RO/DI Water Temp 10/29/07
Hi,
I found many suggestions on your FAQs about preparing RO/DI water, and it is suggested to heat and aerate to drive off CO2, but could not find the suggested temperature we should heat the water, not sure if you just mean heat to usual aquarium temperature or you are suggesting more than that temperature, please advise,
<Heat it to usual aquarium temperature. This is so that when you do a water change, or add top-off water, you don't shock your fish/coral/inverts with a sudden temperature drop. RO/DI water is usually very cold when it comes out of the filter (or it should be).>
Thanks in advance,
Germán
<De nada,
Sara M.>

I want to make sure I have this water thing straight... Mainly storing/using RO and synthetic SW   7/8/07
Hi there everyone!
First, I apologize this is so long - many questions, all gathered over the last 2 weeks of intensive reading. I have been reading your web site (made a a donation also,
<Thank you :)>
because I feel like I have read a small book in the past few days) about deep sand beds, skimmers, RO water, water in general, and other assorted stuff. Whew, what a bunch of information!...thanks for providing this site with all your answers to people's questions.
However, I still have a few questions I did not see answers for.
After reading about water, I want to make sure I have this straight: I have a Kent Marine Pro Hi-S RO unit (installed Dec. 06, primarily because our water company has regular outages (3-4 last year) that put us on boil water advisories, and are not always the best about notification...this way I have water to drink, as well as making my fish happy). This means I no longer need to carry buckets from my LFS guy - nice. However, because of low water pressure, it takes a few days (or more dedicated gathering from me) to gather all the water needed for water changes (a 29 gallon freshwater and a 29 gallon reef.
If I read everything correctly, I can put the RO water directly in my reef tank (3 fish, ~20 corals of various types, although mostly SPS, somewhere between 25-40 lbs. LR, deep sand bed) without adding anything - as long as I put it in a 1 gallon container and drip it over the course of 1-2 hours to replace evaporated water. Correct?
<That's a lot of work. If you just need to replace a gallon, you can just pour it all in at once. Just make sure your top off water temperature is relatively close to tank temperature. If it's right out of the RO unit it could be really cold. Now, if you're mixing Kalk solution or something like that, then it's prudent to drip it in. >
After reading about buffering, should I automatically buffer it even before adding it this way? And if I store it while I am gathering 5 gallons in a bucket (usually 2 days of gathering), it should go into a covered container with a powerhead or airstone to circulate the water and prevent it from becoming stagnant, right? Or how fast does it go stale?
<Are you doing all this just for top off water? Buffering (if needed) and circulation are good things to do for water changes, but usually unnecessary for small top offs.>
As a Christmas present, my brother presented me with ~10 5-gal. buckets that were once used to keep kosher dill pickles. Will the pickle smell hurt anything if I store water in these containers?
<I doubt it. The smell is probably from the vinegar and a little vinegar shouldn't hurt anything. However, if you're really concerned, just test the water's pH before using it.>
Or should I try to clean out the buckets (don't know how, it seems to have permeated the plastic - overwhelming smell if you close the bucket up and then open it a few days later!).
<Coincidently, many aquarists use vinegar to clean out buckets and equipment because it's a safe cleaner that dissolves calcium deposits. You should rinse out the buckets well, but I can't imagine you'd need to worry about any residual vinegar that might have penetrated the buckets.>
Also, re:. adding saltwater - if I only add 1-3 gallons (less than 10% on my tank), I can mix up the water and add it without a 1-3 day prep, however, if I have more, I need to create it, keep it heated, and aerated...again in a covered container. Right?
<This is the most prudent practice, yes. That said, if you need to do a water change in a hurry or in an emergency, just make sure the water is well mixed and close to tank temp, salinity and pH.>
Also, how long does it take for mixed saltwater to go bad if there is no aeration?
<I'm not sure what you mean by "go bad." However long you let it sit, you can always re-aerate it. If you're ever worried, you can always test the water's pH. Sitting water freshly out of the RO unit can sometimes be acidic. Aerating it should remedy this.>
I read quite a bit mentioning this, but never with any general timeframes - it makes me think the water will go stale (fresh) or bad (salt) if I leave it unaerated even 24-48 hours, hence the questions.
<I think you may be over-thinking some of this. If your water has been sitting for over 24hrs, just re-aerate it with a powerhead. :) >
Thanks again for all your inputs and your fast answers to everyone's questions,
<No problem. Thanks for writing.>
Kerstin DeRolf :-)
P.S. I know my current tank is crowded - I am hoping to upgrade soon. However, everyone is generally happy, so it must not be too bad for them - I just know I would like to have more room for all, so I am hoping to upgrade to a 92-gallon this fall (if my husband doesn't have a conniption). Thx again, Kestin:-)
<Overcrowding with fish is especially bad for reef tanks. It will be good if you can upgrade to a bigger tank. Just try to resist the temptation to get more fish for the bigger tank. ;)
Best,
Sara M.>

