SPS and Phosphates

[Reefsi]

Question:
Should I switch to RO/DI water? What unit? And will this cause and algae problems switching my water source?

Synapsis:
Over the last month I have been keeping a close eye on my tank and tweeking many things. I have been monitoring levels on a day by day basis and working on getting everything perfect. From lighting, filtration, to growth of my corals. Basically finding the perfect water parameters and keeping them in check. I decided to test my tap water(What I use for my tank, sadly) and found out after mixing 4 gallons that my phosphates are 1.0 before I even add it to the tank. Now I going to a full blown SPS and know that phosphates are a major concern when aiming for healthy growing corals. I also have had a slight hair algae problem and until now have got it under control and got rid of it. I think the main problem may have been my water which i change out 5 gallons weekly.

Changed:
Tuesday I will be adding a BRS reactor with GFO and at the moment i change my carbon every 2 weeks, which I started 1 month ago.

Need some tips on managing the perfect SPS

 

[jbanks]

Check out filterdirect.com

I've always had good results from my rod I unit from them and it was very affordable and good quality. Getting your phosphate down for healthy SPS is key. I would work on that before you add any sps. Good luck.

 

[Reefsi]

Thank you. Yeah im looking at acquiring a RO/DI unit in the next week or so. My GFO got delivered today and tested my phosphates about an hour ago and the reading was right between 0.00-0.25 which is alright for now, but i want the test to read 0 which would mean its around 0.03. Any suggestions on how to gradually start the GFO? How much media should i begin with for about 100 gallons water volume? I dont want to crash anything.

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[chrishayes]

Since im sure no one will reccomend or even talk about it, I use a drinking water system that I bought at Menards for my reef. It comes with a 7gpd membrane(more on that in a minute), 5 micron sediment filter, 5 micron carbon block filter, post membrane carbon polishing filter, air gap faucet that is mounted to your sink basin and a 5 gal pressure tank to keep some volume on hand instead of having to turn the system on and off everytime you need water.

THere are many advantages to this type of system along with plenty of drawbacks. The advantages are, number one, cost. I got mine for $130. It was easy to get the wife on board since we now use it for drinking water, ice maker supply and to refill plastic water bottles that we mix single serving drink mixes with. THis saves a ton of money alone because we dont have soda or gatorade to buy all the time anymore.

Drawbacks. Number one is that it doesnt make water very fast. It uses a 7gpd membrane because the wastewater is hooked to the drain trap of the sink and provides an air gap so that no contamination of the membrane can occur from backup of the sink drain. Its such a low gpd because if you increase the amount of wastewater going through it, it sounds like a jet engine!

While running a line over to my fridge for the icemaker I ran one to my fish room as well where I put a tee with a valve so I can divert it to either RO only or allow it to travel through a standalone DI canister. I put a inline dual TDS monitor at this location as well so I can measure incoming RO tds and outgoing DI tds. I get 0-002ppm RO dependant on water pressure and 0ppm DI.

SO this is another option that a lot of people dont think about but it really serves a lot more uses than a dedicated reef unit. With the placement of a couple check valves like this http://api.viglink.com/api/click?fo...RODI-NAG.pdf&jsonp=vglnk_jsonp_13188712200901 you can keep water in your pressure tank for household use while making water for your reef at the same time. This keeps the wife happy and us able to make water at the sametime! You wouldnt want to use the water from the pressure tank anyhow as TDS creep causes your DI resin to exhaust faster...

Anyway you go though, a RODI is really a must have for a reef tank of any type.

 

[jbanks]

I would use between 6 and 7 ounces of GFO.. the flow through the reactor should be just enough where that you can see a slight tumble on the top of the GFO. Also, Sometime SPS reation to GFO can be tempermental.. In these cases, you may notice a slow tissue recession from the base.. This usually happened to
my tank when using too much GFO.

 

[blakers82]

Reefski,

From my BRS GFO Instructions: "Start with 1 tablespoon per 4 gallons of water (16tbsp= 1 cup). After 4-8 weeks the aquarium will adjusted to lower nutrient levels and the amount of GFO can be increased up to 2 Tablespoons per 4 gallons of water. Change the GFO when phosphate levels rise or algae growth becomes visible (4-8 weeks).". I hope that helps.

As for your water situation, I would snatch up an RO/DI unit as fast as time and wallet allow. You and your marine animals will be so happy with the results. It really is a critical buy for maintaining a comfortable atmosphere for your animals to live in.

 

[crawlerman]

I fill my water jugs up at Publix Grocery store. They have a RO filter system and the water seems to be clean. I have been using it for over a year and have not had issues. $30/gallon

 

[austin93]

Rodi would be one of if not the most important pieces of equipment for a new reefer. I would not trust grocery store water as they are not overly concerned with ensuring 0 tds water. A lot of things in reef keeping are opinion, but this is a fact. Start with good water.

 

[smokey30]

Be careful with GFO it can do more damage than good especially if use too much too soon start slow and see how things react then add more if needed. The initial time I tried it after having an algae outbreak I got a lot of burnt tips and some tissue loss. Maybe try some carbon first and see how your phosphates react to that.

 

[Reefsi]

Chrishayes:
Thank you I have not looked into or thought of it. Even at 7GPD I would be fine with a big collection tank. I know i have to switch to an RO/DI unit, all my corals seem happy and I have not had any die over the 9 months the tank has been established. I do know things would be much happier and cleaner with the RO/DI unit. Thank you for the suggestion!

Jbanks:
Im going to start off slow. I dont want to move to quickly because I have lots of livestock and SPS corals in the tank. I think im going to go gradually and see how the corals react increasing each week or bi week. Once i see the corals peek im going to leave it at that. Im excited to get it though can't wait to see the good effects that i hear!
Thank you!

Blakers82:
Thank you, I read exactly the same thing I think im going to start with a little bit less in the reactor. How did your corals react?

Crawlerman:
$30/gallon? Thats expensive, I would invest in an RO/DI unit if i was spending that much, or was it a typo?

Austin93:
Ya i have always thought they were needed. Back when i was in grade school or high school my father had 7 tanks setup. 2 of them which were 200gallons plus and we had every variation of tank possible. We never bothered with RO/DI water because of the amount of water we would go through i guess. I was younger and dont remember to much but bothering my dad to purchase one. I am definitely going to get one this week or next.
Thanks!

Smokey30:
Ya i have been hearing to have caution, I am going to set it all up tonight when i have the time and start with very little. I dose activated carbon in a filter bag about once every 2 weeks I change it. Ever since I have been doing it my water is crystal clear and my phosphates sort of remained. I did not see any recession in coral growth actually everything seemed a lot happier. I will also start low and hope to not burn any tips with my reactor as i do not want to mess up anything!
Thanks for the heads up!

Question:
Do you guys feed your SPS tanks any foods?

 

[crawlerman]

meant 30 cents per gallon, my bad. Just bought a new house and the water lines are pex. I have no idea how to work with this stuff so i started buying from the store.

 

[Reefsi]

PEX is nice and easy to work with. If you ever want to tie in an RODI it would be simple. PEX is the way to go im hearing nowadays. Less contaminants get stuck in the lining.