RO/DI or just DI

Nelz · 01/20/2012, 04:40 AM

Im using a cheap in home DI water filter for my tank water. The tank is still in cycle stage, been almost 4 weeks.

I used a lot of base rock, and very little live rock/sand.

My question is:

Is the DI water slowing down the process, is it faster with RO/DI?

And, is it ok to run just DI water for a nano reef heavy tank?

bundybear1981 · 01/20/2012, 05:31 AM

You could run just DI but it will become exhaused very quickly without the RO prefilter.
The RO takes out the bulk of the impurities from the water, the DI polishes the final output.

Ron Reefman · 01/20/2012, 06:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nelz

Im using a cheap in home DI water filter for my tank water. The tank is still in cycle stage, been almost 4 weeks. I used a lot of base rock, and very little live rock/sand.

My question is:
Is the DI water slowing down the process, is it faster with RO/DI?
And, is it ok to run just DI water for a nano reef heavy tank?

The use of DI, or RO/DI, or distilled water will not change how fast your new tank cycles. The bacteria that you need will grow just fine in any of those waters. What would help is to 'seed' the water a little with some food (you only need a small amount). It will decompose, become ammonia and feed the bacteria.

It is unclear to me by what you mean when you say you are running an "in home DI filter". Are you using well water and have a whole house DI system? Or are you talking about some kind of small faucet filter system? You can buy a TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) meter for about $20 and check how good your source water and filtered water are. And again, the water you put in your tank isn't as important as the quality of the water you keep in the tank. However, the cleaner it is going in, the less likely it is to be a problem.

Nelz · 01/21/2012, 06:25 AM

Its a filter that connects to the sink.........water goes in the top, filters to the bottom.

It was sort of an impulse buy, was just curious if just DI was "clean enough" or if I should just start buying RO/DI from the LFS.

Ron Reefman · 01/21/2012, 07:44 AM

Take some water from your tap (unfiltered) and some that is run thru the filter and take them to your LFS and ask them to check the TDS.

Shop for RO/DI and compare the cost of distilled from the grocery store.

Consider how much you will buy in a month or a year and then start shopping for your own RO/DI unit. It's cheaper and WAY more convenient.

01/20/2012, 04:40 AM	#1
Nelz Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Kansas Posts: 53	RO/DI or just DI Im using a cheap in home DI water filter for my tank water. The tank is still in cycle stage, been almost 4 weeks. I used a lot of base rock, and very little live rock/sand. My question is: Is the DI water slowing down the process, is it faster with RO/DI? And, is it ok to run just DI water for a nano reef heavy tank?

01/20/2012, 05:31 AM	#2
bundybear1981 Registered Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Bundaberg, Queensland, Australia Posts: 685 Blog Entries: 1	You could run just DI but it will become exhaused very quickly without the RO prefilter. The RO takes out the bulk of the impurities from the water, the DI polishes the final output. __________________ Tank inhabitants : 2x Clownfish, 1x Blue Koran, 1x Foxface Lo, 1xCoral Beauty, 1x Blue Tang, 1x Sailfin Tang Current Tank Info: New Build : 250g (6x3x2) with 2x RW15 pumps, 2x 2200lph return pumps, Tunze ATO, Jebao Dosing Pump, AquaOne G220 Skimmer

01/21/2012, 07:44 AM	#5
Ron Reefman Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Cape Coral, FL Posts: 10,431	Take some water from your tap (unfiltered) and some that is run thru the filter and take them to your LFS and ask them to check the TDS. Shop for RO/DI and compare the cost of distilled from the grocery store. Consider how much you will buy in a month or a year and then start shopping for your own RO/DI unit. It's cheaper and WAY more convenient. __________________ 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

01/21/2012, 06:25 AM	#4
Nelz Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Kansas Posts: 53	Its a filter that connects to the sink.........water goes in the top, filters to the bottom. It was sort of an impulse buy, was just curious if just DI was "clean enough" or if I should just start buying RO/DI from the LFS.