Mainly storing/using RO and synthetic SW... Double-posted...   7/8/07
Try 2, in case it didn't go through the first time...I want to make sure I have this water thing straight...
<You'll learn not to double-post here...>
Hi there everyone!
First, I apologize this is so long - many questions, all gathered over the last 2 weeks of intensive reading.
I have been reading your web site (made a donation also (FYI for those who don't realize it's possible),
<Oh, yes. Our Amazon "begging bowl" is at the bottom of most pages>
because I feel like I have read a small book in the past few days) about deep sand beds, skimmers, RO water, water in general, and other assorted stuff, and I know I have much reading left to do. Whew, what a bunch of information!... thanks for providing this site with all your answers to people's questions. However, I still have a few questions I did not see answers for.
<Okay>
After reading about water, I want to make sure I have this straight: I have a Kent Marine Pro Hi-S RO unit (installed Dec. 06, primarily because our water company has regular outages (3-4 last year) that put us on boil water advisories, and are not always the best about notification... this way I have water to drink, as well as making my fish happy).
<Good>
This means I no longer need to carry buckets from my LFS guy - nice.
<Ah, yes>
However, because of low water pressure, it takes a few days (or more dedicated gathering from me) to gather all the water needed for water changes (a 29 gallon freshwater and a 29 gallon reef).
If I read everything correctly, I can put the RO water directly in my reef tank (3 fish, ~20 corals of various types, although mostly SPS, somewhere between 25-40 lbs. LR, deep sand bed but no sump or refugium) without adding anything - I do it with a 1 gallon container and drip it over the course of 1-2 hours to replace evaporated water. Correct?
<Should be fine... If the changes were a few gallons all at once, I'd suggest aerating the water... And of course, making any chemical and physical changes to it ahead of use>
After reading about buffering, should I automatically buffer it even before adding it this way?
<If needed, yes>
And if I store it while I am gathering 5 gallons in a bucket (usually 2 days of gathering), it should go into a covered container with a powerhead or airstone to circulate the water and prevent it from becoming stagnant, right?
<A good idea>
Or how fast does it go stale?
<Mmm, never really>
On a slightly different topic...As a Christmas present, my brother presented me with ~10 5-gal. buckets that were once used to keep kosher dill pickles. Will the pickle smell (which has seriously permeated the plastic) hurt anything if I store water in these containers? Or should I try to clean out the buckets (open to a suggestion how, am leery of using bleach).
<Do give them a scrub with "rock salt" or such... and a few rinses till there is no smell... I prefer the Rubbermaid Brute trashcan series... maybe with a spiffy wheeled cart, cover...>
Also, re:. adding saltwater - if I only add 1-3 gallons (less than 10% on my tank), I can mix up the water and add it without a 1-3 day prep, however, if I have more, I need to create it, keep it heated, and aerated...again in a covered container. Right?
<This is best>
Also, how
long does it take for mixed saltwater to go bad if there is no aeration?
<Again... indefinitely good...>
I read quite a bit mentioning this, but never with any general timeframes - it makes me think the water will go stale (fresh) or bad (salt) if I leave it unaerated even 24-48 hours, hence the questions.
Thanks again for all your inputs and your fast answers to everyone's questions,
Kerstin DeRolf :-)
<No worries re the water going "bad"... the same molecules have been on this planet for billions of years...>
P.S. I know my current tank is crowded - I am hoping to upgrade soon. However, everyone is generally happy (randomly checked levels, and other than an elevated nitrate (am getting a new protein skimmer), all values are as dictated (ammonia 0, nitrite 0, alkalinity 9dHK, pH 8.0 (before bright lights on), spg 1.026, calcium 420) so it must not be too bad for them - I just know I would like to have more room for all, so I am hoping to upgrade to a 92-gallon this fall (if my husband doesn't have a conniption). Thx again, Kerstin:-)
<Heeee! Welcome. Bob Fenner>

