The Puffer Forum

what is the best water? DO RI Distilled

PufferLover999 wrote:what is the best water? DO RI Distilled

I got 6, 5 gallon buckets and found a water store that sold their RO water at .14 cents a gallon. That's how I got my SW tank started.

I use distilled for mine but with RO/DI you are stripping the water of EVERYTHING. You will have to rebuild it to get the correct balance of nutrients.

BUT you are much less likely having an algae problem with RO/DI or distilled vs tap.

Will my dad can get as much as i need all i have to do is mix it.

of RO/DI?

or distilled? Either way.. go for it!

there is really no difference

Aren't your puffers F8s? I would use tap water for them & the cheapest marine salt you can find.

No I am going to start a saltwater tank but not for awhile, busy with school.

things can change pretty quickly is a short amount of time (trust me on that one).

RO/DI is your best bet if you are getting it for free. And Free is always good.

BTW.. distilled and RO/DI are different, it is a different process in the purification.

DW is distilled water, condensed from stream. Its purity depends on the equipment used and the process followed. It is unlikely to have the purity of high-rejection RODI water.

RO is reverse osmosis water. Its purity depends on the mineral content of the input water, the rejection rate, and the membranes used, and how well they are maintained.

DI is deionized water, passed through cation and anion exchange resins. Its purity is dependent on the purity of the input water and the type and quality of the resins used. Salt exchange resins are not really good for this hobby. Acid/base resins are the preferred type.

Light brackish water should be made from tap water, to provide the wide variety of ions normally present. BW at and above mid-range can use RO or RODI water. SW, for me, should use RO at least, and RODI if any inverts or delicate fish are to be kept. Reefs should always be RODI based. RODI is not always the same quality. It varies with the care and quality of the water processing. The highest purity water commonly available ( and very expensive) is WFI (water for injection) and it is not generally used in this hobby due to the extreme cost.

RODI is always acidic, due to dissolved CO2 from air contact. High purity and extra high purity water should be stored in safe plastics not common glass, as the extra or ultra high purity water will etch or dissolve most glass.

HTH