Fmxmatt Posted November 1, 2007 Report Share Posted November 1, 2007 Let me know if you want to make somethin urself. Got a range of PC fans here at work (60mm, 80mm, 92mm and shortly 120mm) that should work out cheaper than buying from say DSE or wherever Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tHEcONCH Posted November 1, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 1, 2007 Cheers! I'll keep you posted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilson Posted November 2, 2007 Report Share Posted November 2, 2007 Let me know if you want to make somethin urself. Got a range of PC fans here at work (60mm, 80mm, 92mm and shortly 120mm) that should work out cheaper than buying from say DSE or wherever can you pm me a price for 60mm? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fmxmatt Posted November 2, 2007 Report Share Posted November 2, 2007 done Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasp Posted November 2, 2007 Report Share Posted November 2, 2007 good luck to that then, important piece of equipment. Just for you Chch people, i've been talking to someone who has tested some Chch water & going by his results it is not as pure as it is reputed to be. Any of you guys have water quality / algae / coraline won't grow issues that might be attributable to less than pure top up water? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilson Posted November 2, 2007 Report Share Posted November 2, 2007 ive had a bit of algae issues lately but thats because im feeding way to much bout one bloodworm tap every few days :-? mainly to my sun coral :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slightly Blue Dalmation Posted November 2, 2007 Report Share Posted November 2, 2007 oh man i want a sun coral Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jolliolli Posted November 2, 2007 Report Share Posted November 2, 2007 i'm still battling a diatom issue, although its hard to know how much of it is due to the tank being shifted to my place. Th previous owners only used chch tap water and when i picked it up there was no diatom algae/hair algae or other. One of the guys on the forum here works at the chch council and tested my tap water, apparently the nitrates were barely detectable so i thought that was pretty good Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fmxmatt Posted November 2, 2007 Report Share Posted November 2, 2007 I'm running tapwater aswel, but I do plan on going RODI shortly, just gotta wait for xmas to be over so I can afford a decent kit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasp Posted November 2, 2007 Report Share Posted November 2, 2007 Ok well the results of the Chch test, the two things us reefers are concerned about is phosphate levels, and TDS. TDS stands for Total Dissolved Solids. The Chch water over several tests came out with an average TDS around 60 ppm. That's about the same as my Auckland tap water when I test it. Course it all depends just what those impurities are, they may be something harmless. But to me, I wouldn't be using water with a TDS of 60. He didn't test for phosphate, but a while back someone else tested for phosphate & got some much higher readings than you would want to put in your tank. I've been reading this forum for quite a few years and seems to me that the idea Chch tap water can be used straight was largely promulgated by one particular reefer who is no longer in the hobby, everybody else just took his word for it. Just thought I should share this for consideration of anyone who may have been wondering if their issues just might be caused by less than pure top up water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilson Posted November 2, 2007 Report Share Posted November 2, 2007 i will be also getting a rodi unit because ill be moving when i go to uni (away from chch water) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jolliolli Posted November 2, 2007 Report Share Posted November 2, 2007 hi wasp, thanks for providing the info, i keep hearing conflicting advice on this issue so its hard to know which way to go on the issue, i'd be really keen to hear if anyone in chch has used both tap water and ro/di and what their observations have been. i've been looking at ro/di units but i'm not really sure what i should be looking for in a unit, and how they work in terms of how much water they produce, whether they only product ro/di when turned on or whether they continually produce etc. If anyones got some info on what to look for in a unit and how they work etc i'd be keen to know Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef Posted November 2, 2007 Report Share Posted November 2, 2007 thanks for providing the info, i keep hearing conflicting advice on this issue Some info http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/purewatr.htm http://www.pwgazette.com/rofaq.htm http://www.pwgazette.com/roremove.htm Most Hobbyist with reef tanks use either RO or DI. . No matter where you live in NZ you should use a filter as tap water will contain minor elements/silicate/silicate acid which will fuel diatoms and algae, some info http://www.netpets.com/fish/reference/r ... atoms.html You will note that ro/di will not remove all silicate/silicate acid. but it removes most of it and without ro/di the diatoms will be far worse. Happy reading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasp Posted November 2, 2007 Report Share Posted November 2, 2007 You can get a RODI unit for about $350.00. They don't work all the time, just when you run the water through them. However they can be hooked up with a stop valve and set so they will keep a container full as water is used. In simple terms the way they work is the water first goes through the Reverse Osmosis membrane (the RO part). This membrane turns away dirty water and allows some pure water past. Normally 1 part of pure goes through to around 2 or 3 parts that are rejected. Hence the waste water from an RO unit. The pure water is not quite pure, it will still typically contain around 5% of the impurities, so it then goes through Deionizing resin (the DI part) that gets the rest. DI resin slowly gets clogged with waste and is expensive, this is why a RO membrane is used first to get the water nearly pure, so the DI resin will last a lot longer. RODI units are referred to as 3 stage, 4 stage, or similar. In a typical 4 stage unit, the first stage will be a coarse filter. Stage 2 will be a fine carbon filter which will remove chlorine, as chlorine is bad for the RO membrane. Stage 3 will be the RO membrane, and stage 4 will be the DI unit. With my RODI unit, I allow the waste water to go down the drain, however it is drinkable, just a bit more concentrated, it could be saved. The tap water goes into the unit with a TDS of around 60. The waste water has a TDS around 90, and the "pure" water coming out of the RO has a TDS around 2 or 3. This goes through the DI and comes out with a TDS of 0. