Where to buy water?

packisbak1

New member
Is there a type/brand of water I can buy by the gallon at my local Dominicks or Jewel that would be comparable in purity to the RO/DI water I get at my LFS? From a convenience standpoint, it would be nice to be able to pick up water while I am grocery shopping every now and then.
 
Hard to be sure what the quality is, quality would vary store to store....

You could always test the water with a TDS meter to know what your dealing with, unfortunately if the reading is low it might be due to the filters just being changed.

Look into purchasing your own RO/DI unit, much cheaper and no more lugging water...
 
I only have a 12 gallon nano so I don't think buying a unit will pay for itself right now. If I add more tanks, then I will consider it.

I was hoping that there is a brand of water that I could buy that has consistent quality control. Has anyone found a brand they can trust?
 
I think you will hear to buy distilled water if anything. That will be as close as you can get to RO/DI in my opinion. I've used it a couple of times in a pinch with no problems.
 
At $1/week (for weekly water changes) you are at $52/year. Now add the cost of driving (going rate is $0.52/mile I believe). If your LFS is close maybe $2, so you are at $150/yr. Now add the cost of your time...you get the idea. You may not break even as fast, but an RO/DI unit purchase is not that different economically, especially when you factor in the convenience (you could buy one of the smaller units from Filter Guys for a $150 or so).
 
ive been using dominicks "water island" filtered water since day 1 since i have absolutly no where to put an rodi unit. Works great for me! I even ran into the guy who services the one by me and had a talk with him....he showed me the storge and filter units in the back and even had a reef tank himself. I asked about the TDS and he showed me the log that they use and the TDS never got above 6 or 7.
 
I would keep an eye out for a used RO/DI here on the forums. I picked one up for cheap from someone getting out of the hobby. I used to go to the LFS to get my RO/DI at $1 per gallon. I have saved enough money to change the filters on it and cover the cost of the unit by not going to the LFS to buy it. One time i went to get 5 gallons of water from the LFS for a water change and on the way home the bottle tipped over and the lid cracked off spilling almost all of it in the trunk before i had time to pull over and stand it back up. I think you are better of just buying one.
 
I have a 34 gallon tank, and I have been using Catalina Real Sea Water sold by Petco for over 1 year. This is real sea water which is filtered and then sold. It is used by many public aquariums. Since I switched to this water, my tank has been much cleaner and have noticed a significant improvment in my corals. It costs $12 for 5 gallons. With your small tank, I would suggest you consider this option b/c it will not cost you much to do water changes. Also, there is the obvious cost savings with not having to buy salt, and the convenience of not having to mix salt water. Moreover, there is the additional benefit of your water parameters being maintained at a much more constant level because whenever we mix our own water it is inevitable that the new water varies in some degree from the old water (i.e, salinity, PH, etc). These variances can be much more problematic in a small system b/c when you do a water change on a small water volume the new water will have a greater impact on water parameters.
 
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<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11605240#post11605240 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Stuart60611
I have a 34 gallon tank, and I have been using Catalina Real Sea Water sold by Petco for over 1 year. This is real sea water which is filtered and then sold. It is used by many public aquariums. Since I switched to this water, my tank has been much cleaner and have noticed a significant improvment in my corals. It costs $12 for 5 gallons. With your small tank, I would suggest you consider this option b/c it will not cost you much to do water changes. Also, there is the obvious cost savings with not having to buy salt, and the convenience of not having to mix salt water. Moreover, there is the additional benefit of your water parameters being maintained at a much more constant level because whenever we mix our own water it is inevitable that the new water varies in some degree from the old water (i.e, salinity, PH, etc). These variances can be much more problematic in a small system b/c when you do a water change on a small water volume the new water will have a greater impact on water parameters.

IMHO this is a waste of cash. If it has worked for you thats good and stick with what works, but check out every TOTM, they all use salt mix. Plus, there are variations in the sea as well, and samples collected at different times will vary in salinity, calcium levels, etc. Also, Shedd uses RO/DI water and Instant Ocean, so I figure if its good enough for them :)
 
It is certainly not the cheapest option, but the cost savings of mixing your own water for water changes on a very small tank is really inconsequential. "For example, on a twelve gallon, you are probably only going to change 3 gallons or so per water change. Maybe you could save a two or three dollars per water change mixing your own water. Because I live one block from Petco, I enjoy the convenience of this water and consistancy it provides. Also, a single screw up in mixing the water impropperly on a 12 gallon tank can result in a disaster b/c of the tank's small volume. To me, the convenience, very small cost, and avoiding the risk of a tank meltdown makes scense in justifying buying this water for small tanks. Obviously, it is impracticable for larger tanks.
 
mixing salt and rodi is ultra easy i got a little cup from a bag of salt once and now i use it everytime i use one cup per gallon.
 
I have used Dominicks distilled water before in a pinch with no problems. I am not sure what the TDS is though.
 
To each there own I guess... I personaly hate luggin a case of soda 20 feet from my car to fridge :)

I think the greatest advantage owning a filter is you can monitor the quality... If you see the TDS increasing you can replace the filter, if they go up at the store you have two options, buy the water, or dont...
 
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