Tank update and refuge/RO question

[AngieW]

Some of you may remember that I've been struggling with my nitrates being quite high since I acquired the tank last month. I've also had some problems with brown algae bloom in the tank.

I went on vacation last week and was a little concerned about what the state of the tank would be when I returned, but I'm happy to report that it seems the nitrates are slowly (but surely) coming down. The brown algae is still present, but snails and hermit crabs, emerald crab, are working furiously to combat that. I also received the two Korealis 3 pumps that I'd ordered and installed those. I can tell a difference after running them for only three days, how much the improved flow is making a difference!

Now I've noticed that the algae in my refugium has suddenly started growing like nobody's business and I'm wondering what the heck I should do with it? I'm not sure what kind of algae it is, it gathers at the top of the water, in a "tangled" bunch and it has little green bubbles that grow on it. Any ideas?

Does anyone have an opinion on a certain type of algae I should stock in my refugium, or anything I should avoid? (my research seems to indicate avoiding caulerpa).

Also, I've been having issues getting distilled water to do water changes with (I can't believe there's still a shortage of distilled water in my town) and I am going to purchase an RO system this week. But I don't really know what to look for in an RO system. Help?

Next, now that my nitrates are coming down, I'm soon going to have stocking questions. I know, I know. You're getting all tingly just thinking about it

 

[rockethippo]

It could possibly be chaeto, which is a very good thing, but am not sure. Could you get a picture? What lighting do you have in your fuge? How big is your fuge?

 

[fsn77]

The most common refugium macro algae is chaetomorpha (aka spaghetti macro or brillo pad macro). I have that and blade caulerpa both growing in my refugium and haven't had problems with either.

Once the macro grows to a size that you consider too large, you can simply prune it back. The part that you take out can be passed on to someone that needs macro, some LFS will give a small amount of credit for it, or it can be fed to algae eating fish in your tank (if you have any). Chaetomorpha is not as readily consumed by algae eating fish as the other macros, so it's likely that if you don't have someone to give it to, you'll just end up throwing a handful or two of it away each time you prune.

There's many different RO filters out there... Basically, it is best to choose a unit that is rated at less than 100 gallons per day, as once the 100 gpd level is reached, the rejection rate (the percentage of total dissolved solids, TDS, removed from the source water) goes down. The most commonly found, high efficiency RO membrane are DOW Filmtec membranes. A RO or RO/DI unit with that brand of membrane tends to be of good quality. It's typically recommended to get one rated for 75 gpd, since you can still get a good production rate to go along with the higher rejection rate. The thing to realize about RO or RO/DI unit ratings is that those ratings are for ideal conditions that are not necessarily the norm in most households (output is heavily dependant on source water temperature and pressure).

 

[AngieW]

100 gal RO/DI

100 gal #2

Reef Master RO




75 gallon
Can anyone give an opinion on any of the RO/DI systems I linked to above? I'm really not sure what the heck it is I'm looking for!

Could you get a picture? What lighting do you have in your fuge? How big is your fuge?

I can get a picture! I'll work on that this afternoon. The fuge is 29 gallons, I think (on a 75 gallon tank). I'm not sure about the lighting. It's one light that sits on the tank. I don't know what it is, unfortunately

 

[fsn77]

If I were purchasing a new unit, I would avoid all of those units. Here's why... (each statement applies to one or all of the units linked to)
1) Horizontal DI resin cartridges -- the horizontal DI cartridges hold less resin than the 10" vertical DI cartridges, meaning that you'd have to replace / refill it more often.
2) Too few stages prior to RO membrane -- RO membranes are the most expensive and most sensitive individual part of any RO or RO/DI filtration system. Many types of RO membranes are sensitive to chlorine (in that chlorine can permenantly damage the RO membrane). While any and all chlorine might be removed by a single carbon pre-filter cartridge, the redundancy of having two carbon pre-filter cartridges prior to the RO membrane means there's less likely of a chance of chlorine reaching the RO membrane. Having two also increases the potential for dissolved organics removal.
3) At least one of the units does not include an auto-shutoff valve -- But, it is available for an added fee. This makes that / those unit(s) much less of a value, since an auto-shutoff valve is a pretty useful part to have, unless you plan on relying on yourself to always turn off in the incoming water source and making sure there's still water in the unit itself (the unit should remain wet inside between uses).

There are many places to purchase RO/DI units, but I know people that have units from the following site and I purchase all my replacement cartridges from them. They are very nice guys and really know what they are doing. They can also be helpful in choosing an appropriate system if you have specific questions.
http://www.thefilterguys.biz/ro_di_systems.htm
The 3rd unit down ($160) is a basic version of what would be considered a pretty standard unit with the included features one should look for. The 4th unit down ($199) has many bells and whistles that are nice to have, but not entirely necessary.

This does not mean the units on eBay are junk... they are just what I would consider less than ideal considering the amount of money invested into a sw tank just to get it running. IMO, the last thing to skimp on is water quality, considering how sensitive many marine creatures are and how expensive they can be.

Yes, people are sucessful using the eBay RO/DI units, but everyone's tap water is different. That said, a unit with a low initial cost may prove to have a higher operating cost if the source water is poor and one or more components is not up to the task (i.e. lower RO membrane rejection rate leading to DI resin being used up more quickly). However, it could just as easily have a low operating cost if the source water is of good quality. Taking this into consideration, it would be a good idea to have your tap water tested before making a final decision on which unit is right for you. Many places will test it for free, while others charge a small fee.

 

[AngieW]

Thank you, that's good to know. I'll take a look at the site you provided and go from there. I appreciate your response!