Ro/di And Ph

[LineDropper]

Hello all,

I finally picked up an RO/DI unit. Based on my LFS' recommendation, I went with an Air Water & ICE unit (75 gpd) - [URL="http/www.airwaterice.com/product/1TYPHOONIII/TYPHOON_III_AQUARIUM_RO_DI_75_or_100_GPD.html"]http/www.airwaterice.com/product/1TYPHOO...or_100_GPD.html[/URL]

I read that the DI part will reduce the PH and it sure did. My tap water is 8.2 and it gets in the low 7's after going through my unit. Before I risk my livestock, I wanted to confirm the advice I got from my LFS. My LFS has informed me that I can add the RO/DI water without any additional treatment and that when it is mixed with salt and goes in my tank, the Ph will rise back up. Any comments?

 

[Musho3210]

yep, they are right, the RO water shouldnt have any buffers, so it has a very unstable pH level, when it gets mixed with marine salt (make sure its a specially formulated marine salt) the salt contains all the nessicary buffers and stuff and the pH goes to the proper level. Also, dont worry when you use pure RO water for topping off water lost from evaporation, since the water should have no or very little acids it wont lower your tanks pH by much.

 

[SkiFletch]

Excellent advice from Musho. Above all, make sure you test your RO output for TDS, it should be low (1-4ppm). That lets you know its functioning. And make sure you follow the flushing instructions.