Whats the difference in DI water compared to RO water? - Aquarium Advice

Kohan Bros. · 05-21-2005, 04:57 PM

What exactly is pulled out of the water that makes it [acronym:d9210fa8f6="Deionization"]DI[/acronym:d9210fa8f6] or [acronym:d9210fa8f6="Reverse osmosis"]RO[/acronym:d9210fa8f6]? Why do aquarist liKe to use it? Is there a difference between distiled water and [acronym:d9210fa8f6="Deionization"]DI[/acronym:d9210fa8f6] water?

Could someone please answer my questions or give me a link that would be helpful.

In my tanks at home i use [acronym:d9210fa8f6="Reverse osmosis"]RO[/acronym:d9210fa8f6]/[acronym:d9210fa8f6="Deionization"]DI[/acronym:d9210fa8f6] in my salt and fresh water tanks, but at my highschool where i now take care of three freshwater tanks i can only get my hands on distiled and [acronym:d9210fa8f6="Deionization"]DI[/acronym:d9210fa8f6] water.

I am really confused and need help. [acronym:d9210fa8f6="Thanks in Advance"]TIA[/acronym:d9210fa8f6]

**QTOFFER** · 05-23-2005, 02:44 AM

Deionized water is cleansed of dissolved positively charged (sodium, calcium, magnesium, iron, and copper) or negatively charged (chloride and fluoride) ions. This is done by passing the water through a bed of chemically charged plastic beads that trap the contaminants. It isn't very good at removing particulate matter or uncharged molecules.
Distilled water is heated to its boiling point, and the water vapor is collected and condensed by cooling. This removes most particulates and salts, but not volatile organic contaminants, or dissolved gases like chlorine.
Water that has been both deionized and distilled is pretty pure for most applications.

Reverse osmosis involves passing water through a specialized filter at extremely high pressure. The filter is designed to only permit passage of water molecules. This water is essentially free of particulates, salts, organic molecules, and dissolved gases. It's probably the closest to absolutely pure water you can get, and is used for the most demanding applications.

[acronym:9acdb0f787="Hope this helps (or) Happy to help"]HTH[/acronym:9acdb0f787]

05-21-2005, 04:57 PM	#1
Kohan Bros. Aquarium Advice Freak Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Erie, PA Posts: 248	Whats the difference in DI water compared to RO water? What exactly is pulled out of the water that makes it [acronym:d9210fa8f6="Deionization"]DI[/acronym:d9210fa8f6] or [acronym:d9210fa8f6="Reverse osmosis"]RO[/acronym:d9210fa8f6]? Why do aquarist liKe to use it? Is there a difference between distiled water and [acronym:d9210fa8f6="Deionization"]DI[/acronym:d9210fa8f6] water? Could someone please answer my questions or give me a link that would be helpful. In my tanks at home i use [acronym:d9210fa8f6="Reverse osmosis"]RO[/acronym:d9210fa8f6]/[acronym:d9210fa8f6="Deionization"]DI[/acronym:d9210fa8f6] in my salt and fresh water tanks, but at my highschool where i now take care of three freshwater tanks i can only get my hands on distiled and [acronym:d9210fa8f6="Deionization"]DI[/acronym:d9210fa8f6] water. I am really confused and need help. [acronym:d9210fa8f6="Thanks in Advance"]TIA[/acronym:d9210fa8f6] __________________ I love the Grateful dead

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05-23-2005, 02:44 AM	#2
QTOFFER Aquarium Advice Addict Community Moderator Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Kew Gardens, NY Posts: 3,701 Images: 30	Deionized water is cleansed of dissolved positively charged (sodium, calcium, magnesium, iron, and copper) or negatively charged (chloride and fluoride) ions. This is done by passing the water through a bed of chemically charged plastic beads that trap the contaminants. It isn't very good at removing particulate matter or uncharged molecules. Distilled water is heated to its boiling point, and the water vapor is collected and condensed by cooling. This removes most particulates and salts, but not volatile organic contaminants, or dissolved gases like chlorine. Water that has been both deionized and distilled is pretty pure for most applications. Reverse osmosis involves passing water through a specialized filter at extremely high pressure. The filter is designed to only permit passage of water molecules. This water is essentially free of particulates, salts, organic molecules, and dissolved gases. It's probably the closest to absolutely pure water you can get, and is used for the most demanding applications. [acronym:9acdb0f787="Hope this helps (or) Happy to help"]HTH[/acronym:9acdb0f787]