Top off container Slime?

ooja3k

The Reef Producer
Has anyone every noticed some almost slime type stuff on the bottom of their top off storage containers??? I use RO/DI water and the container is always in the dark.

Is this whats known as TDS creep???

Is it harmful to the tank??

Also, how often do you guys clean out your top off storage containers?

Thanks in advance!
 
what you are seeing is bacterial growth. even though the water is very clean it will pick up contaminates from the air and over time it will grow bacteria. cant say if its harmful or not because that depends on what is growing in there. i clean mine out when ever i see it.
 
mbbuna is right on the money.

This bioslime will also develop inside the components of your RODI system - so clean that too at least every other filter change.

Russ @ BFS
 
Not to steal the thread, but what about the cat urine smell that you sometimes get also, have always wondered that. My TDS is always .000 .
 
Well im glad it not just me... i have it and im a lazy reefer and i leave it in mine ( i know shame on me ) but i keep sps and i have not seen any issues
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12552370#post12552370 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Timinator
...what about the cat urine smell that you sometimes get ...

I'm glad someone else has noticed this! I thought there was something wrong with my sense of smell :)

Does anyone know its cause?

-R
 
the smell of cat pee to me means ammonia. what type of container are you using to hold the water? are your DI resins good? and do you have a cat?
 
No pee smell for me either.

I too get the "build-up", I just wipe mine out every other fill up.... OR when I remember... lol :)

Brad
 
Unless someone releaved themselves in your di resin, no - its not pee. That smell comes from the anion resin. Pretty typical/common...

Russ
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12555929#post12555929 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by BuckeyeFS
Unless someone releaved themselves in your di resin, no - its not pee. That smell comes from the anion resin. Pretty typical/common...

Russ

so im guessing the resin is spent? or it just stinks like that sometimes?
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12552370#post12552370 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Timinator
Not to steal the thread, but what about the cat urine smell that you sometimes get also, have always wondered that. My TDS is always .000 .

In many cases the pee smell is bacterial and can be eliminated by rinsing out your product water container with a mixture of bleach and water. Rinse again to remove the bleach smell and dry with a towel and the smell will be gone.

Jim
 
Thanks Jim for posting, Yeah it's been a long time since I had that happen. That's exactly what I done and I haven't had the prblem since. I was curious though what caused it in general though. I can say I had thought that somehow my cat had lifted the lid and took a good leak in there. So to anyone out there just wipe your container out with a dry towel each time you use up all the water for your water change that works for me anyways. I use a 44 gal. food grade brute container for my RO/DI water. And by the way Jim I'll be visiting you for an order of DI here in a few days matter of fact. And thanks for your great service!
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12552370#post12552370 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Timinator
Not to steal the thread, but what about the cat urine smell that you sometimes get also, have always wondered that. My TDS is always .000 .

I went back and re-read the thread...

If what you are smelling is an off-odor from your storage container - that may well be contamination that can be addressed by cleaning the container. You should be cleaning the container along with the rest of the internal parts of your system about every other filter change.

If what you are referring to is more of a "fishy smell" of the DI water right out of the tube - that often comes from the anion resin.

Try the "insert scratch and sniff patch" option in your next post...

Russ
 
I have experienced the bacterial thing in my own water container. I would dry the container and refill it and the smell kept coming back. I thought my RO/DI was contaminated so I filled a 5 gallon pail and no smell for five days.

Bingo bacteria that wasn't killed by just drying the container. I did the bleach decontamination and the problem has never returned. Even though we deal with water every day a little first hand experience is the best teacher. Since we are reef hobbyists we do use most of our products and our technical support comes from our own experience not a computer screen.

Jim
 
I agree Jim, I should have mentioned that I cleaned it first with the bleach along time ago and now all I have to do is dry and clean the container. I've like you had no problems since. And BuckeyeFS the smell we are talking about is a very distinct cat urine smell if you have every smelled that. But it is a bacterial problem and can be solved by good ole' bleach and cleaning the container with it. Jim got my order in for the DI resin and thanks for clearing up the question between the Purolite and the tried and true Pemium resin that you offer.
 
we are reef hobbyists we do use most of our products and our technical support comes from our own experience not a computer screen.

Couldn't agree more. Experience with the hobby sure provides some insight into the practical side of water purification...

Russ
 
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