Why waste DI Resin on curing rock?

ktownhero · 10/19/2016, 08:03 AM

I recently picked up 60lbs of Pukani from BRS and threw it in a brute with tap water to get it started. The next day I made some RO water that I will mix with salt to move it into. But when I was making the RO water it got me thinking about all of these threads I see where people insist on using DI for simply curing rock.

I get not wanting to use tap water long term, but RO water is perfectly fine. Heck, most could probably get by with using RO only in their tanks (I know I did for > 10 years). But I get wanting entirely "pure" water in the main tank. But DI Resin has a limited lifespan, why bother wasting it when just curing rock? Is there a real concern that the <4% TDS that remains in your RO water is going to somehow cause problems?

Just offering a little voice of reason here. You don't need to eat through DI Resin to cure rock. If you don't have a DI bypass on your RODI, then just pull the line out of the DI cartridge and run it to your container. Or make your own out of a T and 2 valves. Save yourself a few bucks and in the end you'll never know the difference. For me, it's not even the money first and foremost, it's just the principle of the matter. It's a total waste IMO.

ReefsandGeeks · 10/19/2016, 08:44 AM

I don't see RO only water being an issue, but in the grand scheme of things, I don't think the water for curing rock really eats up that much of your DI life. I guess that depends on how much you use, but for me I don't think it would be worth the effort to disconnect the DI just to save a bit of life. I can't remember what exactly get's through the RO that the DI gets, but any silicates or phosphates can feed algae, so there's obviously a benefit to their removal. Otherwise, I don't see any big benefits either way.

ktownhero · 10/19/2016, 09:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by devastator007

I don't see RO only water being an issue, but in the grand scheme of things, I don't think the water for curing rock really eats up that much of your DI life. I guess that depends on how much you use, but for me I don't think it would be worth the effort to disconnect the DI just to save a bit of life. I can't remember what exactly get's through the RO that the DI gets, but any silicates or phosphates can feed algae, so there's obviously a benefit to their removal. Otherwise, I don't see any big benefits either way.

Good point. If you are curing rock in a display and/or with light, then that makes sense. If you are throwing the rock in a covered container then it probably matters far less.

I put together a DI Bypass for less than $10 (T and 2 valves) at Home Depot and about 5 minutes of my time.

BrettDS · 10/19/2016, 09:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ktownhero

I put together a DI Bypass for less than $10 (T and 2 valves) at Home Depot and about 5 minutes of my time.

If you wanna do this then more power to you, but frankly you're probably saving less than $10 worth of resin by doing this. If you have a good RO filter then it doesn't take much resin to remove the last little bit that was left in the water.

mcgyvr · 10/19/2016, 10:40 AM

You can't make that blanket statement.. (well this is the internet.. you can make any statement you want.. BUT)

Its 100% dependent on what the remaining TDS is..
Water with 4 TDS could cause far more issues than water with a reading of 100 TDS..
Just depends on what exactly is left in the water..

Same reason many can run successful tanks with straight tap water.. All depends on what exactly is in the water..

RO/DI is simply insurance and a tool to use in absence of complete water profiling..

ktownhero · 10/19/2016, 12:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcgyvr

You can't make that blanket statement.. (well this is the internet.. you can make any statement you want.. BUT)

Its 100% dependent on what the remaining TDS is..
Water with 4 TDS could cause far more issues than water with a reading of 100 TDS..
Just depends on what exactly is left in the water..

Same reason many can run successful tanks with straight tap water.. All depends on what exactly is in the water..

RO/DI is simply insurance and a tool to use in absence of complete water profiling..

I wasn't debating the use of DI water in general; just for curing rock.

Raintree · 10/19/2016, 04:27 PM

Remember that phosphates can bind to the rock while you're curing it. I'm not sure if phosphate gets through the RO but personally i'd rather be safe than sorry.

i'm lucky to have very low tds tap water so that by the time it gets through the RO it's already at 0tds

R33FLIF3 · 10/19/2016, 06:02 PM

how much water are you getting out of one DI cartridge?

i have the BRS 6 stage Universal Plus system
im getting 800-1000 gallons per cartridge my ro tds is 8-15, every year twice for one month my city will switch to using free chlorine in its drinking water system. when they do that my tds is 3-7.

$12.99 for 1000 gals of di water... running your RO filter without DI is a total waste IMO, your still gonna have to replace your pre filters, carbon blocks and eventually your RO membrane for the same amount of water made. you took the water this far why not run it thru the DI resin..

i run a bypass pre RO so i can flush out new carbon blocks without running the waste thru the RO membrane, and post RO for tds creep.

A sea K · 10/20/2016, 05:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcgyvr

Its 100% dependent on what the remaining TDS is..
Water with 4 TDS could cause far more issues than water with a reading of 100 TDS..
Just depends on what exactly is left in the water..

Same reason many can run successful tanks with straight tap water.. All depends on what exactly is in the water..

RO/DI is simply insurance and a tool to use in absence of complete water profiling..

^^^
This, it all depends on what, exactly, is left in that 4TDS. Not worth the risk IMO.

Ron Reefman · 10/20/2016, 05:52 AM

ktownhero, I'll take your idea one step further. I recently had to tear down a 180g reef tank. I stored the LR in a brute full of freshwater with a lid and it sat outside in the 95F SW Florida sun for days. I did several water changes, always fresh water. In fact recycled 'irrigation' water not for drinking with a TDS of over 500.

