Seattle and RO/DI

[johnehr]

Is it worth it to get a RO/DI filter for my water since I live in seattle?

 

[jazznreef]

depends on what you're going to do with the water...

 

[johnehr]

I have tons of live rock and am going to have small fish, no big predators or large angels. I might go corals or get a BTA. Im just worried because my nitrates are at 20ppm with just my LR. (There was some die off...)

 

[jazznreef]

if you think you're going to have corals and other non fish animals then i would suggest a water filter. they are reasonably priced in relation to the problems and expenses that come with city water. you can find a good quality one for 100-200 depending on how big your tank is and how quick you will need the water to be produced. as for nitrates in your system, do you have a skimmer in your system? what else besides rock is doing the tank filtering?

 

[RockyHeap]

Before you jump on the gadget band wagon, I'd do a test on the tap water to check for phosphates and such.

I used a R0/DI for a while, and got tired of the slow flow even from a 60 gallon per day Kent unit. Sold it off and haven't had any problems using even well water right out of the ground.

Water is pretty good quality around the Seattle area. Other areas of the country its so hard and loaded with minerals its like trying to drink a rock.

 

[Sealab2021]

If you get your water from the CEDAR source here in seattle, it's awesome. kinda high in phospates but thats easy to contol

 

[johnehr]

Whats CEDAR?

I have 120 lbs of live rock. Sump with wet dry trickle over bio balls. Small skimmer. A fluval 404 I havent set up yet.

 

[WaterDogs]

I use the local water here in Marysville and it's not bad, it tests zero on nitrates and phosphates but you will get brown algae from it. I use a RO/DI now which also removes all the good stuff too from the tap water, that part I don't like. There is phosphates in the water it's that hobby kits don't detect it.

 

[NaH2O]

johnehr - Welcome to Reef Frontiers! I can't speak about the water in Seattle, but IMO, RO/DI water is an important part of a tank. You can get things like copper from pipes, that would be removed by the unit, not to mention the phosphates.

 

[jojo]

I would say using ro/di water is very important if you plan on keeping any corals. If you dont want to front the money for a unit you can buy ro/di from below sea level in Seattle for 25cents a gallon. Also safeway sells di water for like 39cents a gallon.

 

[RockyHeap]

Its one of those things like dosing supplements...........

I always used to dose Iodine........"everyone" said to do it to plump up the soft corals or mushrooms.......so I did dose it for years, then stopped, and you know what, same great over-abundant growth with them tripping over each other......

Same with Stronium, and other "needed reef builders".......

Everyone says you "have" to use Ro/Di water......until I stopped and my corals, sps, lps, zoo's, shrooms, are still thriving.....

We all have different conditions, and no two tanks or environments are the same.

I just hate seeing myself or others spending hundreds or thousands of dollars on un-needed equipment.

Less technology more biology.

Use what works for you.

 

[johnehr]

Anyone know why my nitrates would be 20ppm? (Would new cured live rock do this by themselves? I dont have any fish.) Is that really high? I think I need to get it down... I was thinking that maybe there was a high level of nitrates in the water around seattle, thats why I asked this question.

 

[DonW]

The LR will do it. How long has your tank been cycling. I would get an rodi unit, just one thing you wont have to question later when you do have a problem. You dont need to buy an expensive marine unit. A regular houshold unit with the filters changed to low micron is fine. But I really dought that this is your problem, this time around. Sounds more like new tank syndrone or possibly the bio balls.

Don

 

[Sealab2021]

The Cedar River Watershed. We quarterly water reports mailed.

 

[johnehr]

What do you mean by new tank syndrome?

 

[wrassehole]

Lose the bio balls, they are a nitrate factory. Thats yur problem IMO