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidb Posted November 2, 2007 Report Share Posted November 2, 2007 Ok well the results of the Chch test, the two things us reefers are concerned about is phosphate levels, and TDS. TDS stands for Total Dissolved Solids. The Chch water over several tests came out with an average TDS around 60 ppm. That's about the same as my Auckland tap water when I test it. Course it all depends just what those impurities are, they may be something harmless. But to me, I wouldn't be using water with a TDS of 60. He didn't test for phosphate, but a while back someone else tested for phosphate & got some much higher readings than you would want to put in your tank. I've been reading this forum for quite a few years and seems to me that the idea Chch tap water can be used straight was largely promulgated by one particular reefer who is no longer in the hobby, everybody else just took his word for it. Just thought I should share this for consideration of anyone who may have been wondering if their issues just might be caused by less than pure top up water. I tested Mt. eden Water at 35 TDS... you must have crappier water wasp :lol: Must be all that clean water we are getting from the Waikato... Wonder if flouride is good for reef tanks...? :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasp Posted November 2, 2007 Report Share Posted November 2, 2007 i keep hearing conflicting advice on this issue so its hard to know which way to go on the issue So true. In the past it has been claimed on the forum that Chch water is "pure". However I have never seen any supporting evidence. With your Uni contacts, would it be possible to beg or borrow a TDS meter and do a few tests yourself? You could post the results and put this matter to rest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasp Posted November 2, 2007 Report Share Posted November 2, 2007 I tested Mt. eden Water at 35 TDS... you must have crappier water wasp :lol: Must be all that clean water we are getting from the Waikato... Wonder if flouride is good for reef tanks...? :lol: Ha Ha! The water from my tap does vary, on occasion it has been up near 100. However i've never tested it as low or even close to 35. On the shore we do get a different brew than the city, but i had thought it was better. I'll have to complain! :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef Posted November 2, 2007 Report Share Posted November 2, 2007 this article is interesting re the aquarium glass releasing silicates. http://www.saltcorner.com/sections/gues ... iatoms.htm Glass is really a super-cooled liquid that has become viscous enough that it appears solid to us. Aquarium glass is not simply melted quartz, but rather a mixture which typically includes sodium oxide and calcium oxide dissolved in the melt to lower the softening point and make the glass easier to work with. The addition of these other compounds which make glass easier to work with also make it more soluble in water. That is the reason that you are likely to see diatoms on primarily or only the walls of your glass aquarium - diatoms have a much easier time pulling silicate out of glass aquarium walls than out of quartz sand grains. I'm not saying that they can't do it, but quartz is the hardest form of silicon in nature for diatoms (or sponges, protozoans, or other silica-loving animals) to use in the formation of their skeletons and is generally used only as a last resort. Given that bit of data, it's pretty hard to argue that using quartz sand is bad when the glass box that you're putting it into turns out to a better source of silicate for diatom growth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef Posted November 2, 2007 Report Share Posted November 2, 2007 With your Uni contacts, would it be possible to beg or borrow a TDS meter and do a few tests yourself? You could post the results and put this matter to rest. The Chch water i tested with aTDS meter was higher than My rain water in Auckland. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jolliolli Posted November 2, 2007 Report Share Posted November 2, 2007 I will talk to a friend tonight and see if she can run a test on the water for me and let you know. One of the articles above states not to use pure water alone in the aquarium as it contains none of the minerals that fish require and has no ability to stabilise pH. They recommend mixing it with tap water or similar to add in these minerals, does anyone here do that or do you use it undiluted? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zev Posted November 2, 2007 Report Share Posted November 2, 2007 Holy poop, looks like we will be investing in a RODI unit when we shift to our other property, then. Water tests from our well give us Total Dissolved Solids mg/l 466 Looks like we could be in for a heck of a lot of filter cartridge replacements! One of the articles above states not to use pure water alone in the aquarium as it contains none of the minerals that fish require and has no ability to stabilise pH. They recommend mixing it with tap water or similar to add in these minerals, does anyone here do that or do you use it undiluted? Are you using ASW or NSW to do your water changes? If you are using NSW, I would think that you would be replenishing the minerals that the fish may require. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markoshark Posted November 2, 2007 Report Share Posted November 2, 2007 Ha Ha! The water from my tap does vary, on occasion it has been up near 100. However i've never tested it as low or even close to 35. On the shore we do get a different brew than the city, but i had thought it was better. I'll have to complain! :lol: Our water is "better", but its been through less intensive filtering processes. (btw, taste the difference!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasp Posted November 2, 2007 Report Share Posted November 2, 2007 One of the articles above states not to use pure water alone in the aquarium as it contains none of the minerals that fish require and has no ability to stabilise pH. They recommend mixing it with tap water or similar to add in these minerals, does anyone here do that or do you use it undiluted? It's an idea that was more popular a few years ago. When adding top up water, we are replacing evaporated, ie, pure, water. Pure water should be replaced with pure water. We may not know what the contaminants in the water are, so why add them? Adjusting pH of top off water is something that I used to do years ago, just because that is what the experts of the day said. However, adding a little un adjusted water with a pH of 7.0, to a tank with a pH of 8.2, has so little effect on pH it cannot even be measured. Plus the tank pH will self adjust back to normal over an hour or two anyway. Most people nowadays see adjusting top off pH as a waste of time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jolliolli Posted November 3, 2007 Report Share Posted November 3, 2007 Are you using ASW or NSW to do your water changes? If you are using NSW, I would think that you would be replenishing the minerals that the fish may require. i;m using asw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilson Posted November 3, 2007 Report Share Posted November 3, 2007 i still dont think ro/di water is needed down here. there are many examples of great reef tanks here that dont use rodi conch is one of them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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