Where to get RO water?

[CAGE-RATTLER]

With my fish laying eggs like crazy now .... pretty much weekly and sometimes all 3 tanks at once .......... and the eggs turning white very quickly ....... usually within 12 hours ......... im thinking i need to soften my water and want to try some RO in the breeder tanks. Phheeeewww that was a long sentance ..... lol.

My question is ... where can i get some from??

I noticed on my trip to Niagra i saw some signs in front of stores that said they sold RO. Here in Baltimore ive never seen any and was wondering what types of stores would carry it ......... HD or Lowes??

Farm supply stores maybe??

And what would i expect to pay for it?

Thanx

[Graham]

Most grocery stores around here have a re-fill your own jug R0 machines....a dollar a jug or so. If your going through a lot of RO water then buying your own small unit is the way to go. I bought mine about a year after I started the reef quite a few years ago...about $250 CDN

G

[CAGE-RATTLER]

Most grocery stores around here have a re-fill your own jug R0 machines....a dollar a jug or so. If your going through a lot of RO water then buying your own small unit is the way to go. I bought mine about a year after I started the reef quite a few years ago...about $250 CDN

G

Well right now .... im going thru none at all ... lol.

Is distilled water the same as RO?

[RandalB]

Nope,
Distilled water is water purified by boiling it and condensing the steam.

As far as purchasing RO water, grocery stores and LFS's will sell it, usually from $0.20 -$1.00 per gallon depending on source. It's still a good idea to check the TDS of the water being purchased, as there is no way you can tell if the store is doing the proper maintenance with out testing.

Better yet, buy your own RO unit.... You'll quickly spend the same amount of $$ as buying it if you are doing regular w/c's

HTH,
RandalB

[LizStreithorst]

Cage,

Don't mess with jugs of distilled. You need an RO. RandalB was ALWAYS the one to go with. I don't think that he is selling units at the moment. Look in the various catalog/internet sellers (equatic ecosystems, Fosters Smith, etc.)

[LizStreithorst]

Nope,
Distilled water is water purified by boiling it and condensing the steam.

As far as purchasing RO water, grocery stores and LFS's will sell it, usually from $0.20 -$1.00 per gallon depending on source. It's still a good idea to check the TDS of the water being purchased, as there is no way you can tell if the store is doing the proper maintenance with out testing.

Better yet, buy your own RO unit.... You'll quickly spend the same amount of $$ as buying it if you are doing regular w/c's

HTH,
RandalB

Well Hello RandalB! Your post beat mine. When are you going to start selling RO equipment again? Who do you recomend in the mean time?

[CAGE-RATTLER]

I dont even know if i need RO yet so buying a unit at this time isnt the solution.

I need to try it 1st.

[Graham]

If you just need to try it then buy it at a local store for several weeks.....

I wouldn't used distilled a lot of the time the coils they used to condense the water on are copper and depending on the pH they maintain, it may leach into the water from the pipes.

G

[crazie.eddie]

Check your LFS/LPS. They may sell RO water. I know a few around here that does.

[sleonard]

When I first started with discus I humped 5G bottles to and from the 'fill-it-yourself' machine down the road. You can believe me when I say that got old real quick. It was major motivation to cough up the $$ for my own unit.

Scott

[CAGE-RATTLER]

If distilled isnt the same as RO .... then i wont be buying distilled.

Guess i'll find somewhere to get it.

That was the question .... Where to get it?

I havent seen any anywhere around here ....... but then again .... i wasnt looking before.

[LizStreithorst]

If distilled isnt the same as RO .... then i wont be buying distilled.

Guess i'll find somewhere to get it.

That was the question .... Where to get it?

I havent seen any anywhere around here ....... but then again .... i wasnt looking before.

Cage,
I know of nowhere that will let you try an RO unit without buying unless you want do as Graham suggests...
As Scott said, hauling the amount of RO that you need for a good WC of 3 tanks of breeders every day will end up beith a huge PITA.
What are your water params. especially gH kH and us? That will give us some clue as to whether you might need an RO unit.

[CAGE-RATTLER]

I meant try the RO water ..... not an RO unit.

I didnt think that much RO water was needed when doing WC's and i would test it on one 29 breeder tank 1st. Its not like i'll need 50 gallons a day of it. Isnt it supposed to be more like 10 or 20% RO?? But i guess that depends on how hard my water is. Plus i would only use it when they look ready to lay eggs to see if they would still turn white. This is a very young pair and the male may just be still to young.

I dont have a good tester just yet and have only went by the all in one test strips. My master kit didnt come with hardness tests.

Last i checked it was.........

KH - approximately 80ppm
GH - approximately 150ppm


With dip strips ...... the GH jumps from 75 to 150 so this may not be that accurate. Was just at the LFS yesterday too and picked up 4# FBW and completely forgot to pick up a test kit.

[Graham]

The dip test strips are about as accurate as the weatherman...total junk...buy some liquid drop style tests.. generally they' re accurate enough for us..meters are much better .......

G

[IceDiscus]

Sorry to cut in. I need a RO unit. Where can I get one from:confused:

[CliffsDiscus]

RO Water can be purchase at Safeway. All you need is a gallon of R.O.
to fine out if your eggs are fertile.

Cliff

[LizStreithorst]

I meant try the RO water ..... not an RO unit.

I didnt think that much RO water was needed when doing WC's and i would test it on one 29 breeder tank 1st. Its not like i'll need 50 gallons a day of it. Isnt it supposed to be more like 10 or 20% RO?? But i guess that depends on how hard my water is. Plus i would only use it when they look ready to lay eggs to see if they would still turn white. This is a very young pair and the male may just be still to young.

I dont have a good tester just yet and have only went by the all in one test strips. My master kit didnt come with hardness tests.

Last i checked it was.........

KH - approximately 80ppm
GH - approximately 150ppm


With dip strips ...... the GH jumps from 75 to 150 so this may not be that accurate. Was just at the LFS yesterday too and picked up 4# FBW and completely forgot to pick up a test kit.

If none of your LFS sell or Supermarkets it I think that you're out of luck.

When I first started wanting to breed and didn't know if I needed to invest in an RO unit or not I tried peat. It worked. I got fry. I would have continued to use the peat but for several tanks it was too much of a PITA.

Ice, You can get an RO unit from any of the fish catalogs we use or from a LFS.