Newbie 55G Cube setup

rsach · May 18, 2020

I just bought a 55g AquaRim Reef Aquarium from someone. It has a sump, protein skimmer and AI Vega LED light. I got dry sand and dry rocks from him as well. The rocks have been sitting in his garage for 4 months. I added the sand and rock in the aquarium and filled around 10G of tap water with prime conditioner to check for leaks, I have been reading and understand that tap water is a no no.
I have iSpring RCC7 High Capacity Under Sink 5-Stage Reverse Osmosis Drinking Water Filtration System and Ultimate Water Softener connected to my kitchen sink, can I use that water? The flow is very slow as it's used for drinking.
Also, I see some dead white 2" long strings on the rock, looks like earth worms. Should I be doing something with the rock first before starting? I can remove everything and restart.

Thanks!

MelReefer · May 18, 2020

Welcome to r2r! You should be fine using the water and I think your rock is fine also. You have done a good job setting the tank up and I wish you good luck on your reefing journey!

Bo. · May 18, 2020

Welcome! Grab a cheap tds meter and measure the output of your RO unit. If the media is good and your tds is under 10, you'll probably be fine for initial setup. Adding a DI cartridge should be fairly inexpensive and is good insurance for dealing with algae issues.

keywestreefer · May 18, 2020

Welcome to the fun!!! I am just in research and discovery mode myself as I begin my build. What I can tell you, from what I have found, is to utalize RODI water. If your local water authority uses chloramine, you will want to run a 6 stage RODI unit. You could "probably" get away with your current unit if only Chlorine is used, but grab a TDS monitor to be sure. I am just beginning my build too, so feel free to follow along and ask questions on my build for additional support and guidance from the awesome members here.

rsach · May 18, 2020

Bo Lin said:
Welcome! Grab a cheap tds meter and measure the output of your RO unit. If the media is good and your tds is under 10, you'll probably be fine for initial setup. Adding a DI cartridge should be fairly inexpensive and is good insurance for dealing with algae issues.

Thanks! I just ordered a TDS meter. So I guess I need to replace one of the cartridges on my current system with DI cartridge right? Since we use that water for drinking, do I swap it everytime i use it for the aquarium?

Bo. · May 18, 2020

rsach said:
Thanks! I just ordered a TDS meter. So I guess I need to replace one of the cartridges on my current system with DI cartridge right? Since we use that water for drinking, do I swap it everytime i use it for the aquarium?

No, you would add the DI cartridge after your ro membrane. Since you use it for drinking you could add a 3 way ball to choose RO or DI output.

rsach · May 18, 2020

Bo Lin said:
No, you would add the DI cartridge after your ro membrane. Since you use it for drinking you could add a 3 way ball to choose RO or DI output.

Thanks! Got it, so with the valve open the water will going through the DI cartridge and and come out fro a separate tube that I would use to fill up a bucket, right? Any tip on filling the bucket and mixing salt. I have couple of 5 gallons jugs, should I fill those and then empty them into a big plastic barrel and then mix salt?

Bo. · May 18, 2020

Yep, you'd choose your output with the valve. You can plan on buckets for water changes. Since this is your initial fill you can just buy a long enough RO tube and fill the tank directly and mix salt there. RO tube should be $0.20 to $0.50 per foot.