anybody ever get a tds of 0 and still have diatoms?

[nebraska dreamin]

SilicaBuster is a special resin blend made by Spectrapure specifically for reefkeeping. I have used it in combination with their MaxCap DI in a dual DI system for years and would never go back to anything else. My DI life went from 150 measured gallons per cartridge using fresh mixed bed nuclear grade resins from several other vendors and wholesalers to 830 gallons on my very first MaxCap cartridge and over 3,000 gallons on my first SilicaBuster. I even borrowed a lab grade benchtop Thornton conductivity/resistivity meter to confirm the TDS readings I was seeing on my HM Digital COM-100 and was pleasantly surprised. There really is a difference. Not only in the resins but in the RO membranes too, Spectrapure is the only vendor to offer a guaranteed 99% rejection rate RO membrane which makes the DI last even longer since it does not work as hard.

By fresh resin I meant properly blended mixed bed nuclear or semiconductor grade resin which was packed fresh, damp and shipped properly then once opened, re-sealed using a vacuum sealer such as a Seal A Meal device and stored in the rerigerator and out of direct lighting. Even properly stored as above, resin has a shelf life of about 6 months so buying bulk is not always the best choice. I used to buy in two 50 lb box shipments (100 lbs) then divide it up and vacuum seal it in individual 20 oz portions and sell it at cost to fellow reef club members and it still did not work or last as good as Spectrapure's resin cartridges. Today I buy only what cartridge I need and do not keep spares or extra. I know about how long it will last so order one month in advance and only what I need.I also order resin directly from Spectrapure so I know it was blended and packed the day it shipped and has not been sitting on a shelf somewhere aging.

FILTERS MEMBRANES & RESIN

wow awesome info! Thank you. I'm almost certain that was my problem now. The di resign was not vacuum sealed after i opened it.

 

[nebraska dreamin]

My DI life went from 150 measured gallons per cartridge using fresh mixed bed nuclear grade resins from several other vendors and wholesalers to 830 gallons on my very first MaxCap cartridge and over 3,000 gallons on my first SilicaBuster.
FILTERS MEMBRANES & RESIN

can I ask you a very personal question??? what was your incoming tds reading when you where getting 150 gpc?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

is there some kind of additional silicate stage in my ro/di i need to add? my cartridges and membrane where looking pretty golden but I was getting a reading of 0. I have since replaced. what else can cause diatoms aside from silicate, low light, phosphates...my po3 test is saying 0 but ive read that even if your test is 0 you can still have dissolved organic phosphates or something of that nature. would love to hear your opinions. its only in a little patch in the sand bed but I can stand the brown uglies!! tanks been running for about 5.5 months. Thanks in advance!

Just to clarify something that seems to confuse many people.

Algae need ALL of nitrogen, phosphorus, light, space, etc. having one in excess does not "cause" a problem. Having any too low can stop the growth.

For diatoms, you can add silicate to that list. But it needs all of them. It just turns out that reducing silicate can be an effective way to reduce diatoms.

That said, I add silicate (for sponges, etc.), and it probably comes in with other additives and foods more than the RO water at 0 ppm TDS will provide.

Are you sure it is diatoms and not cyanobacteria?

 

[AZDesertRat]

My softened tap TDS varied between 550 and 630. The RO only TDS was between 13 and 15 so a RO rejection rate of 97.6% at 56-64 degrees F and 68 psi.

 

[nebraska dreamin]

Just to clarify something that seems to confuse many people.

Algae need ALL of nitrogen, phosphorus, light, space, etc. having one in excess does not "cause" a problem. Having any too low can stop the growth.

For diatoms, you can add silicate to that list. But it needs all of them. It just turns out that reducing silicate can be an effective way to reduce diatoms.

That said, I add silicate (for sponges, etc.), and it probably comes in with other additives and foods more than the RO water at 0 ppm TDS will provide.

Are you sure it is diatoms and not cyanobacteria?

funny you mention cyano... I did have a patch that started to creep up around the same area as the diatoms. did some things with how my sump was configured and dosed some bacteria after a small wc and that seemed to knock it out. my nitrates are less than 2ppm (according to an api test...i know, i know, need to get something better) and po3 arent registering but i'm sure I have them even though the test is not registering. that thats why I thought silicates as the diatoms seem unaffected. and Im fairly certain its diatoms its a slimey golden rust color

 

[nebraska dreamin]

My softened tap TDS varied between 550 and 630.

lawdy!! that seems very high are you off a well or something? good to know though my in line is registering around 225-260. so that cant be the problem

 

[AZDesertRat]

Nope, typical City of Phoenix municipal water. The TDS around the Valley varies between 500 and over 1600 depending on your location. Most is treated Colorado River surface water with much of the rest from the Salt and Verde rivers. Now you know where all the minerals and sediment that were scoured out of the Grand Canyon ended up!

 

[nebraska dreamin]

and it probably comes in with other additives and foods more than the RO water at 0 ppm TDS will provide.

I think youre right. there was a week about a month ago i went kinda heavy on feeding some lps. so I have been cutting way back on feedings and aminos. basically just feeding enough so my fish dont get stressed. my thought was dose bacteria, add more seeded rock to my sump and water changes? and if Im wrong (and this is a very strong possibilty) it is cyano and not diatoms, any thoughts from you would be very appreciated sir

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I think youre right. there was a week about a month ago i went kinda heavy on feeding some lps. so I have been cutting way back on feedings and aminos. basically just feeding enough so my fish dont get stressed. my thought was dose bacteria, add more seeded rock to my sump and water changes? and if Im wrong (and this is a very strong possibilty) it is cyano and not diatoms, any thoughts from you would be very appreciated sir

Cyanobacteria can be a lot harder to control than diatoms since limiting silicate cannot help. Reducing nutrients and organics, and increasing flow can all help. Cyano might be able to get energy directly from amino acids dosed to the tank.

 

[nebraska dreamin]

update...I think I had a lot of things wrong going on there
1 aminos . I didnt have a problem w algae or cyano before dosing them period. although if I didnt have the following issues in combination with dosing aminos I may have been alright, so I'm not completely blaming it on them but it was the catalyst. it DID spark some coral growth and they are colorful but the dosage recommended I think may be a bit much. it made my no3 po3 climb and in combination w number 2....but I have stopped for about 5 days now
2 aquascape. the way I had it arranged I had some dead spots and consequently detritus build up
3 surface area=bacteria. I have a semi minimalist aquascape so I added some seeded base rock to the sump and dosed some bacteria
4 ro/di, just in case my unit was letting silicates through I replaced all cartridges, and my ro membrane. still thinking about adding another di stage w a silicate buster.
I did a water change and siphoned out all detritus and diatoms and what was left of cyano. my no3 is 0 and po3 0. I havent seen any algae for the last 3 days so I will continue to lay off the aminos and feed lightly. adding another flow pump as well, lesson learned...be more diligent w maintenance and its never one thing that causes problems. Thanks to everyone that posted and offered advice!!