Ro/di water storage question

BRS
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Deltec
Good question.Thats what ive been wondering as well. I had some stored for a a few monthd in a garbage can in my garage and i noticed a funny smell after a while. I now only make what i need each week plus a little extra. I wonder if anyone else has had issues like that.
 
As long as it has adequate aeration i don't see why it would go bad. But maybe someone can further educate us on this.
 
ReefBot Lab, Automated Water Tester
Thats what i was thinking, a decent sized power head and maybe some holes in the lid?
 
Even you keep the drinking water in fridge too long taste and odor change.try to used it in couple week.
 
I have my water in the same type of container with a lid. I usually only have it in there for no more than a week so I haven't had any problems thus far.
 
AS
Avast
Personally I only use *Food Grade* containers. And only 5 1/2 gallon containers.
DI is a relatively strong solvent. It will strip any container of minerals.


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I never heat or aereate my RO/DI water until it is mixed with salt and ready for a water change. Adding a pump or powerhead and aereating it will actually attract stuff out of the air and drive the TDS up. As long as the trashcan is covered or sealed, no holes or vents, the RO/DI will last almost indefinitely if left alone. I keep five 5G drinking water jugs and some blue plastic cube style jugs on hand for months at a time with no issues and have done so for decades.

I don't mix the salt in until the day I am ready to do the water change and then add a pump and heater if needed and match the salinity, temperature and pH of the display before adding.
 
Your choice of the Brute is just fine. Once your salt is mixed, there actually is no need to aerate or mix or heat. The only issue with holding water extended periods of time is if it contains "vitamins." These will degrade over time. Otherwise you can store plain saltwater indefinitely.
 
Deltec
What if it's just fresh water? I wanted to have two brutes, one for regale ro/di and one for premixed salt, will this work for let's say keeping each one good for up to a month, maybe two? We are going to be adding another large tank so in about two months it will go faster.


But as of right now will the shelf life of 32 gallons be okay for a month or two?


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AZDesertRat said:
I never heat or aereate my RO/DI water until it is mixed with salt and ready for a water change. Adding a pump or powerhead and aereating it will actually attract stuff out of the air and drive the TDS up. As long as the trashcan is covered or sealed, no holes or vents, the RO/DI will last almost indefinitely if left alone. I keep five 5G drinking water jugs and some blue plastic cube style jugs on hand for months at a time with no issues and have done so for decades.

I don't mix the salt in until the day I am ready to do the water change and then add a pump and heater if needed and match the salinity, temperature and pH of the display before adding.
Click to expand...

Just seen this... Answered all my questions! Ill just keep one brute full of ro water seeled in the garage at all times and mix the day I want to do a water change! Thanks bud!


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Personally I found when I mix new saltwater more than a day or two ahead it starts to smell fishy and gets slimey to the touch around the edges. The discussion come up a year or two ago about the old recommended method of mixing the saltwater for 24 hours or more ahead of time and why that was recommended. Several reefers, some with some pretty sophisticated data loggers and lab instruments participated and tested such things as pH, salinity, DO and others over that period and came to the conclusion it is not necessary.

Having been in the saltwater hobby for over 30 years I remember way back when salts mixed up dirty and you had scum in the bucket and floaties on top. With todays modern salt mixes, they mix up and get totally stable very quickly. It is best to add your water to the bucket or whatever first then slowly add the salt while circulating or stirring so it does not falsh or get cloudy but other than that it was no different after 15 minutes or 3 days. I throw an old Koralia powerhead or in winter an old Mag 7 or 9.5 so it helps heat the water at the same time, in the bucket, add 5 G of water then mix in my Oceanic salt, test the salinity with a refractometer, test the pH with a kit or meter, and once the temp is close do my water change.
 
ReefBot Lab, Automated Water Tester
Perfect! So ill just buy the brute ( unless you suggest something else) with a lid, 32 gallon version and just keep 32 gallons if ro water ready! For top offs and for water changes. Thanks bud.


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I use a food grade brute, a little harder to find but worth the extra effort. I mix mine 2-3 days before my WC... So it doesn't sit long. I use a power head to aerate and a heater to match temp. Them on Saturday I'm ready for easy water change. I just drain from tank to sink then hook my tubing up to the pond pump in the brute and fill em back up.


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I've left ro sitting on a 30g car wash container for a month or longer and everything was ok. I've used it to mix my salt and everything was ok. The saltwater if left for a long time it gets algae inside and the alk drops on my experience.
 
Tidal Gardens
AZDesertRat said:
I never heat or aereate my RO/DI water until it is mixed with salt and ready for a water change. Adding a pump or powerhead and aereating it will actually attract stuff out of the air and drive the TDS up. As long as the trashcan is covered or sealed, no holes or vents, the RO/DI will last almost indefinitely if left alone. I keep five 5G drinking water jugs and some blue plastic cube style jugs on hand for months at a time with no issues and have done so for decades.

I don't mix the salt in until the day I am ready to do the water change and then add a pump and heater if needed and match the salinity, temperature and pH of the display before adding.
Click to expand...
Can't believe I read all those replies and no one mentioned this. It is a bad thing to aerate and heat stored RO/DI water. Also, after years of mixing saltwater I've found the best way is to heat and aerate your water before you add the salt; for a couple reasons: First, your water will be at the right temp (78) and you will get a correct salinity reading. Second, you'll get a lot less precipitation (especially on your power head), The water comes out of your RO/DI unit with almost 0 dissolved oxygen.
 
Last edited:
Mike J. said:
Can't believe I read all those replies and no one mentioned this. It is a bad thing to aerate and heat stored RO/DI water. Also, after years of mixing saltwater I've found the best way is to heat and aerate your water before you add the salt; for a couple reasons: First, your water will be at the right temp (78) and you will get a correct salinity reading. Second, you'll get a lot less precipitation (especially on your power head), The water comes out of your RO/DI unit with almost 0 dissolved oxygen.
Click to expand...

Very interesting. I have never done anything like that just because I'm lazy but I've always just poured the salt and mixed with powerheads at whatever temp and my zoas open huge when I do changes. I guess why change whats been working but you made me think.
 
BRS

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