Acceptable PPM for RODI water reading ?

[Izzy925]

So I went to my local saltwater aquarium store and I got some RODI water in my seven gallon container, and when I got home to test it with my meter it reads 150 PPM. I also have some distilled water that I bought yesterday and tested that and it reads 0 PPM so I know my meter is not broken. I'm new to reefing and recently set up a 20 gallon AIO tank. What should I do?

 

[Viking_Reefing]

What? That’s twice the TDS coming from my tap. The only acceptable reading is 0. Especially if you’re buying it for a markup.

 

[PharmrJohn]

I'd venture to guess (and that's all this is) that the water container is the culprit. IF this is the case, I'd also venture to guess that there are water containers that, if properly maintained, would yield a significantly lesser reading. I'm curious on this one.....

 

[RedReefer]

You need to test prior to putting in the blue container.

 

[gbroadbridge]

So I went to my local saltwater aquarium store and I got some RODI water in my seven gallon container, and when I got home to test it with my meter it reads 150 PPM. I also have some distilled water that I bought yesterday and tested that and it reads 0 PPM so I know my meter is not broken. I'm new to reefing and recently set up a 20 gallon AIO tank. What should I do?

RODI water should be 0 zero.

I suspect that the container was not clean.

My tap water is < 90

 

[SaltwaterScoop]

Have you ever stored saltwater in that container?

 

[Izzy925]

Have you ever stored saltwater in that container?

I did have some salt water when I first set up my tank I only used it once and I cleaned it out completely. With distilled water but I guess the minerals stayed in there. Should I just get an entirely new container for RODI water.

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

A few years back I was in a bind and needed rodi water. With buckets in hand I went to the lfs to get 50g of rodi.

When I got home I decided to test with a tds meter, and sure enough you couldn't legally call it rodi water. I had to pour it out and simply wait for my rodi to produce water.

The lesson I learned was that you can't trust things like that. That LFS also sold premixed salt water, can you imagine the unexplained issues that reefers had when relying on store bought saltwater?

 

[Malum Argenteum]

Might be from residual water in the jug. Might be bad water from the LFS. Troubleshooting both those should be straightforward, though tedious (trip back to the LFS to test water straight from their spigot; empty and rinse jug and try again).

Unless a person knows exactly what those 150ppm in the jug are, best not to use that water.

Long term, I'd recommend getting an RODI system, learning how it works, learning how to use it, and using it. Making one's own water is cheaper and more reliable.

 

[Izzy925]

Might be from residual water in the jug. Might be bad water from the LFS. Troubleshooting both those should be straightforward, though tedious (trip back to the LFS to test water straight from their spigot; empty and rinse jug and try again).

Unless a person knows exactly what those 150ppm in the jug are, best not to use that water.

Long term, I'd recommend getting an RODI system, learning how it works, learning how to use it, and using it. Making one's own water is cheaper and more reliable.

Might be from residual water in the jug. Might be bad water from the LFS. Troubleshooting both those should be straightforward, though tedious (trip back to the LFS to test water straight from their spigot; empty and rinse jug and try again).

Unless a person knows exactly what those 150ppm in the jug are, best not to use that water.

Long term, I'd recommend getting an RODI system, learning how it works, learning how to use it, and using it. Making one's own water is cheaper and more reliable.

Yeah I won't be using it anymore but I guess the jug still had residue but I completely dried it out and washed it with distilled water. I also tested my tap water and it read 155 PPM so I was sure they gave me tap water cause it wasn't that far off. I'm just going to buy a new container and invest in a RODI system.

 

[JasonVH]

Test your container after putting some 0 TDS before blaming the container. Perhaps that's the issue, perhaps not.

Tested RODI from three LFS- two which enjoy a high reputation among the local hobbyists. All three had high TDS readings- in the 100 range. One LFS source had a reading *higher* than my tap water(145ish).

I've seen comments here and there about LFS water showing readings. Suspect this is a more common issue than realized.

Went to the only water store that had anything besides "Alkaline Water!" or "Oxygenated Water!" and got a bucket of their distilled... came out in the double digits. Better than the LFS for sure but still, nah!

Gave up and got my own RODI filter and make it at home. 0 TDS every time.

p.s. it was *not* a container issue because I used the same containers used to transport the LFS water vs homemade water.

 

[WhatCouldGoWrong71]

I had the same thing happen when I tested the water in my ATO vs out of my mixed DI. My ATO needed a scrubbing.

 

[Malum Argenteum]

Yeah I won't be using it anymore but I guess the jug still had residue but I completely dried it out and washed it with distilled water. I also tested my tap water and it read 155 PPM so I was sure they gave me tap water cause it wasn't that far off. I'm just going to buy a new container and invest in a RODI system.

I didn't mean to imply that you should not use the jug. What I meant was that there could have been water in the jug from the last time it was used. It sounds like you've ruled out that possibility.

Maybe they did give you tap water. Maybe their RO membrane is shot. Maybe they accidentally put a little premixed SW in there first. Who knows. Going back there and talking to them, and getting a new sample of their water, would help figure that out. But that certainly wouldn't necessitate the purchase of a new jug.

 

[Izzy925]

I didn't mean to imply that you should not use the jug. What I meant was that there could have been water in the jug from the last time it was used. It sounds like you've ruled out that possibility.

Maybe they did give you tap water. Maybe their RO membrane is shot. Maybe they accidentally put a little premixed SW in there first. Who knows. Going back there and talking to them, and getting a new sample of their water, would help figure that out. But that certainly wouldn't necessitate the purchase of a new jug.

I meant the water inside the jug, sorry for the confusion, I won't be using the water anymore but will keep the jug. Actually my friend just got some RODI water from them and will test the water when he gets the chance. He also has some RODI water from a different LFS shop in containers that have been only been used for RODI water. So I'll have to wait and see.

Test your container after putting some 0 TDS before blaming the container. Perhaps that's the issue, perhaps not.

Tested RODI from three LFS- two which enjoy a high reputation among the local hobbyists. All three had high TDS readings- in the 100 range. One LFS source had a reading *higher* than my tap water(145ish).

I've seen comments here and there about LFS water showing readings. Suspect this is a more common issue than realized.

Went to the only water store that had anything besides "Alkaline Water!" or "Oxygenated Water!" and got a bucket of their distilled... came out in the double digits. Better than the LFS for sure but still, nah!

Gave up and got my own RODI filter and make it at home. 0 TDS every time.

p.s. it was *not* a container issue because I used the same containers used to transport the LFS water vs homemade

I'm already looking for a RODI system. My friend is going to test his RODI water he got from the same place and another shop close by and compare them. Will see how it goes.

 

[JasonVH]

I meant the water inside the jug, sorry for the confusion, I won't be using the water anymore but will keep the jug. Actually my friend just got some RODI water from them and will test the water when he gets the chance. He also has some RODI water from a different LFS shop in containers that have been only been used for RODI water. So I'll have to wait and see.

I'm already looking for a RODI system. My friend is going to test his RODI water he got from the same place and another shop close by and compare them. Will see how it goes.

It's great you decided to test the water and currently trying to figure it out. You did better than me in my early days in the hobby. It took several weeks of using their water before I noticed it... I was pretty surprised, thinking that "LFS know what they're selling" plus the two of them enjoying a good local reputation.

Anyways, know that if it turns out the LFS water was the issue, it's unfortunately not so rare of a thing.