Hello!
Thanks for stopping by. This is my mandatory "dumb" beginner question
I have just gotten my very first marine tank wet for the first time to do a leak test and she has passed with flying colors! Now, I need to make some more RO DI water for the cycle. I have quality salt ready to mix in, live sand waiting to be prepared, bacteria to dose it with, and sculpted and rinsed the dry rock. Everything is ready to go, except I haven't tested the RO DI water.
Do I need to test the water from my new out-of-the-box 4-stage RO DI for TDS and/or chlorine before filling my tank for the first time and doing my cycle?
For context, I am on a very strict budget and have taken months to get to the point of finally having everything ready for cycling. Equipment is more expensive in New Zealand than in the USA, so if I don't need an item or test now I'll save up for later. I have tried searching Google and called the nearest fish expert. The LFS told me not to bother testing the new unit's water for a few months/until filters start getting used up. They only test in-line TDS and don't bother with the chlorine at all, but I imagine their kit is bigger than my 100gpd 4-stage and they probably have multiple carbon filters. I have a cheap TDS-3 tester on the way but it won't do chlorine. Can I rely on the cheap tester or should I make the hike to the LFS for a test? Do I even need to test it out of the box with new filters? When should I start testing the carbon block water for chlorine?
Details:
Tap water averages: pH: 7.8 Fluoride(mg/L): 0.73 Chlorine Residual(mg/L): 0.65 TDS(mg/L): 106 (mg/L is an approximate equivalent to ppm)
RO DI: Aquatic Life Twist-In 100GPD
Tank: 20G WaterBox Cube w/ AI Prime
Planned stock: clowns, a shrimp, CUC, zoa, an anemone (once things are more stable), and maybe a goby of some kind.
TIA <3
Amanda
Thanks for stopping by. This is my mandatory "dumb" beginner question
Do I need to test the water from my new out-of-the-box 4-stage RO DI for TDS and/or chlorine before filling my tank for the first time and doing my cycle?
For context, I am on a very strict budget and have taken months to get to the point of finally having everything ready for cycling. Equipment is more expensive in New Zealand than in the USA, so if I don't need an item or test now I'll save up for later. I have tried searching Google and called the nearest fish expert. The LFS told me not to bother testing the new unit's water for a few months/until filters start getting used up. They only test in-line TDS and don't bother with the chlorine at all, but I imagine their kit is bigger than my 100gpd 4-stage and they probably have multiple carbon filters. I have a cheap TDS-3 tester on the way but it won't do chlorine. Can I rely on the cheap tester or should I make the hike to the LFS for a test? Do I even need to test it out of the box with new filters? When should I start testing the carbon block water for chlorine?
Details:
Tap water averages: pH: 7.8 Fluoride(mg/L): 0.73 Chlorine Residual(mg/L): 0.65 TDS(mg/L): 106 (mg/L is an approximate equivalent to ppm)
RO DI: Aquatic Life Twist-In 100GPD
Tank: 20G WaterBox Cube w/ AI Prime
Planned stock: clowns, a shrimp, CUC, zoa, an anemone (once things are more stable), and maybe a goby of some kind.
TIA <3
Amanda