Tank Cycled.. How to get rid of Nitrate's?

[TheChad]

Hey tecwzrd,

Is DI water not drinkable? I am looking at getting This Unit It says it has 2 outputs, the Tap which feed from the holding tank is RO only water, and the ball valve output is for RO+DI water, which they say is for aquarium water...

Is there a reason why you wouldn't want RO+DI water to drink?

What bennifit would you get from 2 DI stages instead of 1?

Thanks,

-TheChad

 

[tecwzrd]

DI is drinkable but doesn’t “taste” good because it’s devoid of the minerals you are used to tasting. That’s why they have the “tap” coming from the ro part because ro does remove a lot of elements but it still has a pleasant taste. ro water is especially good for making coffee/tea

One would think that two di filters is better then one but that’s not always the case. A lot of it depends on the manufacture. The di filters with the color changing resin is the one I prefer which is the same as the one you linked to.

 

[TheChad]

Thanks for the help tecwzrd.

I purchased that unit, Hopefully it wont be to hard to hook up.

I Changed another 12g of water yesterday in my 55g, and tested today to find the 20ppm of Nitrate still..... So I figure the only way I am going to get rid of those Nitrates is RO/DI...

-TheChad

 

[tecwzrd]

12 gal on the 55 is roughly 20%. If you are using the AP test with increments of 5/10/20/40, ect… then you will not really be able to tell the difference with a 20% change due to the “close” colors of that test.

It was 80 ppm last week so it is improving If you did 6 20% changes at this point every 3 days you could easily get it down to 0.

I forget, did your tap have trace of no3?

Congrats on the ro/di filterdirect not only has good filters/prices they have great customer service if you have any problems.

 

[TheChad]

I tested my tap water with the AP test kit and it said there was 20ppm no3...

But my 29g tank has all tap water in it and has 0ppm no3, so I am not sure if the tap really does have no3 or not...

last week when it had 80+ppm no3 must have been the end of the cycle, because I didn't change any water after that test, and when i tested again it was down to 20ppm...

I just hate to keep wasting salt and time chaning water if its not going to make a difference...

Which is the best test kit of these: Aquarium Pharmaceuticals, Red Sea, or Marine Enterprises?

I know none of them are probably any good, but those are the only 3 that I can find withing 50 miles of my home, AP of course being the most available, and Red Sea being 2nd most available..


Thanks,

-TheChad

 

[tecwzrd]

You must have had a bad no3 reading either with the 80 ppm or the 20 ppm. I’m guessing it was probably the 80 reading since that’s really on the high end even if finishing a cycle. A mature tank with ls/lr can lower no3 naturally but not at that rate.

Test your tap water straight from the faucet for no3. More then likely your tap doesn’t have any trace of it. (evident from your no3 reading on your other tank)

Out of those test the AP test is fine for testing no3. The more expensive/accurate tests usually are only slightly more reliable in detecting no3 and can help you better judge no3 at the lower ends. A no3 reading above 5 ppm is pretty easy to determine with AP.

 

[TheChad]

tecwzrd: I was thinking about what you said yesterday about the DI Removing Minerals... Arn't minerals good? I have to think there are tons of minerals in the ocean, and even in rain water...

I assume with RO+DI water, That you don't need the "Tap Water Conditioner"?

Thanks,

-TheChad

 

[TheChad]

Finally got the RO/DI Unit Installed.. Well Actually I had it installed yesterday, but the DI tube leeked, So I got it all leek free, and ready to use!

I tested the Nitrate's from both the RO water, and the RO+DI water... The RO water still showed 20PPM Nitrate, the RO+DI water shows 0PPM Nitrate!!!

So I am happy to see the RO+DI is working... I guess I really have no way to know if the RO water itself is any different from the tap water, but the RO+DI water is definitly different!

I tasted the RO water, and the Tap water, The RO water tasted a little plain, I guess thats from removing all the junk from the tap water...

-TheChad

 

[tecwzrd]

Congrats

Aren’t minerals good? -TheChad

When you add the salt mix to your PWC water it replaces elements/minerals that the ro/di removes but the salt mix is designed to closely mimic NSW elements unlike what’s found in your tap.

Ro still removes minerals and usually will get rid of some no3. Could be the test kit you have was too hard to tell for minor changes.

ro does taste funny for awhile if you are used to tap. I personally prefer tap if I’m just drinking water but prefer ro if making coffee or tea. My wife was raised on “bottled” water and can’t stand the taste of tap.

 

[jimmysmith]

I guess I really have no way to know if the RO water itself is any different from the tap water, but the RO+DI water is definitly different!

You can purchase a "TDS Meter" from ebay. TDS meter's will measure the amount of "Total Disolved Solids" in your water. The tap water where I live has a TDS reading of 170ppm. When I run it through the RO filter it goes to about 30ppm. After the RO/DI it drops to about 10ppm.