RO/DI Water Smells Like Chlorine - Can I Use Seachem Prime?

[jack.mid]

First off I buy my RO/DI from my LFS.

Had a couple of scarlet reef hermit crabs and a normal hermit go belly up on me the other day out of the blue. Wasn't sure what it could have been as nothing has changed in my tank and all my water tests came out normal(ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, calcium, ph), but I realized I did do a top off the night before, went ahead and smelled the RO/DI and it smells quite chlorinated. (Weirdly my snails, skunk cleaner shrimp, and pincushion urchin were unaffected so maybe it was something else, but absolutely nothing else has changed in my tank)

Can I use Seachem Prime to remove the chlorine and still use the RO/DI? Is it at all normal for RO/DI to smell chlorinated? My salinity is creeping up quickly (1.030)

I don't know much about the RO/DI itself so I think I was just confusing myself doing more and more research. I also did some research or getting chlorine test stips but it seems as if none of them are accurate enough to serve any real purpose in a reef tank.

Any advice is appreciated.

 

[gentlefish]

I do not know if the initial water used contains chlorine or chloramine. In any case your water must not smell of chlorine. I would not use it. At least, get yourself a TDS meter, it should read 0. Better yet, you can save money and trouble by getting a rodi system.
I do not know what you use to determine salinity. I suggest a refractometer. You will still have to run it against a standard at times. If you have a floating arm type system, they turn unreliable.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I doubt the smell is chlorine. Normal chlorinated tap water doesn't smell.

Can you describe what stages your RO/DI has?

Specifically, the carbon block is used to break down chlorine. Do you have one?

Are you monitoring the final effluent for conductivity (TDS)?

 

[jack.mid]

I doubt the smell is chlorine. Normal chlorinated tap water doesn't smell.

Can you describe what stages your RO/DI has?

Specifically, the carbon block is used to break down chlorine. Do you have one?

Are you monitoring the final effluent for conductivity (TDS)?

I don't have my own RO/DI unit or a TDS meter, unfortunately. And the water definitely has a weird chlorinated smell to it, smells like a hot tub, maybe it's the container, but I have only ever put RO/DI in this container.

I really need to go and get some water to lower the salinity of this tank today and there is nowhere else to get RO/DI around here.

Do you think I should just get some distilled water?

There is this too

Imagitarium Freshwater, 2.5 Gallons | Petco

Make quick H2O changes easy with the UV purified Imagitarium Freshwater. This freshwater formula contains essential electrolytes and helps protect your fish s slime coat.

www.petco.com

 

[gentlefish]

Destined water comes close to rodi water. It sounds like a go to until things are figured out.

 

[gentlefish]

Oh by the way , I started off into the hobby with water from the water store. (Don’t tell anybody) They had a TDS meter to borrow/sale and your LFS would also have one to confirm. Your LFS would also be happy to confirm your salinity.

 

[jack.mid]

Oh by the way , I started off into the hobby with water from the water store. (Don’t tell anybody) They had a TDS meter to borrow/sale and your LFS would also have one to confirm. Your LFS would also be happy to confirm your salinity.

Unfortunately, there are no water stores where I live so if I get distilled water it's going to be from somewhere like Walmart. I called the LFS and told them my concerns and they said that they will look into their RO/DI system and let me know if they think anything is off.

I know my salinity and it's pretty high so that's why I need to get some freshwater today. I think I'm just going to end up going to Petco and getting that 2.5-gallon jug of water I linked earlier.

 

[TriggerFinger]

I doubt the smell is chlorine. Normal chlorinated tap water doesn't smell.

I can definitely smell (what I think is) chlorine in my tap water during the majority of the summer, specifically in the shower with hot water and in the kitchen when I’m running hot water for dishes. You said “normal chlorinated” water doesn’t have a smell; am I smelling something else or does my city just over-chlorinate? I know they use chloramines also; could that be giving off the chlorine smell?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I can definitely smell (what I think is) chlorine in my tap water during the majority of the summer, specifically in the shower with hot water and in the kitchen when I’m running hot water for dishes. You said “normal chlorinated” water doesn’t have a smell; am I smelling something else or does my city just over-chlorinate? I know they use chloramines also; could that be giving off the chlorine smell?

Here's a discussion of tap water and why one may sometimes smell chorine in it:

Why Does My Water Smell Like Chlorine?

It’s important to identify the reasons why your water is emitting a noticeable chlorine odor so that you can fix the issue.

www.waterlogic.com

 

[AnotherReefHobbyist]

mmm the only way you can smell chlorine in water is if it has urine in it. That would be a little bit of a problem. If you don't believe me go watch mark roberts ( youtube ) video about pools and urine.

Edit: chlorine has a faint smell, but if it smells strongly thats where urine comes in.

 

[lapin]

I have found chlorinated water like my swiming pool will not smell at normal levels. Now a hot tub with bromide tablets will smell terrible.
It could have been your container. Was it yours or ????

 

[jack.mid]

I have found chlorinated water like my swiming pool will not smell at normal levels. Now a hot tub with bromide tablets will smell terrible.
It could have been your container. Was it yours or ????

Yes, the container is mine, and yes it smells very strong just like bromide tablets. I think it's the container and not the water because I poured the water out into a glass and it doesn't smell at all. I have absolutely no idea why this container would smell so much like chlorine it's only ever been used for RO/DI water.

 

[jack.mid]

mmm the only way you can smell chlorine in water is if it has urine in it. That would be a little bit of a problem. If you don't believe me go watch mark roberts ( youtube ) video about pools and urine.

Edit: chlorine has a faint smell, but if it smells strongly thats where urine comes in.

something tells me I probably would have lost a bit more livestock than a few hermits if there was urine in my RO

 

[rmurken]

mmm the only way you can smell chlorine in water is if it has urine in it. That would be a little bit of a problem. If you don't believe me go watch mark roberts ( youtube ) video about pools and urine.

Edit: chlorine has a faint smell, but if it smells strongly thats where urine comes in.

I think the urine would react with the chlorine to produce chloramines, which have a stronger bleach odor than free chlorine. So doesn’t have to be urine although in a pool, that could be a real concerns.