Suspecting Metals/Chlorine in LFS Water. Should I Use Contitioner?

[Reefer37]

So I'm having a suspicion that my LFS might have metals or chlorine in their water. I finally decided to order an RODI unit, but it's going to take about a week until it gets here and I can make new water.

Should I use water conditioner or wait it out?

I've never used it before, but corals have been looking really bad lately. Some looking great and others looking awful, all after a recent water change.

Note, I read some article about Fritz salt being a suspicion in a tank crash some time back. They only use Fritz salt at my LFS, could that be a possible link? Might all be circumstantial, but figured I'd mention it.

 

[Thespammailaccount]

If chlorine let it set out to air for 24-48 hours. Could also be chloramines. You can confirm by testing your product or LFS water for ammonia

 

[Billldg]

What type of unit did you order? I use a 5 stage BRS unit and it gets rid of everything. The salt could be an issue, but its really hard to tell without scientific proof and testing on the salt.

 

[Reefer37]

What type of unit did you order? I use a 5 stage BRS unit and it gets rid of everything. The salt could be an issue, but its really hard to tell without scientific proof and testing on the salt.

Aquatic Life 4 stage RODI Buddie

 

[Thespammailaccount]

My corals looked awful after a water change and chloramines were the issue. I have a 7 stage rodi with triple di and pre filter chloramine filter but ammonia would still get through not long after all filters were changed. My city treats the water with about 2ppm chloramines. This is tap results.

 

[Thespammailaccount]

Switching to distilled water was much more cheaper than the cost of replacing membranes and di resin.

 

[Reefer37]

If chlorine let it set out to air for 24-48 hours. Could also be chloramines. You can confirm by testing your product or LFS water for ammonia

I can't really test for low end ammonia with my current test because it's an API test and pretty inaccurate. I have a Red Sea kit on the way.
I'm waiting for a TDS in the mail as well.

 

[Billldg]

Aquatic Life 4 stage RODI Buddie

I would check with your local water company and see what they use to treat the water. The different stages of RO/DI systems, whether its a 4,5,6 or 7 is dependent on what is used to treat the water. Does that unit come with a DI resin section?

 

[Thespammailaccount]

Aquatic Life 4 stage RODI Buddie

I tried this first before the upgrade to the 7 stage rodi with pre filter.

 

[Thespammailaccount]

I can't really test for low end ammonia with my current test because it's an API test and pretty inaccurate. I have a Red Sea kit on the way.
I'm waiting for a TDS in the mail as well.

If you are not registering ammonia than chloramines is unlikely the issue

 

[mfinn]

So I'm having a suspicion that my LFS might have metals or chlorine in their water.

What makes you suspect them?
Have you asked them?

 

[Thespammailaccount]

What makes you suspect them?
Have you asked them?

I personally would not ask. My LFS would sell their water that I would not offer to a pet. Empirical testing is the way to know for certain

 

[Thespammailaccount]

If you need to do a water change while trying to figure out what is in the water try Walmart distilled. Old distillers use copper pipes which can also be an issue

 

[mfinn]

I personally would not ask. My LFS would sell their water that I would not offer to a pet. Empirical testing is the way to know for certain

If I thought a place was selling bad water I would definitely confront them.

 

[Reefer37]

I'm not positive, just a theory based on everything going south directly after last water change with no other changes having been going on in the tank. No I haven't directly asked them.

In relation to the RODI question, yes I did get the DI portion as well. I'll have to contact the water department to find out the other info.

 

[drawman]

If you are not registering ammonia than chloramines is unlikely the issue

So here's my thought and I am no chemist but have tried to research the issue a fair amount.

If you are worried about Chlorine just aerate the water for 24-48hrs as you said.

If you are worried about chloramines getting past your system you could test total chlorine of your makeup water immediately and then retest once this has aerated for 24-48hrs and subtract the two to get chloramines breaking through. This would mean you need to change your chloramine carbon blocks more often. FWIW I am about to be doing exactly this and have a Hannah ULR Total Chlorine checker on order.

If you are worried about ammonia breaking through (but not chloramines) then you have to consider your DI. IIRC from another thread your DI was prematurely exhausted and that could be due to CO2, correct? Another strategy may be to have biomedia in a bag in your sump and when you make NSW just throw that bag in the saltwater container to have it filter the ammonia to nitrite then nitrate. More work but could be an easy fix. The ammount of ammonia in your top off water probably wouldn't be a concern as it would continually go through the nitrogen cycle.

Just brainstorming for the OP and you as well.

 

[Thespammailaccount]

If I thought a place was selling bad water I would definitely confront them.

I live in Houston. Which has a large population of people and has large holding tanks for water. To prevent bacteria from growing the city using chloramines which allows the chlorine or the disinfect to last longer. Which is great for us so we don’t get sick. For our reef tank not so much. With chloramines as high in this area you would have to constantly replace membranes and di. This is an extreme case or an outliner in the statistical sense. financially it does not make sense. I do however basically ‘watch’ the LFSs in my area and when I see something I want I immediately go and by it. If not and it sits in their tank for a few weeks the damage has already been done and the frags exhibit tissue necrosis

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

My corals looked awful after a water change and chloramines were the issue. I have a 7 stage rodi with triple di and pre filter chloramine filter but ammonia would still get through not long after all filters were changed. My city treats the water with about 2ppm chloramines. This is tap results.

Strange. And I'm skeptical it was ammonia. How much ammonia was there? How big of a water change? new salt water generally has some ammonia from the salt.

If there is ammonia in the effluent, that's a sign that the DI was inadequate. Ammonia is among the first things to be released when a di depletes. My RO/DI removes ammonia just fine until the di depletes.

 

[Thespammailaccount]

I am a firm believer in distilled water. From a chemical engineering standpoint it is the purist water you can find even better than RODI. The 70 gallon distilled tank. The proof is in the pudding.
#Randy Holmes-Farley

 

[Thespammailaccount]

Strange. And I'm skeptical it was ammonia. How much ammonia was there? How big of a water change? new salt water generally has some ammonia from the salt.

If there is ammonia in the effluent, that's a sign that the DI was inadequate. Ammonia is among the first things to be released when a di depletes. My RO/DI removes ammonia just fine until the di depletes.

How often do you change your di? What is the acceptable range for chloramines in your area?