramine. Should I still get the chloramine system? Will a 6 stage filter be better than a 5 stage if the 6th filter is the same type of filter as on a 5 stage?

Chloride is different. Your water agency either uses. Chlorine or chloramine to kill anything in the water if they use chlorine then you don't need the more expensive chloramine charcoal.

Chloride is like regular salt. You have a lot in your reef tank right now (or you'd better).

Sidum hypochlorite is bleach. That's where their adding chlorine. That's not a problem if you have a good carbon filter.

It doesn't say anything about chloramines in the water report.



There is a lot of radiation in your water. It looks like there are some violations for going over the allowed limits and not saying anything. I would be drinking from the RO too.

So with this excessive amount of radiation. Should I continue drinking water from water jugs I fill up at a water windmill filtration station in town? Or will that RO/DI system I'm looking at removed the radiation? will my fish and corals and crustaceans be fine with the radiation after it passes through an RO/DI? I getting ready to buy one this coming week so I just want to see if it is worth my investment or If I should suck it up and continue going through the water jug , filtration station hassle.

The RODI is going to remove a considerable portion of the radio-isotopes. I'd feel a lot safer about drinking RO than drinking from the tap in your situation.

Just out of curiosity, where are you located?

I agree that the water should be safe enough for your tank after a decent RO/DI filter.

I'd get a drinking water setup, too, due to the radiation problem.

That explains why I glow at night but on a lighter note I don't need to shop for a Halloween costume. Well I live in Del Rio, Tx but I have a lake house on the outskirts of the city. our neighborhood uses different water than what the city uses ( I don't have the Del Rio, Tx water quality report just my neighborhoods) . So i take it I should continue drinking out of the city water that has gone through the windmill water stations? ( kind of like the water purifying station at Wal-Mart) But now for my reef tank would you guys say its safe to buy the RO/DI and use in my aquarium with negative effects with the radiation? or skip getting an RO/DI altogether and keep going to town and getting 5 gallon water at .75 cents a pop?

If the filter in town is maintained well and has RO/DI phases, it should be fine. Same if you get a RO/DI filter.

I don't know exactly what the water stations do to treat the water, so it's hard to say more.

Ro / di
 

I think that before going to all the water gadgets that the best thing you can do is use a salt mix product called Salinity. This is the best stuff on the market.....it is manufactured within 95 % of the specs that you are looking for in saltwater. All the other salt stuff like instant ocean and reef crystals are manufactured to have up to 60 % variation from box to bucket of saltwater mix.

So my suggestion is use Saliinity first..............it will cost more but bring huge benefits and save money on all the liquid products, ph buffers and all the other stuff they sell in stores..........after you use salinity then test and see if you need to go the next next mile like RO products and all the rest of it.

Your salt mix is the single most thing that will affect water quality, period.

Rino

Salinity might be an okay salt product, but it isn't clear it's any better than any of the others. A good salt product isn't a substitute for a RO/DI filter, in any case. They do different things.

Are you suggesting that if you use aquavitro you dont need to use ro/di water?!

That is so over the top, I have to ask,

Do you have any relationship with the Seachem or Aquavitro folks?

Why do you think ions can vary by 60% batch to batch in IO and RC? Which ions do you think vary that much?

No matter how pure a salt mix is, it won't do anything for impure starting fresh water. I also do not know if it is any purer than other brands. They provide an analysis, but even it is is accurate, what is one to compare it to?

How is it going to save on buffers? It has equal or less alkalinity than many other mixes.

What liquid products would you use less of?

I think that before going to all the water gadgets that the best thing you can do is use a salt mix product called Salinity.


Over the top and and an attempted thread highjack too
I seriously doubt it's better or an aquarium than other salt mixes generally. In any case the choice of salt mix has nothing to do with improving the purity of the water being used which is the OPs question.