RO water

So I may have found out why my tank is all out of wack? I went to do a WC today and started dipping out of my RO storage tank and looked in the bucket and there was brown stuff floating around in the water so I drained the whole thing 30g and wow there was a brown sludge all over the sides and bottom of it so I cleaned it all out and now need to fill it all back up. Might need some new ro filters even tho my TDS is at 0

Home_Depot wrote:So I may have found out why my tank is all out of wack? I went to do a WC today and started dipping out of my RO storage tank and looked in the bucket and there was brown stuff floating around in the water so I drained the whole thing 30g and wow there was a brown sludge all over the sides and bottom of it so I cleaned it all out and now need to fill it all back up. Might need some new ro filters even tho my TDS is at 0

I get that to its from the salt (IO) That is why im looking in to starting a new salt.

This is what i will start to try soon

http://www.aquacave.com/detail.aspx?ID=2216

No it was my ro/di water container not my salt water. But I know what you mean with the salt mix I got it from my reef crystals salt as well but have read that the brown in the mix will not hurt anything? But still have to wonder.

danreefs wrote:This is what i will start to try soon

[url=http://www.aquacave.com/detail.aspx?ID=2216

http://www.aquacave.com/detail.aspx?ID=2216[/quote[/url]]

wow for 100 bucks it better change itself.

I know $80 is alitte high.

This is the Salt I was using.... 2 part salt mix ... never had beter results from any other salt I used, I switched to tunze for awhile cause I could get it at BRS but as soon as I run out I'm going back to there salt.

danreefs wrote:I know $80 is alitte high.

Ya plus 20.00 for shipping cause of the weight

Next time i make a trip down to DA i will pick up some then. $26 for shipping is nuts

HD, I hope it gets better for ya. Brown sludge in your RO does seem like it could be causing issues.

did you happen to test the TDS of the water in the bucket? A good friend of mine tested his and it was around 200. After cleaning out the bins and changing RO filters it's back to normal again. If you don't have a handheld tds meter, get one. They are really nice for those random checks where the mounted one from the RO setup won't reach.

icereefer, that salt you linked to look interesting... have you used it much in the past? what were your results?

I dont have a hand held one but I have thought about getting one for that reason.

Yeah I didn't either but as soon as I got one I started rinsing out my RO jugs about once every 2 to 3 months with a light bleach solution... need to let it air out for a few days after that but it works really well.

cdness wrote:did you happen to test the TDS of the water in the bucket? A good friend of mine tested his and it was around 200. After cleaning out the bins and changing RO filters it's back to normal again. If you don't have a handheld tds meter, get one. They are really nice for those random checks where the mounted one from the RO setup won't reach.

icereefer, that salt you linked to look interesting... have you used it much in the past? what were your results?

I've been wanting to get a tds meter myself. What brand would you recommend?

cdness wrote:
icereefer, that salt you linked to look interesting... have you used it much in the past? what were your results?

I and Vishnu used this Salt for about a year I use to use RC but running more stonies in my tank I need to get into a more stable Salt mix and For Many Zeo users I met on line or read about on other low Nutrient user forums that used this 2 part salt liked how stable the readings They get from every batch they made, Well Vishnu ran a low nutrient style tank so he like others used Formula 2 there Ultra low nutrient salt mix, I used there Formula 1 because I prefer a more Natural method of Reefing.
Know but I've tried RedS,SRS,Topic M,Tunze I'm using now and only have one bag left then I'm going back to GTA Salt, but every time I tested most salt brands on the market, my readings in my mixed buckets had different readings and some where high in difference, but that Formula 1 I was using pretty much always tested within a point maybe 2 makes it a lot easier to keep my Parameters stable.
Until your Drew dosing pump goes blinkie and stops working plus I've been crazy buzy and I didn't test for almost a Month, Things were starting to look not right so I did a test and found my pump locked up and my steady 430 what now 220 I don't have it stable yet but I'm back up in the 400's now.

icereefer wrote:This is the Salt I was using.... 2 part salt mix ... never had beter results from any other salt I used, I switched to tunze for awhile cause I could get it at BRS but as soon as I run out I'm going back to there salt.

I think i will try that salt. Im sick of IO .

Its like any salt mix you need to find what it lacks and ajust to keep it stable with the parameters in ones tank but I liked it because you make a Slurry mix and once that's made you just need to Airate it for a couple hours then it's ready to use and they use Natural Trace elements.

I have thought a couple of times that it would be nice to have a handheld TDS in the club. However, due to the physical distance, it's probably not practical. It just seems like something that could be shared.

I'll be there the weekend of the 17th weather permitting... If you want me to bring mine I can. That way it can be passed around a bit for a couple weeks then returned. I'd just need someone there to own the tracking of the tester so it doesn't get lost...

bring it with you I would "watch" it ....

G did any of this help or did you figure anything out as to the probs u having with tank any changes yet ?

not seen an turn around et still the same old shitty tank.....

Man that's some weird stuff ! when did u last change your bulbs ? Have u calibrated temp probe lately did mine tonight was 2 degrees high so i was actually running tank at like 76 degrees WOW glad i caught it ! But all of that stuff i got from u a while back all got its color back in a couple weeks ! It has bugged me since i was there i was hoping u had found the problem when u started this thread ! U should run down the things you have tried if you have time just outta curiosity !

I have done just about everything exept taer it down and start over. bulbs are fairly new about 4-5 months on them only run them about 3-4 hours per day.

Hey i was laying awake thinkin bout this LOL ! If u have tested and all your parameters are good ! Is it a possibility u are leaching something into your tank from a external or internal source ! Like stains, varnishes, any metals any hose clamps? just random things like that ? Its far fetched but ya never know Or maybe plastic breaking down from any water storage ? since you said u have tried everything thats my brains thoughts Ok now i can sleep after getting that off my mind ! Hope u can figure it out !