WATER - Source and NSW

[leebca]

There may be some concern or confusion about the water used in the marine aquarium.

Source water - This is the water used to make up marine water from artificial salts. It is also the name of the water used to replace evaporated water. Evaporated water is pure (dissolved salt and non-volatile organics don't evaporate).

NSW - This is the acronym for natural sea water.

RO/DI - This is the acronym for reverse osmosis and deionized. Both are used together, RO then DI. Some unit sets include a carbon treatment also.

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There is no doubt that the best source water that can be used is distilled water. However, that is expensive on a large scale and, for other than an aquarium under 50 gallons, isn't too attractive.
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The next grade of source water is RO/DI water. It is desirable for most medium to small marine systems, but the RO portion of the treatment does waste water. It may take up to 4 times the water to get 1 part of RO water. Thus, up to 3 parts may be wasted in the sense that it goes down the sewer/drain. Of course this unused water can be plumbed into lawn/plant water or even the water used in the home for washing, food, etc., requiring a storage tank, but this is rarely done and often more water is produced than is used in the home.
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The next grade of source water is DI water. There are a couple of configurations of this treatment. The most common is sending the water through a single resin bed that takes out impurity ions and replaces them with 'safe' or acceptable ions. This is an exchange resin. A resin is specialized to the kinds of ions it will exchange. Another configuration is a double DI bed. One resin bed exchanges one kind of ions and that water then passes through a second resin bed where the other kinds of ions are exchanged. It's a double exchange with each resin exchanging different impurity ions. This water is about the best water quality that the process of de-ionization can produce. This water can come close to RO/DI water quality, but depends on the water being treated. This treatment wastes no water and is most likely pure enough for all marine aquariums. I've seen systems using this water that have sensitive immobile invertebrates in them. But again, this is relative to the water quality being treated.

The above RO/DI treatments of tap water still pose some exposure and risk that contaminants may get through the system that are undesirable for marine livestock. Two primary concerns: It is still worthwhile to verify the total dissolved solids (TDS) left in treated water and to test for ion ingredients, on a regular basis. The TDS of distilled water is 0.0 ppm. Keeping in mind the accuracy and reliability range, a TDS meter may have a range of results and still be reliable in a sense. These meters usually need calibration.

The TDS of RO/DI water should be below 10. ppm -- all dependent upon the membrane and DI system. Rarely does this water make it below 1 ppb. Besides monitoring this feature to verify the RO/DI treatment system is working properly, the aquarist may wish to test for small ions (iron, copper, etc.) in the water to verify these are not finding their way into the aquarium.

A third concern is organic materials. A good RO unit will prevent large dissolved organic molecules from slipping through, but can miss some organic gases. Still it doesn't hurt and is recommended to follow the RO/DI treatment with a chamber of activated carbon to polish any residual (organic gas, and ionic) components.
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The lowest grade of source water is tap water. Even if the aquarist tests that water for impurities commonly monitored in the marine aquarium (e.g., phosphate, nitrites, nitrates, ammonia, silica, iron, etc.) there is no way for all impurities to be tested. Anything can be in the tap water that is not harmful to humans but harmful to marine livestock. There are test kits to test for pesticides and other contaminants (e.g., the Watersafe All-In-One Drinking Water Test kit), but still these tests don't cover the entire range of impurities harmful to marine livestock. Another concern is the wide range of tap water quality from municipalities and different sources (e.g., well water, water table, lakes, etc.). The reader should refer to this reference for more information on tap water concerns: http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/jan2004/chem.htm
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Natural sea water would seem to be the best choice for water changes in the marine aquarium. However, where can it be gotten? Much of the USA coastal areas are polluted. NSW shares a common concern with tap water purity in that the aquarist can't test for everything that might be in the water. There is some minimal exposure to acquiring disease and undesirable organisms through the use of NSW. Regarding disease, you should read this post: NSW and Marine Ich

I've tested (analytical chemical analysis) NSW that was sold as 'not polluted.' I have found petroleum and fuel products in some of them. A rather humorous event was a person who went 25 miles out to sea and collected water in vats. The vat water showed petroleum products that matched those used by the boat. The person literally brought their own pollution to a relatively clean, unpolluted area of the ocean. This points out the need to control how the water is collected even if it is clearly done in a non-polluted part of the ocean/sea. This is not a recommendation to not use NSW. Just a recommendation to be wary of what can go wrong that the average aquarist is unable to verify by home test kits.

Choose your source water and NSW with consideration to the purity you need; the cost; value; the environmental impact (wasted water); and exposure and risks to impurities.

