secret to no algae on sand bed

[heliguy71]

going to be getting a add on d/i unit and tds meter from bulk reef supply.they told me the inline tds meter is more accurate then the hand held model

 

[jlinzmaier]

going to be getting a add on d/i unit and tds meter from bulk reef supply.they told me the inline tds meter is more accurate then the hand held model

OMG!! Did Ryan or Andrew tell you that?? I'm sure if you get a $4 hand held and compare it to an in-line then yes that's correct, but in all other situations a hand held will be much more accurate.

Let me give an example. I have a five stage RO/DI unit. I have two inline monitors measuring inlet and outlet (total of 4 spots measured). I have one on the first inlet, one directly after the RO cartridge, another after the first DI cartridge, and the last after the last DI cartridge (finished water).

#1 (in-line from the tap) was reading 153.
#2 (after RO membrane) was reading 2
#3 (after first DI) was reading 3
#4 (after second DI was reading 0

That tells me that my first DI cartridge was exhausted and actually leaching contaminants back into the water which the second DI was pulling out.

I double checked everything with my hand held (COM 100)

Line #1 (inlet from tap) read 175
Line #2 (after RO membrane) read 3.3
Line #3 (after first DI) read 7.1
Line #4 (after second DI - finished water) was reading 2.2

The in-line meters confirmed that my first DI cartridge was exhausted, but more importantly it told me my finished water was at 2.2 PPM- not good!!!

After changing the first DI cartridge was changed, the finished water went down to 0.3 PPM. That means that now the first DI is working well and the second is picking up nearly every last bit. 2.2 PPM vs 0.3 PPM can be a huge difference depending on what nutrients are leaching through.

Not only is my com 100 more precise (reads down to one tenth of a PPM TDS) it is also more accurate because I can confirm it's readings with a precise calibration solution.

There may be some crappy hand held TDS meters out there but if you do even the slightest bit of research you'll quickly realize that the com-100 is a far better choice than an inline.

Glad to see your looking into a DI!

Jeremy

 

[heliguy71]

why is it everytime i get advice from vendors you seem to think its not good enough or your items are better.brandon at bulk reef supply told me the hand held meters are not as accurate as a inline.and fosters and smith also.these companys have been around for awhile so i think they know what they are talking about.so you are saying brandon at bulk reef is giving me false info.

Pretty accurate, it's usually the handheld ones that are perceived as inaccurate. With the handheld ones you need to have a perfectly clean vessel holding the water you plan to check or you are not going to get an accurate reading, which is really hard to do. It is extremely hard to get a tds reading of 0 with a handheld one because of contaminants in the water.

Brandon
Bulk Reef Supply

 

[jlinzmaier]

Look at the numbers I posted. It tells the whole story. The confirmation of accuracy is confirmed with the use of a control solution. There is no calibration capability for an in-line, Nor can you confirm the accuracy with a control solution. Just look at the numbers I posted and see. It's black and white.

I'm sure there are inaccurate hand helds but the com 100 is far superior to an inline.

Obviously you simply don't like the facts I point out so I won't bother giving you advice. Waste your money on whatever crap you want. Do whatever you think is best to manage your algae. If your not willing to accept advice from experienced reefers who've been there and done that then don't post questions.

You think I like spending my time answering your newbie questions? It's the same crap over and over again and I always link to a dozen different articles to prove the points I'm trying to emphasize. I'm trying to save you time and money, but I'm done now. Do whatever you want for all I care. I was just trying to help.

Pretty accurate, it's usually the handheld ones that are perceived as inaccurate. With the handheld ones you need to have a perfectly clean vessel holding the water you plan to check or you are not going to get an accurate reading, which is really hard to do. It is extremely hard to get a tds reading of 0 with a handheld one because of contaminants in the water.

Brandon
Bulk Reef Supply

That is a rediculous bunch of crap. I'll talk with Brandon and post back just to prove my point then I'm done. Maybe if your an idiot your might not be able to get a clean vessel that won't alter the reading (Gosh rinsing a clean cup with RO water sure is tough). A com 100 can read down to one tenth of a point. That is ten times more precise than an-inline and accuracy is confirmed with a control solution. There is no way to confirm accuracy with an in-line.

Jeremy

 

[heliguy71]

i will pass that on to brandon at bulk reef supply also.

thanks mike

 

[nkelr]

just out of curiousity what is the point of having an in line tds if they are that inaccurate. dont get your panties in a bunch jeremy we all appreciate your help and indepth knowledge. i know i still read all those articles you linked me to and learn something from them everytime and they have really helped me in getting my tank on the right track. just wanted to say thanks

 

[customcolor]

calm down guys....


i would say only like 1% of people in this hobby that use a tds meter that is that right on....hech i use a in line and it has treated me well...i know when the di is going and thats the main thing i need to know....i know the ocean has like only trace amounts of tds in its water but it is so hard to get our glass cages that low with out spending a ton on water filtering......including the meter.....

look at it this way....at least he is getting one now that is hobby grade and a di chamber...it will help alot and thats what heli needed

 

[Fishcrazy06]

Alright everyone lets all calm down here!!! Heli I know Jeremy and its hard to read into the person he is by just reading. He is trying to help you out. He is very opinionated and has his reasons and 9 out of 10 times the literature to back himself up. I know he meant no disrespect its just his personality.

Now I do have to agree with Dave on this one Jeremy! Inline is better than none. DI is better than none. As what Dave said too how many individuals in the hobby use just the inline? Numerous. We all agree he needed to get the TDS and the DI to help himself out and he did.

So lets all settle down and get back on track....

Thank you this has been a recording!!! BACK TO REEFING!!!!!

A GROUP HUG!!!

 

[jlinzmaier]

just out of curiousity what is the point of having an in line tds if they are that inaccurate.

It's not that the in-line meters are bad or "extremely" inaccurate. I was merely trying to suggest a more accurate and precise meter. The claim that an inline is more accurate than hand helds is a very broad claim (and true for most very cheap hand held monitors). I was recommending a specific meter which really is more accurate and is more precise. I was just trying to help.

My apologies Heli if I offended you. I've wasted a lot of money and time on poor equipment in this hobby and until I spent some time doing research the money continued to get spent on less than ideal equipment (I've got a basement full of old crappy skimmers, pumps, test kits, control solutions, lights, etc....) In hindsight I really wish I had someone to better guide my choices so I wouldn't have wasted so much money. Now I do thorough research and look for input from more experienced reefers when I'm buying equipment. That in turn has taught me a lot about equipment and I then try to extend my knowledge to help others. A TDS meter is a good example because if your using a more accurate meter then you get a clearer indication of the life of your DI cartidges. That in turn is better for the tank and better for the wallet.

Good luck in your endeavors with the algae battle.

Jeremy

 

[heliguy71]

thanks guys no problem.i did get the dual inline tds meter and d/i add on.we will see what happens.

thanks everyone no hard feelings:wink:

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

mexican turbo, sand sifting goby, sand sifting starfish, 4" sand bed, almost 3 year old sand bed also...thats what i got...plus good flow

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