The 'mystery' of cycling and rodi water.

Sk8r · 03/24/2017, 12:33 PM

Neither the process of cycling nor ro/di are essential for keeping marine critters alive in qt or in an emergency.
What does cycling do? It builds up a bacterial population sufficient to break down waste to nitrogen gas. This lets it leave the tank. As bubbles. You can prevent waste breaking down to ammonia simply by trapping waste in a filter pad and changing the filter pad often enough. My rule is when you see any brown stain on the pad it's time to change it.

What does ro/di do? It provides water from which all minerals have been stripped so that they will not interfere with the chemistry of the salt mix. It further prevents buildup of these unwanted minerals by evaporation of tank water and replacement of water that contains unwanted minerals.

Neither are magical or mystical processes: they simply render a tank capable of sustaining itself longterm with no filter changes; and render the 'base' for your salt mix free of unwanted minerals that would throw the proportions in your salt mix 'off'. Additionally, there are some water supplies with things like low levels of arsenic and such that you would not want accumulating in your tank. You can ask your city for a readout of water testing if you are curious.

But in general, no such hazard equals the hazard of water that's gone bad and has no oxygen. Do be sure that if you are in a hurry to mix saltwater, you mix it until clear, because undissolved salt grains can burn corals and fishy gills: a more powerful pump CAN speed the process, which ordinarily takes about 8 hours. Even a household mixer might serve---but the saltwater splashed onto the mixer would probably do it in. Likewise---you CAN use a microwave to heat cupfuls of tank water or new saltwater to achieve temperature balance.

And if the water is not destined to go into your permanent dt it certainly can't hurt your dt.

Stolireef · 03/24/2017, 02:40 PM

I'll bet I know what thread made you post this.

Sk8r · 03/24/2017, 03:01 PM

It is a problem many people don't think about when they start, because there are just so many moving parts---but it's needful to understand what ordinary steps you can safely skip in an emergency, or for qt, or whatever.

scott11106 · 03/25/2017, 11:28 AM

great post !

that was one of my first big mistakes when starting in this hobby, i had a 125g and was doing my first water change with my first batch of salt water made in a garbage can. (i was using gas containers prior to that and lugging them from the fish store prior to that)

anyway made up the water tested it and tested it again but did not pay attention to the salt being 100% mixed and the temp was way too cold so as expected after pumping the water to the tank i was off to the races trying to figure out what I did and how to fix it fast...

it was a long night

03/24/2017, 12:33 PM	#1
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	The 'mystery' of cycling and rodi water. Neither the process of cycling nor ro/di are essential for keeping marine critters alive in qt or in an emergency. What does cycling do? It builds up a bacterial population sufficient to break down waste to nitrogen gas. This lets it leave the tank. As bubbles. You can prevent waste breaking down to ammonia simply by trapping waste in a filter pad and changing the filter pad often enough. My rule is when you see any brown stain on the pad it's time to change it. What does ro/di do? It provides water from which all minerals have been stripped so that they will not interfere with the chemistry of the salt mix. It further prevents buildup of these unwanted minerals by evaporation of tank water and replacement of water that contains unwanted minerals. Neither are magical or mystical processes: they simply render a tank capable of sustaining itself longterm with no filter changes; and render the 'base' for your salt mix free of unwanted minerals that would throw the proportions in your salt mix 'off'. Additionally, there are some water supplies with things like low levels of arsenic and such that you would not want accumulating in your tank. You can ask your city for a readout of water testing if you are curious. But in general, no such hazard equals the hazard of water that's gone bad and has no oxygen. Do be sure that if you are in a hurry to mix saltwater, you mix it until clear, because undissolved salt grains can burn corals and fishy gills: a more powerful pump CAN speed the process, which ordinarily takes about 8 hours. Even a household mixer might serve---but the saltwater splashed onto the mixer would probably do it in. Likewise---you CAN use a microwave to heat cupfuls of tank water or new saltwater to achieve temperature balance. And if the water is not destined to go into your permanent dt it certainly can't hurt your dt. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%. Last edited by Sk8r; 03/24/2017 at 03:01 PM.

03/24/2017, 02:40 PM	#2
Stolireef Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Scottsdale AZ Posts: 3,180 Blog Entries: 5	I'll bet I know what thread made you post this. __________________ I want to burn twice as bright and half as long. Oh, and a full tank crash is just an excuse for a new build. Current Tank Info: 125 Rimless Leemar, Apex, Trigger 30 Elite Sump, Vertex 180i Skimmer, 2 X Gen4 Radion XR30W, BM Doser, 2xMP40WES, 2xTunze 6095, Sicce Syncra 4.0.

03/24/2017, 03:01 PM	#3
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	It is a problem many people don't think about when they start, because there are just so many moving parts---but it's needful to understand what ordinary steps you can safely skip in an emergency, or for qt, or whatever. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

03/25/2017, 11:28 AM	#4
scott11106 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2017 Location: Fletcher, NC Posts: 70	great post ! that was one of my first big mistakes when starting in this hobby, i had a 125g and was doing my first water change with my first batch of salt water made in a garbage can. (i was using gas containers prior to that and lugging them from the fish store prior to that) anyway made up the water tested it and tested it again but did not pay attention to the salt being 100% mixed and the temp was way too cold so as expected after pumping the water to the tank i was off to the races trying to figure out what I did and how to fix it fast... it was a long night