What source water or water do you use for your marine tank water changes? Please post your experience and what you use.

[WillieM96]

I've been buying distilled water for my aquarium. Walmart sells 3 gallons for $1.65. Pretty good, I think- then again, I only have a 50 gallon tank.

[leebca]

That's a good price. When I travel I often don't buy bottled water to drink, I just buy distilled water. It's like 1/3 the price of drinking water.

So how much do you spend on water in a month? per year? You didn't mention the size or frequency of water changes, so I'm not sure what those $ amounts might be.

Thanks for posting, Willie.

[WillieM96]

I do 5 gallon water changes every 1-2 weeks plus about 2 gallons of top off every week. So, ballpark, I'm spending about $3.80 on water every week. I have a DI unit that I'll use occassionally but to me, it's worth the money to not have to deal with it.

[leebca]

I think I'd do it your way, until I get tired of carrying water home from the store.;) Thanks for sharing!

[jackryan]

May I kindly ask if subjecting NSW to both UV and Ozonizer after putting it under prolonged heat exposure (for example putting it in a sealed container inside the back hood of a car under the mid-day sun), and keeping it in storage for a few days without lights would help significantly managed down any other unwanted hitchhikers such as ich, righ?

Thanks in advance...

-JackRyan

[leebca]

The UV treatment will be the most valuable IF the energy of the UV and the flow through the UV (exposure to the UV) is properly controlled.

Still, in general, there is little fear in picking up problematic organisms if the NSW is coming from out at sea. If it is being collected at the shore, pollution is usually more of a concern than unwanted organisms. Still the UV combined with dark, is the conservative approach.

Different organisms have different heat tolerances, so the heating may help reduce problematic organisms, but not guaranteed to kill-off everyone of them.

[Parrothead]

Lee,

I know this is a somewhat elderly thread, but. I live in Jacksonville, and just to the south of where I do 99% of my work is a state park that is totally undeveloped along the atlantic coast. Now this is just a thought regarding NSW, if collected and stored in say a 55 gallon plastic drum and a large(eg:Bait shop type aerator, forgive the spelling if wrong)and circulated 24/7 for a given period not to be less than 7 days. How do you think that would do? Just curious as this thread appears to be an idea type thing.

Thanks,
Robert

[leebca]

Collected water has several down sides and upsides. Only you can decide which prevails.

UPS:
Balanced ingredients
True Marine Water
Could be readily available or near

DOWNS:
Possible pollution (even very small amounts okay for humans)
Micro-organisms or unwanted marine life
Pathogens (bacteria, parasites, etc.)

Aerating any kind of water is not so good. NSW aerated would put gas into the water, making the bacteria and other micro-life thrive, altering the quality of the water. I don't know why you propose 7 days. Is there something special about that number? Pathogens have been known to live on for many weeks.

The probability of pathogens in 'wild water' is very low. Most people don't believe it is a concern at all. What is the greatest concern is pollution. This is most likely from ground run off and includes pesticides, fertilizers, oil, fuel, etc. Small quantities of these will ruin most reef and fish marine systems.

[lynnanne]

There may be some concern or confusion about the water used in the marine aquarium.

Source water - This is the water used to make up marine water from artificial salts.

NSW - This is the acronym for natural sea water.

RO/DI - This is the acronym for reverse osmosis and deionized. Both are used together, usually DI first before the RO.

-----

There is no doubt that the best source water that can be used is distilled water. However, that is expensive on a large scale and, for other than an aquarium under 50 gallons, isn't too attractive.
-------
The next grade of source water is RO/DI water. It is desirable for most medium to small marine systems, but the RO portion of the treatment does waste water. It may take up to 4 times the water to get 1 part of RO water. Thus, up to 3 parts may be wasted in the sense that it goes down the sewer/drain.
-------
The next grade of source water is DI water. There are a couple of configurations of this treatment. The most common is sending the water through a single resin bed that takes out impurity ions and replaces them with 'safe' or acceptable ions. This is an exchange resin. A resin is specialized to the kinds of ions it will exchange. Another configuration is a double DI bed. One resin bed exchanges one kind of ions and that water then passes through a second resin bed where the other kinds of ions are exchanged. It's a double exchange with each resin exchanging different impurity ions. This water is about the best water quality that the process of de-ionization can produce. This water comes close to RO/DI water quality. This treatment wastes no water and is most likely pure enough for all marine aquariums.

