Rgwiz11 Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 Kind of a really weird question, but I'm completely new to this whole saltwater hobby, so here it goes. I got my tank last night and my roommate and I spent the good part of 3 hours cleaning it out and making sure we were ready to go when we start the filling, and cycling process. I don't want to use tap water when we fill it, as I've seen that it creates quite a bit of brown algae and just adds more unnecessary time to the cycling process. However, I'm worried about how I'm going to get 75g of RO/DI water to my tank. I'm just very unfamiliar with how to get the water from a supplier. Do I have to provide my own buckets, or will they provide them for me? If I'm providing them, any suggestions on how to keep them from sloshing around during transport? Eventually, I hope to get my own RO/DI unit, but that won't be until later down the road. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zarathustra2 Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 Most of us use these 5 gallon jugs you can get at your local fish store. That being said. For a 75 Gallon tank you are already looking at recouping the loss by the time your first fish goes in the tank. I'm assuming a 25G sump here 4 x 5g jugs - 24$ 20G per trip = 5 Trips back and forth to the LFS --- say 20$ in gas 100G ro water is 25-50$ Don't forget that you will be swapping out your water pretty regularly through the cycle. Say 25% every week for 2 months = 200G of water during the cycle. So you will easily pay for a $75-100 RO/DI by the time your first fish gets in the tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mFrame Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 So what I did last week.... Invested in a 55gallon plastic barrel (food grade quality). I have (9)5g containers (some buckets with lids, several water bottles). Placed the barrel in the living room temporarily. Filled all 9 containers at the store, came home and dumped them in the barrel. Went and refilled them. Put a Mag 9.5 pump with 40' of hose into the barrel, the other end into the tank. Plug the pump in. As the barrel emptied I would pour another 5g container into it. Salt was put in the sump before it started so the overflow would pick up the salt and pump it back through the return. I'm sure there are a million ways to do it, but without RO your going to need containers, I don't know of stores that loan them, but your local fish club members might. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rgwiz11 Posted September 28, 2009 Author Share Posted September 28, 2009 Ya, my question was more of the transportation aspect than benefits of RO/DI. I know in the long run the RO/DI system would pay for itself. I just didn't want to show up to a store and ask for water and then find out I had to bring my own containers for it. As I said, I plan on getting a RO/DI unit eventually. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rgwiz11 Posted September 28, 2009 Author Share Posted September 28, 2009 Thanks Mike, I have some containers on hand that haven't been used yet, just wasn't sure if I should be bringing them with me or if it came sold in containers already. Thanks for the info I may have to convince my roommate to put together the setup you are talking about. Seems like an easier way of mixing the salt in than doing everything by hand. We'll see how it goes though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gonzobob Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 Sadly, mixing in the tank usually only works the first time:) After that I throw a spare pump in a container, add RO then salt. Then I let sit (with the pump on) for a day or so before I add to the tank. This way the water's nice and clear and the ph has settled. (In reality most days I have 10-15 gallons mixed and ready just sitting and waiting for a water change. I find this helps me as I'm more of an impulse water changer then is really good) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caferacermike Posted September 29, 2009 Share Posted September 29, 2009 Get ahold of Prof. Last I knew he ordered a bunch of RO/DI stuff to fix up all the spare units he has acquired. I'll bet you can get one cheaper than you expect from him, and ready to go with new filters. He might even loan you a barrel to store the water in while it is being made up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zarathustra2 Posted September 29, 2009 Share Posted September 29, 2009 I understand that it wasn't a strict answer to your question. I think I was just letting you know that the right time to get the RO is in the initial fill up as it will pay for itself in just that time. Yes, you will need to bring in your own jug for a fillup at the local fish store. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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