?s about making and storing RODI water

[Dtilton]

Hi all- I have 3 -32g rubbermaid barrels on wheels that we use for making RODI, saltwater,and one for waste/transfer. Now that I'm getting ready to stock the tank and we're going to have some RODI and salt water on hand, what the best way to store it? We've been making it and aging a day or so with an MJ1200 with the air intake hose installed so we're aerating the water, and a Visitherm sitting in a mason jar on the bottom of the barrel (a little more protection against melt-through!) to keep it warm. After the initial mixing and aeration, do I need to keep it warm and aerated until I use it? Can I cover it and store it without the heat or aeration? And during the initial warming and aerating, should I leave the cover off the barrels or keep them covered? What do you guys all do?? Thanks! -Danny

 

[Dtilton]

So no one here makes their own water? Everyone buys at the LFS??

 

[APISTOBORELLI]

I have 2 15 gallon barrels I use to store water. I mix in 5 gallon buckets usually 3 at a time. I run a powerhead and heater in each bucket until mixed.

 

[S Hunter]

watch those wheels... i have a 30gal food grade barrel that i keep full of RO water all the time, i mix the salt in two days before I'm going to do a water change, i put a powerhead and heater in when i put in the salt.

 

[Miller]

I have a powerhead and heater in mine from the time I mix the salt in till it goes in during a water change.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I have 3 88-gallon reservoirs (1 for RO/DI, one for limewater, and one for new salt water (Instant Ocean)). They are each 2x44 gallon Brute trash cans plumbed together. I do not mix, aerate or heat any of them, aside from mixing the limewater and salt water when they are first made up. They are fine for weeks just sitting there.

The same is not true of storing natural seawater or used tank water, and possibly soem salt mixes with alot of added organics like vuitamins.

 

[Dtilton]

Randy- If you don't mind me asking, what are the benefits of plumbing the barrels together? So mix it up,warm it and aerate for a few days, then cover it until ready to use. I like that plan! Shunter- the wheels are really good because we make water in the basement. So we drain water out through a hole in the floor (old heat vent that the tank now covers- also plumbing access for basement sump) through a short hose into a barrel,then pump water up from the basement using an eheim 1262 pump. Works great! When the barrels are sitting, we keep them bungie corded to a rack on the wall so there's no rolling......

 

[lyvewire]

kind of on the same subject, i picked up a couple of used 30 gal plastic soda containers. What can you use to clean the insides with?

 

[Salty Dog]

I have a two 60 gallon tanks in the basement near the RO/DI. One of them has a spigot on the bottom (raised platform) that I use to fill five gallon barrels for water changes. I leave mixed salt water in there sometimes for months at a time.

I PLAN to make the other one an RO/DI container, and when I've emptied the mixed salt container, just transfer the water there and mix up a new batch. I'll also hook up an ATO system to it, which will be connected to m y new larger tank, etc, etc....

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Randy- If you don't mind me asking, what are the benefits of plumbing the barrels together? So mix it up,warm it and aerate for a few days, then cover it until ready to use.

i never warm mine. I change 1% of the tank water daily, very slowly, automatically, so there is no need for it to be warmed.

The 2 x 44 gallon set up just doubles the storage and hence halves the amount of time I have to spend making new batches of stuff.

I have powerheads that send water from the RO/DI to each of the other two, and Reef Filler pumps that send the limewater and water change water to the tank. No buckets or siphons.

 

[bluehd60]

i dont know if this is a stupid question, but what is the limewater for?

 

[Miller]

i never warm mine. I change 1% of the tank water daily, very slowly, automatically, so there is no need for it to be warmed.

I have powerheads that send water from the RO/DI to each of the other two, and Reef Filler pumps that send the limewater and water change water to the tank. No buckets or siphons.

Automatic 1% water change done daily....man that makes my reef tank seem like it is operated by a caveman.

 

[lt706]

Water

Dan I have a 30 gal rubber maid elevated off of the floor with a spiket to fill 5 gal buckets the ro unit is plumbed into the barrel for continuous top off. I run an air stone in this barrel because over time it seemed to get a nasty smell to it but since Ive added the air stone no smell. I make 30 gals of salt mixed in another 30 gal barrel with a heater and a power head that has a hose connected to it so I can take the hose out of the barrel to fill a 5 gal bucket for water changes hope this helps. Tom

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

i dont know if this is a stupid question, but what is the limewater for?

Limewater supplies an appropriately balanced ratio of calcium and alkalinity in the top off water. I discuss it here:

What Your Grandmother Never Told You About Lime
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-01/rhf/index.htm