Water top off question

[NanoReefy]

I am ordering a RO Buddie Thursday but till then is it ok to use Imagitarium Pacific Ocean Water, 5 gallons? I know salt stays in a tank so my salinity will rise. This is what worries me, but I live in a bad place were our water isn't the best. My tank is at the point that the heater is showing 1/4 out of the water in chamber 3 of my Fluval Evo. Any advice would be great. Also I have read that it is possible to use distilled water for this? Also sorry for the noob question that I am sure has been answered 100s of times.

 

[Beau_B]

No. Your best option without a RO/DI source is to get distilled water. It's generally available at grocery stores.

 

[Woodyman]

I am ordering a RO Buddie Thursday but till then is it ok to use Imagitarium Pacific Ocean Water, 5 gallons? I know salt stays in a tank so my salinity will rise. This is what worries me, but I live in a bad place were our water isn't the best. My tank is at the point that the heater is showing 1/4 out of the water in chamber 3 of my Fluval Evo. Any advice would be great. Also sorry for the noob question that I am sure has been answered 100s of times.

I'd use bottled water over the salt. Just to minimize salinity increases.

Go out and grab a few gallons of distilled water to get you until you make your own RO/DI

 

[homer1475]

It will work, but I would be worried about the rising salinity as you already noted.

If it were me, I would just go to the local store and buy gallons of distilled water.

 

[NanoReefy]

Ok I will run out today after work and grab some distilled water. I read I could do this but with the amount of missinfo out there I did not want to mess the tank up. Thanks for the info on this subject.

 

[rockdiver]

Instead of paying for saltwater that will goof up your reef and make your tank to high in salinity. Just go to Walmart or whatever you have by you and they most likely have a ro dispenser that would work for now

 

[Woodyman]

Ok I will run out today after work and grab some distilled water. I read I could do this but with the amount of missinfo out there I did not want to mess the tank up. Thanks for the info on this subject.

You could add the salt water, but distilled water is easy enough to source typically in a pinch.

Now if the heater is exposed and all you have is bad tap water or salt, a little bit of the salt to cover the heat would be best. The less salt water you add for top off the better.

Bad tap water could contain any number of bad chemicals that could lead to a tank decline.

 

[Uriken]

The Imagitarian Sea-Water salinity tends to run higher then what is noted on the box. Thus, I would for sure go with RODI water for top off. Instead of .24 it seems the sea water tests at .26+ at times when I was needing water and didn't have anything made due to the need to change filters. The RO Buddy I have used for quite sometime but I learned a few things along the way: 1.) When I hook it up to my sink I don't just crank open the cold water all the way. I monitor the output of the dirty water so that it has a gentler flow coming out (granted this slows down the amount your making into your good water container) but I don't use up the "DI" filter as fast. I can get the filters to last much longer making water daily. The DI I always have an extra one ready as that is the one that gets burned up before the others. I like the color changing element of it so when its sandy brown rather than the blueish / purple, you know its time to change it. 2.) A good TDS Meter is the other must have to keep any eye on where your water quality is at. Pay for the US Brand ones that are a bit more expensive as they last and seem more accurate. I've had some far east models before and found you cant change the battery without taking apart and re-soldering one in and they can be way off with no adjustment. Take caution with your heater type as well. Some designs have a "minimum" submersion level at the head (Some have to be 100% submerged) or it can fail and go bad with low water levels.
Best of luck and Happy Reefing.