Seattle Aquarium Water

[cookiemn]

I am thinking about using the aquarium water to start up my reef tank. A few questions first.
1) How and where do you get the water?
2) What experiences have you had with this water?
3) What are the bad points?
4) Is there a location near the Kirkland area to get cheaper RO/DI water?

Thanks

 

[mojoreef]

Cookie I have used thier water in my tank, you can not use the water as is, you must buffer it up with various elements, cal, salt, mag and alk. also this time of year might not be a good idea either, as with all the rain the runoff could reek havoc. I would say pass on it right now, but in the summer it would be alot better. For ro/di water I still think saltwater city sells it in bellevue


Mike

 

[dnjan]

The water is a bit low on salinity, and high on phosphates. To "fix" the water, you can:

1. Add about a tablespoon of kalk to a five-gallon bucket of Seattle aquarium watrer, and mix overnight. This will precipitate out the phosphate, but leave the pH too high.

2. Put an airstone in the bucket, and bubble overnight. This will drop the pH to a reasonable level, but leave the alk a bit low.

3. Add about 1/2 tsp of baking soda to bring the alk back up.

4. When you use the water, leave the white precipitate (excess calcium hydroxide, calcium carbonate, and phosphate compounds) on the bottom of the bucket with a little bit of cloudy water.

I don't correct the salinity directly - rather, I add more new water than I siphoned out when I do a watrer change. If you are just starting your tank, you can add more saltwater rather than RO water for evaporation make-up, until your salinity is correct.

At $0.05/gal, I think that the above is worth it (rather than all the wasted water from the RO unit, plus the cost of salt).

 

[mojoreef]

good post don

 

[mattseattle]

This is a previous post I made about the Aquarium Water. I used to use it but stopped due to it being really unrealiable.
----
I used to use it.......but I was having major issues with it. Salinity was never really stable, calcium and alk were always off. I had to put more additives into the water to get it stable than what it was worth. It was fine for my original fill of my tank but for water changes and all it didn't work out for me. I'm sure it'd be fine for a fish only tank.

It's a 10.00 charge to get a card then it's .05 a gallon and they bill you monthly for your water use. You have to go during normal hours to get your card and just ask the person at the cash register and she'll buzz someone in administration and you fill out a simple form and get your card.

Hope that helps.

 

[Woodmeister]

I use both Seattle Aquarium water and Purified Water-To-Go depending on the time of year and my schedule. I process the Aquarium water with a phosphate medium before adding it to a tank. When I use a mix the purified water is from Water-To-Go. You'll find one of the three Eastside stores in Kirkland on the north side of NE 85th a few blocks east of I-405. I believe that using the water from Water-To-Go is less expensive and a little more environmentally friendly than a home R/O system, but not necessarily as convenient.

http://www.watertogo.com/locations01.htm

 

[mattseattle]

I just prefer to use RO/DI water now because I know what I'm getting. It's hard to tell if those water places change their filters on a regular basis and that you get constant 'good' water. i know i waste quite a bit of water making my own though.

 

[Woodmeister]

I've gotten to know the owner of the Issaquah store and knew the former owner of the Crossroads location. Both have been/were very open about allowing examination of their regular water test results. Their 12 stage filtration is far superior in final product to almost anything most of us can expect to achieve at home. I’ve also had their water tested independently on occasion and it’s been about as pure as it could come. I also drink it and use it as a base for a number of beverages. It may not be for everyone, but it works quite well for me and I'd recommend it for those that want to try something new.

 

[mattseattle]

as long as you know what your getting and it sounds like you do. too bad they don't have a store over here in seattle.

i also got tired of lugging tons of water home weekly from the aquarium. it's easier for me to just make my own

 

[Woodmeister]

I agree about the lugging of buckets and bottles. It does get a little tiresome, but I'm pretty much stuck with it because an R/O system would be a challenge with my present house configuation and tank placement.

Water-To-Go does have a store in Greenwood, if that's not too far out of the way for you.