RODI vs Ocean
- Thread starter Senjl
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If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
carey
Aquarium Advice Addict
My short and sweet answer is that with ro/di you know exactly what is going in your tank. Seawater is full of mysteries LOL.
I live in Florida and it would be so great but I don't think it will work.
I live in Florida and it would be so great but I don't think it will work.
Also, I would like suggestions/opinions on using glass as my baffles in a 29 gal glass aquarium sump tank instead of acrylic. What are your thoughts. Glass is cheaper and I can get it pretty thick and just as strong, or stronger, than acrylic.
tjm80
Aquarium Advice Freak
I wouldn't use NSW (natural sea water) unless you had a boat and could travel several miles away from the shoreline to collect your water. Either way, you will need a RO/DI filter. If you decide to go with NSW you would need the RO/DI for your top off water rather than using tap water.
Personally, I would go the synthetic salt route. It'd be cheaper in the long run, more convenient, and you know what's going in your tank (think BP) lol
Personally, I would go the synthetic salt route. It'd be cheaper in the long run, more convenient, and you know what's going in your tank (think BP) lol
tjm80
Aquarium Advice Freak
I like being able to answer questions!Anyway, I got a 20 long aquarium and went to Lowes and got some glass and a glass cutter and did glass baffles in my sump. If you use their glass, know that it's pretty brittle. I broke one baffle with my skimmer and had to redo it. Luckily it wasn't while the tank had livestock so it wasn't a big deal.
Just make sure you use aquarium safe silicone. From my research, silicone won't work if you go with the acrylic. But since you're wanting to use glass you need the silicone. I recommend the DAP silicone. They have some that specifically says aquarium safe on it. There is also some GE silicone, either type 1 or 2 but I kept reading contradicting thoughts on that, so I just went with the DAP. It is in blue packaging and has a picture of a fish on it.
Here is a link to the silicone so you know what the packaging looks like. They carry it at Lowes and Home Depot.
http://www.dap.com/product_details.aspx?BrandID=67&SubcatID=27
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Dary421
Aquarium Advice Addict
Total agreement in that you should use the RO/DI water,..at least that way you are starting off With a level playing field with pristine water,...using natural seawater you are pretty much at the mercy of the ocean as to what is in that water at the time you collect it,...then the next time you collect some it won't be the same as the last batch either,....sometimes it's hard enough trying to figure out your waters parameters using pure water let alone trying o guess what the ocean has to offer you on any given day.
slitherbomb
Aquarium Advice Addict
I used NSW to fill my 75g and biocube and the water changes have been using saltwater I've made myself. Nothing has happened yet, but that may not be the case for you. And water is the gulf is really not recommended, you might get oil lol...
Tjm, that is the exact silicone I already have since I wanted to reseal my aquarium to ensure no leaks. Dap Aquarium Safe Silicone works great, thank you!
The glass pieces are cheaper and with the silicone it will seal aganist glass. The only thing I will have to worry about is it breaking like u said. I will make sure to get thick pieces and plus Lowes will cut it for me as well.
thank you everyone for all the opinions and experiences it is greatly appreciated.
The glass pieces are cheaper and with the silicone it will seal aganist glass. The only thing I will have to worry about is it breaking like u said. I will make sure to get thick pieces and plus Lowes will cut it for me as well.
thank you everyone for all the opinions and experiences it is greatly appreciated.
tjm80
Aquarium Advice Freak
That's fine if you do, but when I got them to measure mine, it was either a hair too big or way too short. I threw all that glass away and bought the cheap glass cutter and cut it myself. All you gotta do is use a straight edge and a sharpie to measure where you want to cut, lay it on a flat surface and score the glass. That way you can "tweak" it.
But either way, you might want to find some way to sand down the edges of the cut glass. If I reach between the baffles on my bubble trap I get cut every time.
