LFS RO/DI... is it really??

[bobc]

I have been purchasing my RO water from my LFS for over a year now. I have had continual problems with diatoms and different algae the entire time. Last week I finally installed my own RO/DI from Aqua FX, and could not be more delighted with the results. As part of a sale when I purchased the equipment, I received a TDS meter. My tap water tested 133 for TDS, and my RO/DI tested "0".

On a lark, I went to the LFS and asked for a sample of the water I've been buying. Well, their RO water tested 133 TDS. Imagine that? All other paramters test fine.

I'm wondering if total dissolved solids could be the cause of my algae problems? What do you think?

Bob

[hamburglar]

Probably was the problem. What were you paying for your tap water from the LFS ?

[Alice]

Hey Bob;

So was the "filtering equipment" back out of sight? Just for fun, you might want to ask them if they can show you how to change one out or something by using theirs as an example. That way you can see if it's actually there, if there's filter media in it if it is, and what kind of condition the media is in...assuming it exists, that is.

~Alice

[bobc]

LFS Declined my request to see their water treatment equipment. As for the cost of their tap water... it was too much.
I no longer do business with them.

I had almost the same experience with a LFS here in New York. The store was sellinf R/O water for $1.75 a gallon. At first thought being the lazy ******* I tend to be I tought that was a cool deal.Then after one purchase of 15 gallons I add it to a friend of mines tank 46 and noticed some of the corals had a instant reaction to this new water. Plate coral retacted, xenia went into shock and moon brian shrunk. I did a test on the water nitrates were at a never seen be4 25ppm. From the inseption of the tank to now the tank never hit 10 ppm Nitrates ( excluding when it was cycling.After going back to him and asking to see this so called R/O unit He led me to some dark closet room in the back of the store connect to a rusted old 30's style basin with god knows how many make shift canisters attched to it. Turns out he designed the R/O and the design just plain sucks very poor layout canister dripping into holding tanks( which then get recycled threw a Magnum canister filter) Hey nothing goes to waste he tells me. Water even dirty was being forced out of this sytem with no monitering he could not directly tell if the cartridge needed to be replaced.I say one thing to fellow reef guys If a store is unwelling to show you any of there equipment move on go somewhere else. It is unfair to claim that ur store can run a sps tank with just a wet dry skimmer and some chemical add when u have a calc reactor in the back room which I have run into too here locally. I mean come on. I avoid mail order because of the notion that LFS are better all round but with store practice coming out in the open it leaves me the debate of risking mail order.
Just a thought

[bill-e]

Just for reference, my tap water is 22, and 0 with the AquaFX Baracuda