Top off water choices

[Dr. Dai Phan]

Greetings,

Due to the high evaporation rate in my sump (I use a fan when I got the MH fixture), I have to add 1 gallon once every two days. I know using distilled water is best but how about spring water or mineral drinking water? Some people I talked to have different viewpoints on the choices. Some say mineral or spring is good for hard corals while others think it will contribute to hair algea growth? DP

[melosu58]

Originally Posted by Dr. Dai Phan

Greetings,

I know using distilled water is best but how about spring water or mineral drinking water? Some people I talked to have different viewpoints on the choices. Some say mineral or spring is good for hard corals while others think it will contribute to hair algea growth? DP

Actually distilled is not best. RO/DI is best. Distilled is sometimes made using copper tubing so you need to check that out but as I said RO/DI is best and then RO water. I used distilled water for top off water for several years before going to RO/DI. I do agree that mineral or spring water would probably have excessive nutrients in it causing algea.

[buddha_red]

Ro/di is the way to go. start with a clean slate, by that i mean zero TDS

[Dr. Dai Phan]

Originally Posted by melosu58

Actually distilled is not best. RO/DI is best. Distilled is sometimes made using copper tubing so you need to check that out but as I said RO/DI is best and then RO water. I used distilled water for top off water for several years before going to RO/DI. I do agree that mineral or spring water would probably have excessive nutrients in it causing algea.

I think that is precisely why I have hair algea although I already limited my lights (6 hours/day) and cut way back on the feeding (once every two days). What do you recommend as a RO/DI unit to produce the water at home? DP

[JustOneMore20]

There are many websites that you can buy ro/di filters. There are some nice ones on ebay, www.bulkreefsupply.com, www.airwaterice.com, and RO/DI Systems. I bought mine from bulkreefsupply and I'm very happy with it. All the sites mentioned ^ have good reviews.

[Dr. Dai Phan]

Originally Posted by JustOneMore20

There are many websites that you can buy ro/di filters. There are some nice ones on ebay, www.bulkreefsupply.com, www.airwaterice.com, and RO/DI Systems. I bought mine from bulkreefsupply and I'm very happy with it. All the sites mentioned ^ have good reviews.

On the long run, does it offer any substantial savings over buying distilled drinking water from supermarkets? In some cities the water is hard and needs to be soften first then go through RO/DI units and that adds to overall cost. For the one that you use, how much production in a day do you expect to put out? DP

[melosu58]

I know mine puts out 50 gallons a day in the summer and about 25 gallons a day in the winter.

[Dr. Dai Phan]

Originally Posted by melosu58

I know mine puts out 50 gallons a day in the summer and about 25 gallons a day in the winter.

That is no doubt a much better way to get RO/DI water instead of making frequent trips to Walmart. For over a year I have been making mistakes of using spring water that accounts for the annoying problems of hair algea. DP

[JustOneMore20]

Mine is rated for 75g per day, which is a little over 3 gallons an hour. I found that true as it put out about 5 gallons in about an hour and a half.