Is this ok?

[Jacobsal91]

An i use instant ocean to mix my own water for waterchanges? Or
Is RO water better?

 

[AnthonyR]

I would use RO water with instant ocean to mix my water. It's usually a good rule of thumb not to use tap water.

 

[Digger]

RO or RO/DI water is ALWAYS better.

Worst would probably be tap water. Lots of nasty stuff in there that is not good for your tank, even if you have a "good" municipal water supply.

Steve

 

[Jacobsal91]

What if i condition the Tap water and then mix it? The instant ocean is a lot
Cheaper in my area

 

[Jake337]

If RO/DI water measure 0 TDS, how much would RO water have?

 

[Jacobsal91]

I would imagine close to the same

 

[Schism]

If RO/DI water measure 0 TDS, how much would RO water have?

RO membranes have a 96-98% rejection rate meaning a good 2-4% of the tds is left behind. And this is only if the membrane is running at maximum efficiency which is never the case usually.

By using tap and dechlorinator you are doing nothing about the TDS. TDS stands for total dissolved solids. If you have 400TDS tap then you have no idea what those 400tds are. They could be anything from ammonia to copper. Things you would never want in your tank.

Using 0TDS water ensures you know what is going into your tank and if an algae outbreak occurred you would know the problem wasnt your water.

 

[Jacobsal91]

Well whats the worst that can happen? Because i already have it
Mixed and would hate to see it goe to waste lol. I got rid of the clorine...

 

[Phranque]

If RO/DI water measure 0 TDS, how much would RO water have?

RO membranes have a 96-98% rejection rate meaning a good 2-4% of the tds is left behind. And this is only if the membrane is running at maximum efficiency which is never the case usually.

By using tap and dechlorinator you are doing nothing about the TDS. TDS stands for total dissolved solids. If you have 400TDS tap then you have no idea what those 400tds are. They could be anything from ammonia to copper. Things you would never want in your tank.

Using 0TDS water ensures you know what is going into your tank and if an algae outbreak occurred you would know the problem wasnt your water.

Schism is spot on.... My tap water is 450TDS, and the RO is 5-8TDS with a fresh membrane, which is 1%-2% solids passing. When it gets up to about 20TDS (4%) is when I do a backflush, which can be performed a few times before the membrane should be replaced. For me, each backflush is good for about another 200-250 gallons.
I'm not back into SW yet (currently researching & shopping for a JBJ 28g), so I don't bother with the DI canister right now. Since I blend water for my FW tank, it's kind of a waste to get it to 0TDS only to blend tap water back in....

 

[Schism]

Well whats the worst that can happen? Because i already have it
Mixed and would hate to see it goe to waste lol. I got rid of the clorine...

No the chlorine is still there, the dechlorinator just neutralizes it. And worse case scenario is your tank crashes, thats always the worst case scenario when putting something in your tank you dont know about.

However if you really would like to take the risk i would advise atleast testing it for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, phosphate. You could have major algae problems, among other things.

Can you use it? Yes. Is it a risk? Yes. Would i myself do it? No.

 

[Jacobsal91]

Ok sounds fair enough, this is only for this one water change because this salt isnt cheap and its already mixed....