breaking the bank on water changes

[Gregcoyote]

I too am an engineer. RO/DI is pretty simple. Depending on the tank size, that will determine how fast your filters last.

The RO membrane usually lasts me a year (550 gallon system) with my carbon and course sediment filters lasting about 6 months. The DI material doesn't last very long and gets changed out as needed. These filters and chemicals can be found in bulk on line for about half of what it costs at the LFS.

 

[baron1282]

I bought a box for $60 dollars and it's for 200 gallons. I do a 20% water change on my 55 gallon every two to three weeks. I buy my water for $2.50 a gallon at my local Krogers (RO/DI).

See if your local super market sales RO/DI water and just buy two 5 gallon buckets. I use three 5 gallon buckets. Two is for my saltwater change and 1 is for my freshwater for top off. I mix my salt right in the buckets with a paint mixer I got from Home Depot along with the buckets. I mix my water and let it sit over night before I do the water change.

 

[VinnyLLU]

Starting up can be expensive, but once you find out where to get stuff online and shop, it can be less expensive. Try to get the largest tank you can afford. It will definitely save you money in the long run.

 

[dragonfisher33]

Starting up can be expensive, but once you find out where to get stuff online and shop, it can be less expensive. Try to get the largest tank you can afford. It will definitely save you money in the long run.

yeah i understand. part of the initial shock was the fact that for my FW tanks i never paid for water, paying for watet mix never register in my head before. and in order to get the correct salinity i will need to use about 1/4 of the bucket of salt. but now i got over it

 

[dwint]

I always use tap water in my 75 gallon and never had a fish die yet.i do a 10% water change every two weeks and never tested bad.i guess every state has different water.i only have 6 fish and a shrimp and a emperor 400.i change my filters every month and always have crystal clear water.buying water would kill my pocket lol

 

[baron1282]

I don't see how paying $2.50 cents for 5 gallons of water is breaking the bank on water. I spend around $8 dollars for water every two weeks. So on average I am paying $16 dollars a month for RO/DI water.

When you factor in buying $60 dollars of salt and doing 20% water changes I am not spending that much at all for water changes. I don't have a job right now, and my income is limited but I have always found money for water changes.

Being I had the tank before I got laid off, It's still my responsibility to take care of the animals that I purchased. So I just don't see why anyone would say buying 15 gallons of water to change 10% of the water is somehow going to ruin them or they are not able to do it. I know Wal-Mart has RO/DI stations as do most major grocery stores.

I can see how it could get really expensive if you had a tank bigger than 90 gallons. but I think anything lower than 90 gallons, twenty gallons of RO/DI water is going to be all you need to do water changes with. I bought 5 buckets from Home Depot and I use them to fill the water up at my Kroger. As long as their clean containers you should have no issue with the store on filling them up.

 

[dragonfisher33]

I don't see how paying $2.50 cents for 5 gallons of water is breaking the bank on water. I spend around $8 dollars for water every two weeks. So on average I am paying $16 dollars a month for RO/DI water.

When you factor in buying $60 dollars of salt and doing 20% water changes I am not spending that much at all for water changes. I don't have a job right now, and my income is limited but I have always found money for water changes.

Being I had the tank before I got laid off, It's still my responsibility to take care of the animals that I purchased. So I just don't see why anyone would say buying 15 gallons of water to change 10% of the water is somehow going to ruin them or they are not able to do it. I know Wal-Mart has RO/DI stations as do most major grocery stores.

I can see how it could get really expensive if you had a tank bigger than 90 gallons. but I think anything lower than 90 gallons, twenty gallons of RO/DI water is going to be all you need to do water changes with. I bought 5 buckets from Home Depot and I use them to fill the water up at my Kroger. As long as their clean containers you should have no issue with the store on filling them up.

well, if you see it from my point of view maybe you will start to understand a bit. like i mentioned before i have had several successful FW tanks that don't require the need of RO/DI water, always straight from the tap = Free. When i started my first SW tank, i thought a box of sea salt would carry me for at least some time, but i didn't realize that it's only good for 10gal. that's my bad and lack of research into the topic of salinity when it comes to SW. I never said anything about being irresponsible for the animals/fish that i purchased. in fact, i haven't had any since i understand i need to go through the careful process of cycling. i understand that SW is generally more expensive than FW and the title of the thread might have a bit of exaggeration, but the fact of paying for just the water never crossed my mind and the salt that's necessary to reach a certain salinity really didn't settle down until i bought my first box of salt.

if you know how i have kept my FW tanks you would understand how much care i go into for each of the tanks that i have. just the number of live food that i cultured or bought would surprise you. it's not everyday where you can culture your own mysis shrimp or brine shrimps or blackworms, something i don't expect you or anyone to do with the exception to the most dedicated hobbyists. i'm not implying you're ignorant or so, but i just hope that you understand where i came from. although i'm a noob when it comes to SW, but i have kept fish long enough to understand what they need and require in order to thrive in a closed system.