After 3 weeks I had my new tank nearly set up, so I added 2 cups of muriatic acid to the water and let that sit for a day, flushed it with more freshwater, drained it and put some of it in the new tank. It was about 66% LR from the sump of a different system and 33% of this washed 'cured' rock. I never had any ammonia or nitrite reading and my nitrated did rise slowly. The 3rd day after the rock went in the tank I loaded it up with corals that were in small 'holding' tanks and tubs all over the house! I added 2 small fish, shrimp, serpent stars, snails, emerald crabs and 2 different sea cucumbers.

That was all 7 weeks ago. I added a display refugium with decorative macroalgae about 2 weeks ago. My only loss in the reef tank was a serpent star that looked in bad shape when I moved it from the holding tank to the display tank and that happened in just 2 days after the move. Everybody else is fine and corals are open and look happy. BTW, over the last 2 weeks my nitrate level has stopped rising and is currently stable at 10ppm.

10/19/2016, 08:03 AM	#1
ktownhero Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2014 Posts: 1,426	Why waste DI Resin on curing rock? I recently picked up 60lbs of Pukani from BRS and threw it in a brute with tap water to get it started. The next day I made some RO water that I will mix with salt to move it into. But when I was making the RO water it got me thinking about all of these threads I see where people insist on using DI for simply curing rock. I get not wanting to use tap water long term, but RO water is perfectly fine. Heck, most could probably get by with using RO only in their tanks (I know I did for > 10 years). But I get wanting entirely "pure" water in the main tank. But DI Resin has a limited lifespan, why bother wasting it when just curing rock? Is there a real concern that the <4% TDS that remains in your RO water is going to somehow cause problems? Just offering a little voice of reason here. You don't need to eat through DI Resin to cure rock. If you don't have a DI bypass on your RODI, then just pull the line out of the DI cartridge and run it to your container. Or make your own out of a T and 2 valves. Save yourself a few bucks and in the end you'll never know the difference. For me, it's not even the money first and foremost, it's just the principle of the matter. It's a total waste IMO.

10/19/2016, 10:40 AM	#5
mcgyvr Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: North Carolina Posts: 20,050	You can't make that blanket statement.. (well this is the internet.. you can make any statement you want.. BUT) Its 100% dependent on what the remaining TDS is.. Water with 4 TDS could cause far more issues than water with a reading of 100 TDS.. Just depends on what exactly is left in the water.. Same reason many can run successful tanks with straight tap water.. All depends on what exactly is in the water.. RO/DI is simply insurance and a tool to use in absence of complete water profiling.. __________________ Who me?

10/20/2016, 05:52 AM	#10
Ron Reefman Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Cape Coral, FL Posts: 10,431	ktownhero, I'll take your idea one step further. I recently had to tear down a 180g reef tank. I stored the LR in a brute full of freshwater with a lid and it sat outside in the 95F SW Florida sun for days. I did several water changes, always fresh water. In fact recycled 'irrigation' water not for drinking with a TDS of over 500. After 3 weeks I had my new tank nearly set up, so I added 2 cups of muriatic acid to the water and let that sit for a day, flushed it with more freshwater, drained it and put some of it in the new tank. It was about 66% LR from the sump of a different system and 33% of this washed 'cured' rock. I never had any ammonia or nitrite reading and my nitrated did rise slowly. The 3rd day after the rock went in the tank I loaded it up with corals that were in small 'holding' tanks and tubs all over the house! I added 2 small fish, shrimp, serpent stars, snails, emerald crabs and 2 different sea cucumbers. That was all 7 weeks ago. I added a display refugium with decorative macroalgae about 2 weeks ago. My only loss in the reef tank was a serpent star that looked in bad shape when I moved it from the holding tank to the display tank and that happened in just 2 days after the move. Everybody else is fine and corals are open and look happy. BTW, over the last 2 weeks my nitrate level has stopped rising and is currently stable at 10ppm. __________________ The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it. (Neil deGrasse Tyson) Visit my build thread http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2593017

10/19/2016, 08:44 AM	#2
ReefsandGeeks Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 1,708	I don't see RO only water being an issue, but in the grand scheme of things, I don't think the water for curing rock really eats up that much of your DI life. I guess that depends on how much you use, but for me I don't think it would be worth the effort to disconnect the DI just to save a bit of life. I can't remember what exactly get's through the RO that the DI gets, but any silicates or phosphates can feed algae, so there's obviously a benefit to their removal. Otherwise, I don't see any big benefits either way.

10/19/2016, 04:27 PM	#7
Raintree Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: Seattle Posts: 116	Remember that phosphates can bind to the rock while you're curing it. I'm not sure if phosphate gets through the RO but personally i'd rather be safe than sorry. i'm lucky to have very low tds tap water so that by the time it gets through the RO it's already at 0tds

10/19/2016, 06:02 PM	#8
R33FLIF3 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: FLORIDA Posts: 77	how much water are you getting out of one DI cartridge? i have the BRS 6 stage Universal Plus system im getting 800-1000 gallons per cartridge my ro tds is 8-15, every year twice for one month my city will switch to using free chlorine in its drinking water system. when they do that my tds is 3-7. $12.99 for 1000 gals of di water... running your RO filter without DI is a total waste IMO, your still gonna have to replace your pre filters, carbon blocks and eventually your RO membrane for the same amount of water made. you took the water this far why not run it thru the DI resin.. i run a bypass pre RO so i can flush out new carbon blocks without running the waste thru the RO membrane, and post RO for tds creep.