TDS in ATO water

[Rham1281]

Hey all!
I have had my tank up an running for almost a year now and for the past few months I have had a bad case of what I think to be diatoms or dinos. Both my phosphates and nitrates are a little over 0 (API test, but it's the best I have right now). I recently acquired a TDS meter and the water out of my RO/DI is at 0ppm. Then I went to my ATO and it's at over 700! I can only assume that may be what I'm dealing with? I have seen in a few different places that TDS after the DI is normal, but I feel like that may just be insanely high. Any thoughts?

 

[gbroadbridge]

Hey all!
I have had my tank up an running for almost a year now and for the past few months I have had a bad case of what I think to be diatoms or dinos. Both my phosphates and nitrates are a little over 0 (API test, but it's the best I have right now). I recently acquired a TDS meter and the water out of my RO/DI is at 0ppm. Then I went to my ATO and it's at over 700! I can only assume that may be what I'm dealing with? I have seen in a few different places that TDS after the DI is normal, but I feel like that may just be insanely high. Any thoughts?

I don't understand what you're meassuring.

The TDS out of your RO/DI filter should be zero, and that water goes into your ATO reservoir.

If your water in the ATO reservoir is measuring higher than zero than something is contaminating it.
Are you sure water from your tank is not syphoning back into the ATO reservoir?

 

[VB313]

Yeah I agree check salinity of your top off water

What’s your ATO setup?
What container are you using?

 

[Rham1281]

I don't understand what you're meassuring.

The TDS out of your RO/DI filter should be zero, and that water goes into your ATO reservoir.

If your water in the ATO reservoir is measuring higher than zero than something is contaminating it.
Are you sure water from your tank is not syphoning back into the ATO reservoir?

I have a mixing station that I just realized may be contaminating the fresh water......
I'll check the salinity of my ATO water

 

[Rham1281]

Yeah I agree check salinity of your top off water

What’s your ATO setup?
What container are you using?

Ive got a mixing station that may be leaking some salt water into the fresh water drain.

My ATO is currently an empty Red Sea salt bucket that I cleaned out. Waiting on a replacement to come in.

 

[Hugo_Fish]

don't know if this was already asked or is the right question.. but have you tried a different TDS meter.. if the one from the RO unit is showing 0 .. and the one you got shows 700... that seems way off..

 

[Red_Beard]

Yeah, if you are backfeeding saltwater into your ro bucket that would 'splain it. For reference my water out the tap is only 80ppm...

 

[Doctorgori]

saltwater contaminating your RO shouldn’t directly cause diatoms “as is”…. ( salt isn’t diatom food per se)
Do you have couple of inline TDS on your RO setup and if so what do those read?
if not, the perhaps install a couple of those $20 Amazon units in line: one before your DI and one after

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

What level is your phosphate and nitrate? Having measures "a little over zero" is a good thing, you don't want zero.

The API phosphate test will always say .25, I don't know why they sell this test kit, but it shouldn't be used.

 

[Doctorgori]

What level is your phosphate and nitrate? Having measures "a little over zero" is a good thing, you don't want zero.

The API phosphate test will always say .25, I don't know why they sell this test kit, but it shouldn't be used.

yes, and I don’t often be adamant but for phosphate the Hanna ULR is the only way to go IMO