Re: fish behavior, storing filtered water  - 6/25/07
Thank you kindly for your response.
Since writing this, the Pseudochromis has appeared, but unfortunately half eaten. The clown has not turned up at all. It is very upsetting to know that the stress I created by cleaning the live rock killed these poor guys. Another lesson learned for me!
<Ah, yes>
I neglected to ask one question. I have been reading up on storage of filtered water, as a Kold-Steril unit is on the way for me. I have read that most people store aerated and circulated RO water for their top off. I understand that it is best to let the water aerate and circulate for several days before using.
<Mmm, a few minutes will generally do here>
My question is what happens when you get to the end of the stored water? Surely, you cannot go several days without top off, and adding new top off to the existing storage seems to defeat the purpose of circulating for several days. Do folks actually keep two buckets of top off circulating so that there is always aged top off available???
Regards,
Kim in Boston
<I don't... some can be added w/o aeration... it's just the big changes that might cause troubles with low DO here. Bob Fenner>

Water Storage  11/28/06
HI guys,
<Hi>
I have a silly water storage question for you! After I run my tap water through my SpectraPure 5 stage RO/DI filter I keep it in a 30 gallon Tupperware covered barrel for storage. <ok>
I then take out 10 gallons of this water once a week for my weekly water changes on my 55 gallon tank. I mix the salt, heat the water and run a powerhead with the lid off of an 18 gallon tub that the 10 gallons sit in 24 hours before I change the water in my aquarium.  <Sounds good.>
My question is, do I have to run a powerhead in the large barrel of water 24 hours a day or can I just aerate the 10 gallons of water 24 hours in advance of using it for a water change.
I'm trying to cut down on my exorbitant electric bill!
Thanks for your time.
Lynne
<Your current method should work fine as long as you are not experiencing any problems.>
<Chris>

RO/DI Water    11/28/06
<Greeting, Mich here.>  
I store my make-up water in a utility closet in my laundry room.  <covered or wide open?>  Also in the laundry room is my cat's liter box.  From the initial smell, you would think my cat only eats beans <I'm so sorry.  Is your cat OK?  Can be a sign of health problem, may want to talk with you vet, consider a different cat food.> (yes the box gets cleaned almost daily).  Because of this (air borne fecal bacteria) and other factors, such as other air borne bacteria, <Ammonia would be my first concern.> should I have some sort of carbon filtration along with the heater, buffer and powerhead?  <Wouldn't hurt, but don't know if it's necessary if you keep the containers covered.>  The reason I ask this question is because in times past I have seen a pink film (I believe it's the early stages of mildew growth <or iron/rust>) on unclean toilets, tubs and animal water bowls.  Should I even be concerned at all with this build up in my storage container?  <I would empty it and clean it regularly with water and baking soda.>  I only use about 5 gal a week to replace evaporation and 15 gal every two weeks for water changes.
Thanx, <welcome>
Duane A.