# RO water from BA



## matt87 (Apr 20, 2013)

is anyone else using ro water from big als, ive been using it since i started my tank about a month ago, i tested the water before adding it to my tank yesterday and the TDS were 182. i was under the impression RO water was supposed to be in the 20-30 TDS range.
I also think this is why im having an algea problem.


----------



## tom g (Jul 8, 2009)

*ro water*

when i chk my water after if goes thru ro/di i get 0 
what are u using to test the system i would go back and chk with your meter 
your numbers dont seem right if that is what u are getting .
cheers


----------



## matt87 (Apr 20, 2013)

im using a liquatec TDS meter


----------



## tom g (Jul 8, 2009)

*water*

maybe get a few more responses on what everyone is getting out of there ro unit 
then go back and get your money back for all the water u havae been buying from them .............


----------



## fesso clown (Nov 15, 2011)

Should be 0

Either you TDS meter is broken or you are being ripped off.


----------



## aln (Jan 26, 2010)

Will be keep an eye on this thread, im also using big als ro/di water that maybe y im getting algae problems too


----------



## noy (Nov 19, 2012)

Should be 0 to <10. I have a in/out tds meter and 180 is almost what I get in terms of tap water readings. try testing your tap water to see what readings you get.


----------



## matt87 (Apr 20, 2013)

my tap water is about 280,
i went to big als today and asked the guy about it and he said they dont test the ro water that they sell and hes not sure what the normal reading should be.
So im not sure where im going to get water for my top ups now, maybe ill have to bite the bullet and by an ro/di unit


----------



## tom g (Jul 8, 2009)

*water*

well first of all i would demand my money back from big als on all my ro purchases ,
u can try to locate a local water source that sell ro water and equipment .
try googling a local ro supply store in your area .


----------



## Jmbret (Nov 6, 2010)

*hi*

did the vessel that you are using to transport the water ever have salt in it?


----------



## ReefABCs (Nov 10, 2012)

tom g said:


> well first of all i would demand my money back from big als on all my ro purchases ,
> u can try to locate a local water source that sell ro water and equipment .
> try googling a local ro supply store in your area .


I would agree and this is a good idea. I wanted to check myself. A quick google cedar springs bottle water comes up and they deliver. Having your own RO water supply is much more convenient though.

http://www.cedarspringswater.ca/traditional.php


----------



## aquatic_expressions (Mar 17, 2006)

If your TDS is not malfunctioning then that can be your answer to your algae problem, but remember there are other factors such as old bulbs, over feeding, lack of chemical filtration, poor skimmer, ambient light, etc...

Remove the food source and causes and in turn you should be able to control your algae!

I have used BA R/O water prior to getting my own R/O DI unit and my reading was always between 0-5 on my tds... I have never had a problem with there water but every franchise/store maybe different on when they change their cartridges. I would recommend going to the store with the TDS meter and testing a fresh sample in front of them before making any demands... however the most sure fire way is get your own R/O DI unit as you will know what you are making and when you need to change your cartridges.


----------



## matt87 (Apr 20, 2013)

i was thinking of getting this unit in the near future. any advice?
http://www.aquasafecanada.com/store/aquarium-ro-di-systems/aquarium-pro-dual-ro-di-system


----------



## altcharacter (Jan 10, 2011)

That unit is for drinking water. It's the same type of unit but the problem is you have to store the reservoir somewhere or get rid of it all together.

Just go with something like this
http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-5-stage-ro-di-system-75gpd.html

You can also find units off Ebay for around $100 that do the same job, but might not be as good....I don't know...you would have to ask people that have a unit but there are a few people on the forums that have them.


----------



## getochkn (Jul 10, 2011)

I've gotten several jugs of "RO" water from BA's that were either tap water (190 TDS), waste water (800 TDS), and even salt water (Really made my TDS meter go wacky reading this one) once. I've switched to refilling at Canadian tire as I was literally about 3 seconds from dumping the salt water into my SSS Crystal red shrimp tank, and I woulda been might sore to loose $500 in shrimp because someone can't tell two different nozzles apart. Canadian tire RO water is usually, for me, 0-8 TDS.


----------



## Tearran (Oct 4, 2009)

The issue with BA stems from no one checking the filters in there RO unit before usage. They tend to burn through them, and take a while to replace them. It explains why sometimes you can get nice 0-5 ratings than have skyrockets of 180.


----------



## matt87 (Apr 20, 2013)

that makes sense because when i asked the fellow at big als about it he said the filters where changed a few months ago. so maybe they are due to be changed again because of the volume they use


----------

