RO Top Up Water was 0 tds now it’s 2?

[cpalminteri]

Any reason why the tds would change over the course of a few days? My corals haven’t been happy lately and I’m trying to figure out why. Last week I checked my pop up waters tds and it was high even though I have a ro. I thought maybe the filter was going so I proud brand new water from it and the tds was 0 so I used that. Today I checked and it’s up to 2…

 

[DanyL]

Do you mean the RODI water you already produced and verified to be 0 TDS became 2 TDS after sitting for awhile in a container?

If this is the case, its completely fine.
RODI will try as hard as it possibly can to pull elements from whatever container it is within, and even the slightest amount of dust will be dissolved and be detected later on.
Just make sure you keep your water in a safe and (mostly) sealed container made of either plastic or glass and you'll be fine.

 

[homer1475]

RO/DI is like a sponge even picking up dust in the air.

2TDS is probably just from dust in the air. One reason we should be keeping a tight cap on it.

In my mixing station I use Brute trash cans with not so air tight lids. My RO/DI will go up as far as 10 just from sitting without an air tight lid.

If your having issues with coral, it is not from the 2 TDS you see in your RO/DI if it was initially 0 when made.

 

[Dburr1014]

Any reason why the tds would change over the course of a few days? My corals haven’t been happy lately and I’m trying to figure out why. Last week I checked my pop up waters tds and it was high even though I have a ro. I thought maybe the filter was going so I proud brand new water from it and the tds was 0 so I used that. Today I checked and it’s up to 2…

So, what kind of problems are you seeing?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

FWIW, even CO2 from the air can raise TDS a little bit.

 

[cpalminteri]

So my Nitrates went from 4 to 100 in one week . Working on getting it down now. Probably why my corals are so ticked. Besides water changes any other way to bring nitrates down quickly?

 

[cpalminteri]

FWIW, even CO2 from the air can raise TDS a little bit.

This makes sense, thank you

 

[Idech]

So my Nitrates went from 4 to 100 in one week . Working on getting it down now. Probably why my corals are so ticked. Besides water changes any other way to bring nitrates down quickly?

What happened to make them increase that much ? Did you accidentally spill food in the tank ?

 

[DanyL]

So my Nitrates went from 4 to 100 in one week . Working on getting it down now. Probably why my corals are so ticked. Besides water changes any other way to bring nitrates down quickly?

You can adjust your skimmer for wet skimming and introduce a carbon source.

A carbon source can be either a commercial solution like NoPox or a DIY vodka/vinigar/RODI mix (look it up, there's plenty of information about it on the forums).
Biopellets is an option too, but more suitable for a long term usage, and requires a break-in period with a special reactor.

You do need to take into account that by introducing a carbon source you'll also slightly affect your PO4 levels, so you'll need to watch them both.

Also - you want to do it slowly, or else you'll stress your corals.
Take your time here, do it over 2 to 3 weeks.

 

[cpalminteri]

What happened to make them increase that much ? Did you accidentally spill food in the tank ?

Tank is a little overstocked and I probably overfeed. I overcompensate with the filters to make up for it until I upgrade my tank in October when I move. Currently 55 gal w 407 canister as well as a Todal HOB both rated for 75 gal. I think one of my hermit crabs killed my conch but I can’t imagine that would cause it to shoot up. I also slight moved a rock over a bit l but again l, doubt it would raise it that much. Might just be the canister filter I’ve heard they’re a nitrate magnet. I completely cleaned it yesterday and did a 10 gal water change. Guess I’ll keep changing the water to see if it moves down. Might have to get a skimmer as well

 

[Idech]

Tank is a little overstocked and I probably overfeed. I overcompensate with the filters to make up for it until I upgrade my tank in October when I move. Currently 55 gal w 407 canister as well as a Todal HOB both rated for 75 gal. I think one of my hermit crabs killed my conch but I can’t imagine that would cause it to shoot up. I also slight moved a rock over a bit l but again l, doubt it would raise it that much. Might just be the canister filter I’ve heard they’re a nitrate magnet. I completely cleaned it yesterday and did a 10 gal water change. Guess I’ll keep changing the water to see if it moves down. Might have to get a skimmer as well

Okay, I see. Canister filters do not remove nitrates. You will have less if you clean it often, but it doesn’t remove any.

Skimmers do. I don’t have a sump and I use a Tunze internal filter with a Tunze 9012 DC skimmer. Really good combo and filter takes 3 seconds to change the filter floss.

Fluval 407 is a good canister filter (I have used one in my freshwater tank) but even though it’s easy enough to maintain and clean, it takes at least 15 minutes (probably 20-30) and it makes a mess. I wouldn’t use it on my reef tank.