Ok so im in the process of setting up my 60g cube with a custom 30g sump. My ro sytem cannot keep up. It is rated for 75g/day but since i moved to my new place with poor water pressure im getting more like 30gallons. will letting my tank sit 1/3 full with ro water, dry rock and sand with no flow have any negative effects? I Don't have enough water to run the return and my powerheads are in the mail/ in my current tank.
How long can ro water sit?
- Thread starter shibbyplustax
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Intricateart
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The longer it's exposed to open air, the more bacteria will accumulate.
Paul B
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The bacteria are fine and love to swim in your RO water. They will accumulate on the sides of the container. No problem. Dust will also get in, no problem.
Rain is RO/DI water and it is fine.
Rain is RO/DI water and it is fine.
81Shaun
Active Member
I was kind of wondering this as well . I checked out some distilled water and got 0.00 TDS freshly poured. I then checked out the distilled water a few hours later and got around 2 TDS from the same cup that was left uncovered. I checked using a aqua pro TDS meter and then a TDS EZ and got the same readings every time using both meters. so from what im understanding you would need to cover the container as mentioned. I see its already in your tank though but ive been wondering this as well.
rako1
Active Member
I would worry more about the water pressure a ro unit needs a certain amount of pressure to work right. They make booster units to help with the pressure http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/video/view/rodi-booster-pumps/
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It may read 0 TDS but it could also be the DI resin doing all the work. A RO membrane needs a minimum of 40 psi and 60-80 or higher makes it much more efficient. At lower pressures the rejection rate or removal efficiency goes way down so the DI has to work harder and exhaust faster, soon exceeding the cost of a booster pump.
To know for sure how your system is performing you need to know the water pressure, water temperature, tap water TDS, RO only TDS before the DI (these two TDS readings are used to calculate the rejection rate), RO/DI TDS and your exact measured waste ratio. All these have an effect on your water quality and how long your DI will last.
To know for sure how your system is performing you need to know the water pressure, water temperature, tap water TDS, RO only TDS before the DI (these two TDS readings are used to calculate the rejection rate), RO/DI TDS and your exact measured waste ratio. All these have an effect on your water quality and how long your DI will last.
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Russellaqua
Coral Junkie
RO/DI water is devoid of anything but H2O, for a short time. We often think of water as having a pH of 7, which it does in its pure form. Unfortunately, pure water doesn't exist. Covering your tank will keep dust out and is good. Anything solid that dissolves in your water will likely come from the sand and rocks and isn't really bothersome. The water also reacts with CO2 in the air, which if left to equilibrate would eventually drop the pH of the water to 5.2 or so because the CO2 and H2O react to form carbonic acid (H2CO3). In truth acid rain is only considered to be rain with a pH less than that of water in equilibrium with atmospheric CO2. Long story short, there's no reason to not let it sit around. You might get some algal/bacterial growth, but adding salt mix would probably do most of them in anyway.
Aquatec 8800 is by far the best there is. There are imported clones on the market but for the few $$ difference I would recommend sticking with Aquatec. Around $130 with a power supply at places like Spectrapure or Buckeye and a little more with a pressure switch.
Paul B
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Whatever happens to it will also happen to it after it is in your tank, don't worry about it.
