[Dark_Star293]

just curious if someone could explain the difference, if there is any, bewteen using de-ionized vs. reverse osmosis water. Secondly, is using spring water a bad thing?

thanks

[glampka]

There is a difference between RO & DI water. DI water passes through a resin chamber which "neutralizes" various ionic compounds in the water like chlorine, etc. In a RO filter, the water passes thru a very small pore membrane which takes out all dissolved minerals, etc. Once the water passes thru the filter it is pure water without any chemicals, dissolved minerals, etc....Ideally you want water that is both RO & DI for your tank. I would pass spring water through a RO/DI filter since many times it can be high in mineral content depending on the source.

[pogodzib]

Water pulled right out of a tap can be called "Spring Water" and it can contain a bunch of minerals. Usually "Spring Water" is taken from out of the ground somewhere that is known to have good tasting water. Typically for a reef tank, you want to pass all water through a RO/DI filter. A RO filter will remove between 90-98% of the minerals in water. The DI portion will remove the remainder of the minerals.

[Danakor]

If you live in a rural area where you get water from a pump/tank I recommend either springing for a ro/di system or finding somewhere nearby where you can buy some filtered water and such. the reason being is that in 90% of all wells there is no filtering system so you are pretty much drinking your water right out of the ground and the minerals in the water can change drastically from gallon to gallon. Now if you are using municipal water you have a beast of a different nature. Most cities add chlorine or ammonia or even worse chloramine(chemical that is made of both of the previous that breaks down into both the previous) into the water to purify it. Obviously this is a fast way to kill live stock.

If you can not afford a ro/di system than go to different places, such as your work and such, and take some water from there test it and see if it works better for you. the testing pattern for new water should be test as soon as you get it and then test in about 3 days after it has set. in 3 days if your water is neutral then you have found a good water water source.