Rebooting Tank / RODI Questions

[Noob]

After neglecting then rebooting my tank several times for the past couple years (3-4yrs)
My life and schedule have finally mellowed out so im mowing down the hair algae and trying to get things back on track.
Since I starting in the hobby about 10yrs ago i have been using regular tap water in my system, yes i knew/know its bad but it was cheap and easy to use.
I had good coral growth with softies and sps and I dont ever recall having an algae problem.
But either way, here at the house we currently live in the algae was and kind of is still bad.
Im assuming its the tap water, but it might also be neglect
Tank Specs
Standard 55 gal w/ HOB overflow and 40#-50# LR
Sump w/ small fuge, SCA-302 skimmer, 15# LR, and cheap Harbor Freight return pump

So about 2 months ago I re-organized the rock and every week I pluck out as much hair algae as possible and do roughly a 10% water change.
In the tank we currently have
clown
firefish
15-20 red leg hermits
5-10 nassarius snails
5 astra snail
GSP frag
Colt frag(stretching out)
Purple Haze frag(damage healed and possible growth)
Purple Death(1 new polyp)

Pics of Algae Problem
http://imageshack.com/a/img905/7646/JWL6Y4.png
http://imageshack.com/a/img905/4641/5vsiCM.png

Since I want to start doing things the correct way im assuming i have to switch over to RO/DI water?
Are all RO/DI unit pretty much the same or is quality a "you get what you pay for" thing?
If i go the RO/DI unit route ill probably split the cost with a friend, but he has much bigger tanks and we are wondering how long do the membranes last?
He will probably need 50gal a month for his 2 tank and ill be needing about 10gal a month.

[Dkray944]

Definitely start using RO.... You'll notice a big difference. I would recommend doing a large water change upfront(25-50%) to get things back on track. I have a used system I'm willing to sell for $50. It's the 3 stage 50 gallons per day. I might even have a couple filters laying around. I remember it had a slight leak but I'm sure it's something that can be easily fixed.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+4395+12093&pcatid=12093

[ktipp]

Get A BRS RO/DI @ 75 gallons a day or more.

BRS, Meleev or Buckeye are all good that I can speak on.

60 gallons a month is nothing. My membrane and filters last for about 5 months. But its only $60 every 5 or 6 months to replace membrane and filters.

[Noob]

Does anyone know what the DI portion of the filter removes from the water?
Does the DI remove something specific?
My wife has been saying she want a RO system under the sink for drinking water, would that not be good enough?

[Zack]

Unlike the first stages which are mechanical in nature with varying micron sizes, deionization actually removes the smallest ions from the water. In lay terms, as air water and ice put it, it'll remove the last few total dissolved solids from the water. With that being said, I would go with a rodi unit made for use with salt water Awuariums just for personal piece of mind. Maybe someone else can chime in on that.

[Justin]

The DI part of Deionized Resin takes out the last remaining particles in the water. For simplicity purposes, assume this portion of a DI R/O system is a water magnet. The first chambers of a system are designed to get rid of large particulates like pollen, dirt...., then usually it goes through another filter with smaller holes to remove tinier particles from the water and then finally through Carbon to get rid of chloramines, odors and what not. The final result is a fairly clean source of water that has some small particles that through the breakdown process that have a charge to them. The DI resin acts as a charge sink attracting these last remaining small particles to the resin, leaving behind in essence really clean water to use for anything; drinking, saltwater or whatever.

We use these sophisticated systems mainly to get water to cleanest form we can get it, which is pretty much just H2O and nothing else bonded to the water molecules because of the polar nature of the water molecule. Once you have "stripped" the water, then you can safely say that whatever is in the water is what you are adding to the water source,ie salt mix.
Since most of our water in San Antonio comes from an aquifer (other sources as well) it tends to be on the "heavy" side of things. Mainly it contains a lot of dissolved minerals and salts. Most municipal plants also treat the water with Chlorine-type of additives to keep bacteria and algae from growing within in it. In addition to that, you may have some dissolved organics or DOC's, that still remain in the water. Based on your post, you are seeing this with the GHA growing in your tank. Most of the issues I've read with folks who have GHA and other algae, (Bryopsis is the one die hard algae champ that can withstand low DOC's), is due to DOC's in their tank from normal tap water or too much waste from feeding and livestock.

Here is a link on the DI part:
http://blog.aquasafecanada.com/about-di/

[Noob]

Thank for the break down Jndragon.
So would my tank be TOO littered from the tap water to just start using RODI water from now on?

[Zack]

No, it's never too late. Some say you could do a 100% water change but I'd highly advise against that. As you do water changes over time you'll slowly begin chipping away at the "old" water, and over time you can normalize things. My old 10 gallon started with tap water and within a month of switching to rodi and adding a good cuc the algae issues almost melted away.

[Justin]

I 100% agree with Zack on this one. Try not to make too many drastic changes to your tank or your livestock will suffer because corals can adapt really well but they can't adapt to quick sudden changes. Just start using RODI water with every new water change or batch you put up and eventually it will dilute itself out. The only bad thing is that you will be dealing with GHA for awhile but trust me from someone that used to make quick changes( and I still do at times) and had some really bad crashes because of it.

Take your time my friend and things will start to grow fast for you!!!