The above RO/DI treatments of tap water still pose some exposure and risk that contaminants may get through the system that are undesirable for marine livestock. Two primary concerns: It is still worthwhile to verify the total dissolved solids (TDS) left in treated water and to test for ion ingredients, on a regular basis. The TDS of distilled water is 0.0 ppm. Keeping in mind the accuracy and reliability range, a TDS meter may have a range of results and still be reliable in a sense. These meters usually need calibration.

The TDS of RO/DI water should be below 10. ppm. Rarely does this water make it below 2 ppm, with the average being around 5-6. Besides monitoring this feature to verify the RO/DI treatment system is working properly, the aquarist may wish to test for small ions (iron, copper, etc.) in the water to verify these are not finding their way into the aquarium.

A third concern is organic materials. A good RO unit will prevent large dissolved organic molecules from slipping through, but can miss some organic gases. Still it doesn't hurt and is recommended to follow the RO/DI treatment with a chamber of activated carbon to polish any residual (organic gas, and ionic) components.
--------
The lowest grade of source water is tap water. Even if the aquarist tests that water for impurities commonly monitored in the marine aquarium (e.g., phosphate, nitrites, nitrates, ammonia, silica, iron, etc.) there is no way for all impurities to be tested. Anything can be in the tap water that is not harmful to humans but harmful to marine livestock. There are test kits to test for pesticides and other contaminants (e.g., the Watersafe All-In-One Drinking Water Test kit), but still these tests don't cover the entire range of impurities harmful to marine livestock. Another concern is the wide range of tap water quality from municipalities and different sources (e.g., well water, water table, lakes, etc.). The reader should refer to this reference for more information on tap water concerns: Chemistry and the Aquarium
--------
Natural sea water would seem to be the best choice for water changes in the marine aquarium. However, where can it be gotten? Much of the USA coastal areas are polluted. NSW shares a common concern with tap water purity in that the aquarist can't test for everything that might be in the water. There is some minimal exposure to acquiring disease and undesirable organisms through the use of NSW.

I've tested (analytical chemical analysis) NSW that was sold as 'not polluted.' I have found petroleum and fuel products in some of them. A rather humorous event was a person who went 25 miles out to sea and collected water in vats. The vat water showed petroleum products that matched those used by the boat. The person literally brought their own pollution to a relatively clean, unpolluted area of the ocean. This points out the need to control how the water is collected even if it is clearly done in a non-polluted part of the ocean/sea. This is not a recommendation to not use NSW. Just a recommendation to be wary of what can go wrong that the average aquarist is unable to verify by home test kits.

Choose your source water and NSW with consideration to the purity you need; the cost; value; the environmental impact (wasted water); and exposure and risks to impurities.

What source water or water do you use for your marine tank water changes? Please post your experience and what you use.

I have 2 marine aquariums the first a FOWLR with preditor inhabitants. All incredibly healthy! In fact my wolf eel recently has spawned (?) eggs 3 times @ 2 week intervals. I have always used NSW that i purchase from a trusted LFS. I top off the tank with distilled water when necessary. I started a reef aquarium about 8 months ago & as always used the same source for NSW. My tank has been trouble free from day 1. I also run my own business & got extremely busy so I decided to hire a service to do basic maintenance on my tank on a weekly basis. I am a beginner (after 20 yrs out of practice, but I am also an avid reader with a very thoughful decison making process!) so when I hired these guys I figured they were the "experts". Initially they went along with my NSW & picked it up from my source but after a few weeks they decided that their RO/DI water was better than the nsw I was using & I let the "experts" do their job. My reef tank immediately started showing sign of demise & after the second week of thier RO/DI water I had a brown slime algae problem I am still trying to get rid of today. It is slowly but surely better but I am certain that the problem was silica in the tap water they started with & that their filters were bad. They also would mix the water HERE at the time of the water change!!! This seemed crazy to me but again I thought they knew what they were doing & maybe things had changed a lot after 20 yrs away! I dont think they ever checked the temp, pH or SpGr of the water BEFORE they put it in my tank ................. any way you get the picture. Lucky the water changes were small enough not to do major damage but i did lose a couple corals & a couple of fish guys! I say if you trust your source go withg NSW or distilled water & please give it a few days to sit before you throw it in your tank!!

[leebca]

Thanks lynnanne. It sounds depressing that the professionals should be acting like this. However, it does seem you understand why you have the brown and what they're doing 'less than optimal.'

Since you're paying for it, you can stipulate what it is you want and if they don't want to do it your way, fine someone else.

Thanks to all who have contributed to this thread. At this date, it being open for so long, I'm closing it. However anyone can begin a new thread on this or any topic of general interest.