Tropical Fish Keeping banner

Options to make non RO water ok

4K views 7 replies 5 participants last post by  Reefing Madness 
#1 ·
Hello,
I'm just turning over my 90g tank to salt water and I just don't know if I can always get RO water or absolutely have to. Are there other easier or cheaper options to make tap water safe for anemonie or corals. Im probably starting tank up this Fri and need advice. Does skimkmer or uv light help at all or can I use media to make it safe.
Brian
 
#4 ·
I agree with onefish2fish, units are not that expensive and the peace of mind and the convience is worth it IMO. Check with local reefers sometimes people may have a unit that they are selling also you can check places like amazon or ebay if looking for a deal. I got my typhoon unit which comes from air water and ice from a person who had bought it but never ended up using it. I got a great deal on the unit paid less than what it was selling on the site and also got additional bonuses, full set of filter replacements and a float valve. When you consider the amount of money you will be spending in livestock for your tank the price of a ro/di unit is very minimal.
 
#8 ·
Not to hijack this thread but I read somewhere that for every gallon of RO water produced 3 gallons of waste water are produced and sent down the drain. Is that true? Seems like waste to me and if true I probably wouldn't buy one.
It is true, but its 4:1. Also, there are things you can do to make it less, like 2:1. Use a pump to get the pressure correct going through the membrane. Second, use a second membrane to squeeze out every ounce of good water you can.
 
#7 ·
The ratio should be 1:4, for every gallon of product water that is produced there is 4 gallons of waste water. The waste water you can collect and use it for things like onefish2fish mentioned, or even use it to water your household plants or your garden if you have one. With out doing a detailed analysis of what is in your water it is hard to know exactly what you would be putting into your tank. Some things can be completely harmless, other things like phosphates and nitrates can cause you issues with nuisance algaes, and then depending on what type of plumping is in your house and how old it is you could even get copper that leaches into your water which is detrimental to corals.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top