 

[Gregcoyote]

Since you know about closed systems, you understand that evaporation concentrates toxins in a closed system. The purer the water you start with the less toxins concentrated.

 

[dragonfisher33]

Since you know about closed systems, you understand that evaporation concentrates toxins in a closed system. The purer the water you start with the less toxins concentrated.

yes i understand that and the importance of nitrate removal whether mechanically or through water change. i was just hoping the other person see where i'm coming from and give me a benefit of the doubt

 

[baron1282]

I see where your coming from. I did not mean to sound mean spirited with the comment.

I was just trying to say buying water is not the expensive part of saltwater. What I have found to be expensive is the live sand, live rock and the fish themselves. Other than that, it's really the same as a freshwater. Yes having to add salt to the mix is a little more expensive, but like I said before I spent only $60 dollars for a box of salt and I still have two bags left (It comes with 3 bags in it). It's been around 4 months since I bought the box and I have only been mixing 10 gallons of salt each water change.

http://www.amazon.com/Instant-Ocean-Salt-Aquarium-200-Gallon/dp/B003SNKMVI/ref=pd_sbs_petsupplies_2

I have kept freshwater as well, and RO/DI water is preferred in that area as well. A lot of benefits come from using RO/DI water. I have heard stories about peoples tanks crashing years after they set them up because they used tap water and the minerals in the tap water build up over a slow amount of time to levels that fish do not like. So tap is not the best bet to use regardless of what kind of aquarium you use. Some City water has Fluoride and Chlorine. That can't be good for fish!

If I where you, being you have a lot of tanks you would be best buying your own RO/DI water system. I know they can be around $200 dollars, but in the long run I think you would be saving a lot of money and trips to the store!! Plus you will be ready for bigger tanks! I believe most units do about 50 gallons daily. I know I will be getting my own soon, just because I am tired of going to the store.

Amazon.com: Coralife 05692 Pure-Flo II 50-Gallon Per Day 4 Stage RO/DI System: Pet Supplies

 

[dragonfisher33]

yeah i have learned my lesson and have order the reef salt for 200gal. i plan on getting corals one of these days. so although i don't have a single coral yet, i'm just planning ahead of time.

i understand RO/DI is almost a must in SW and especially for reef tank. i will get one when do a bit more research into it. it took me a few days to find out the most reputable reef salt out there in the market.

 

[huma-huma]

If you plan on going reef at some point, id start using instant ocean reef crystals salt. The 200g box on amazon is only 3 dollars more than the regular IO

 

[dragonfisher33]

If you plan on going reef at some point, id start using instant ocean reef crystals salt. The 200g box on amazon is only 3 dollars more than the regular IO

yeah, i already did that

 

[huma-huma]

Good move. That way youll get the added trace elements and calcium into your system

 

[TangoTank]

...I have kept freshwater as well, and RO/DI water is preferred in that area as well. A lot of benefits come from using RO/DI water. I have heard stories about peoples tanks crashing years after they set them up because they used tap water and the minerals in the tap water build up over a slow amount of time to levels that fish do not like. So tap is not the best bet to use regardless of what kind of aquarium you use. Some City water has Fluoride and Chlorine. That can't be good for fish! ...

Curious... how do you handle RODI in FW? Is there a mineral mix you add to it?? And somebody said they use it to Top Off for evap. FW & SW aren't the same, you aren't adding pure water to avoid increasing salinity. Since I have several FW, I'm curious about the usage of RODI & the disadvantages of NOT using it.

 

[huma-huma]

You dont use rodi in sw to avoid salinity creep. You ise it to avoid the usually high tds levels

 

[baron1282]

You can use RO water only and not RODI. The cleaner you start your tank the easier it is to keep up. You can always add minerals that you need.

 

[dragonfisher33]

regardless of the type of aquarium RODI has multiple benefits. for instance, the discus tank for FW will benefit the fish by removing harsh chemicals in the water and lower the pH since that's discus' natural environment and just how sensitive they are.

 

[Gregcoyote]

I raised cichlids in tap water for years before RO units became available. Use to collect rainwater as it was nice and soft. PH was almost perfect. But SW is different as there are metals and DOCs in quantity in much of the water out of the tap that can at the best grow algae. Some places are luckier than others and a TDS meter will tell you that. But I like starting with water I know is pure. I think it's critical for a reef and probably a good idea in a fish only.

 

[TangoTank]

You dont use rodi in sw to avoid salinity creep. You ise it to avoid the usually high tds levels

No, I was referring to somebody who said they used RO or RODI in Top Off for FW. I'm aware of the use of RODI for SW in general besides avoiding the salinity going up in top offs. I buy RODI & do *not* use tap myself in my FOWLR.

To everybody... My question is for Cichlids & Discus, do you add minerals to the water?? I would think just plain RO or RODI would be too pure for fish. Edit: I just saw Baron said you can add minerals you need. I've never seen the products. I really like the Discus at my LFS. I'm THINKIN of keeping a smaller SW tank & making my large tank a FW. We'll see... I was curious about the Discus-keeping process. Thks!