[Noob]

Is it bad to pre-mix saltwater and have it stored in a sealed food grade drum?
An if it ok how long will it stay good?
Do i have to keep the water circulating?
Will the salinity level change over time?

[Justin]

Is it bad to pre-mix saltwater and have it stored in a sealed food grade drum? I don't think so. I store my made saltwater in a water container with a RIO pump and heater on to keep the circulation going and a stable temperature. I put a plastic wrap over the opening and screw the lid down.
An if it ok how long will it stay good? I keep mine stored for quite a while. When its low, I refill it up with RODI and make a new batch. I tend to go through my container in about a month to two months and haven't had any issues so far.
Do i have to keep the water circulating? I would just to keep the salt in suspension and help aerate the water and keep it going stale
Will the salinity level change over time? I would assume so if you have a lot of evaporation. That is why I keep a plastic sheet over the opening and screw the lid on to keep evaporation out of the equation

You know I was thinking it over in my head, and after I took Dean's advice to get a rabbitfish, my algae has been decimated by him. I've tried several other known grazers like:
Tail Spot Blenny
Rainford Goby
snails
Pencil Urchin

But the one member of my CUC that really destroys the algae is my One Spot Foxface. The wife likes him as well because he's got some personality. What do you have as your current CUC? I would advise that you have several grazers to help you out. Between my Foxface and Urchin, the algae doesn't really stand a chance. My other teammates, get the scragglers that they leave behind.

[Troy Valentine]

Weeks as long as it is aerated and the container is clean, however the salinity will begin to increase with evaporation. I wouldn't seal it entirely, the air pump will maintain the PH and circulate the water. Years ago I would circulate the SW for several days before adding it to the system. That way the PH would match the system and the salt was completely diluted, and the water was more stable.

[Noob]

Thank tank is pretty empty except for a couple snails and hermits.

[Zack]

My tank was bad when I made the switch. Here's a video I made a few years back, switching to RODI and adding a CUC and regular water changes were amazing for my tank


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiy2b7hq2mE

[Troy Valentine]

Wow what a difference! Nice work Zack!

[Dean]

My tank was bad when I made the switch. Here's a video I made a few years back, switching to RODI and adding a CUC and regular water changes were amazing for my tank


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiy2b7hq2mE

Dude the elevator music is off the hook! lol

interesting video though

[Noob]

another Rodi unit question
we got an Rodi used unit and we replaced the filters and the hoses.
the issue I am having is that we are getting a whole lot of wastewater I would say something like a 1 to 100 ratio.
I don't believe that is normal.
if something is in holding down the waste water line it will be flip flopping around like crazy.
what could be causing the issue the only thing I can think of is the water pressure through the water *****et is too high

[Zack]

Hmmmm 1:100 sounds like a pretty good amount of waste water. Most RODI units I've seen offer 4:1 or 5:1 ratio. What brand and model unit is it? I know it also depends on your water pressure and the temp, but I doubt it would account for that big of a difference. From my experience the waste water should be "flowing" out, granted very slow, where as the clean water will be a fast drip. At least thats how it was with the Typhoon 3 from Air Water & Ice. Are you sure the purge valve isn't open? When I would flush my system between uses, I could probably shoot 20 feet with the pressure my old apartment had.

[Noob]

there is no brand on the unit we got it off of Facebook yesterday morning.
we didn't notice any purge switch or button either but we did notice was the guy had it set up wrong.
the guy had it hosed up so that it ran sentiment than carbon then di then the RO membrane.

currently the waste water shoots out about 10 _15 ft with lots of pressure
and the clean water comes out in short streams that cut in an out.
we tested the clean water yesterday and it is 0.00

[Troy Valentine]

It sounds like you need a waste water flow restrictor. You can pick one up at Elegant reef. Without that restrictor your unit will not function properly. It will produce low TDS for a while, but you will exhaust your filters.
http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/reverse-osmosis-flow-restrictor.html?gclid=CjwKEAjwrbSoBRDok47Sv6Ci80wS JABFUszTLfLVw5UUQt-Cu0fHYzCqcSLlsCCvF2zZYXcEh1zRjBoCdcDw_wcB

[Dean]

Not to hijack the thread but I have a question about storing saltwater. I've noticed on my mixing station set up that if I leave mixed saltwater in a brute for more than a couple of days the pump and heater get a greyish residue on them. The ph and alkalinity of the water are in normal parameters so I'm not sure what the residue is. Any ideas?

[Justin]

Ive heard its a harmless bacteria that feeds on the stuff in saltwater. My reservoir has a brown version of it. I dont get too worried about it but i do clean my reservoir out with vinegar when it gets too bad.

[Noob]

Is there any huge differences in the different brands of salt?

[Zack]

I think the biggest difference is the parameters they mix to. Theres some minor differences in how fast they mix but I'd say most important thing is the parameters

[BuckeyeHydro]

how long do the membranes last?

2 to 5 years would not be unusual.

Russ

[BuckeyeHydro]

And no, not all systems are alike. Especially with your first system, where you're probably not quite sure exactly what it it you're buying, buy from a vendor experienced in this hobby. I can't tell you the number of cheap ebay systems we've rebuilt for people over the years once they come to understand what they bought.

Russ