TDS meter reading question

[ziggy222]

ok thanks guys.that sheds some light.i've been waiting to hear something other than a prediction that its going to die.until now no one has ever told me about a tank that actually did crash from it.i am thinking of getting a tap filter,i just wanted to get more info than its going to die or a vague warning that i should'nt do it.many people will have you going out and spending every cent you have on unneeded equipment.if i was to go out and buy everything that i was told i needed without checking 1st,i would be priced out of the hobby.

[Tangster]

Originally Posted by ziggy222

ok thanks guys.that sheds some light.i've been waiting to hear something other than a prediction that its going to die.until now no one has ever told me about a tank that actually did crash from it.i am thinking of getting a tap filter,i just wanted to get more info than its going to die or a vague warning that i should'nt do it.many people will have you going out and spending every cent you have on unneeded equipment.if i was to go out and buy everything that i was told i needed without checking 1st,i would be priced out of the hobby.

Look if you think about it in a low tech common sense approach thats about all I only terms I can think in myself. But what will happen if you used saltwater to top off for water that have evaporated over the course of a week ? and you only used saltwater what would happen to The the tank ? Oh bet your butt I never waste money ad I know many areas one can save real money But on a good water filter is not the area Now you don't need a super duper unit either all are the same.. All aquarium units are just way over priced So don't shop for an aquarium unit Just a home unit less the holding tank is all you need. If need P/M me can hook you up with a great unit at a decent price.

[jimw369]

"Die" is such a strong word. While I cant say I know some one personally that has had their tank "die", I know of several that have left the hobby because they got tierd of fighting algae and unwanted bacteria. RO/DI unit is such a small thing compared to all the other stuff we need and the benefits are huge.

[ReefSparky]

Originally Posted by Tangster

All a TDS meter does is read the resistance of Millivolts across the probes and at 45 that is high and if you are saying that 610X10 is high thats shows what needed minerals and elements are dissolved into the water as they create more resistance. Salt Calcium strontium stuff like that .. With your tap water that is really bad it could be metals or other unwanted minerals and elements in that water..

Hey Tangster. I always respect your opinions here, and you've helped me out on numerous occasions, but you're incorrect with the above statement.

It's probably 6 of one, half-dozen of the other, but TDS meters don't report on resistance, they report on conductivity. If it were resistance, then murky water, and any water with non-ionic/non conductive particles in suspension would yield a high readout.

The TDS meter is actually inaccurately named. A "Total Dissolved Solids" meter should measure all TDS; but it doesn't. A TDS meter really only reports on those solids present which contribute to the conduction of electricity (i.e. ions)

I suppose one could argue that since resistance and conductivity are just a different part of the same pie chart; that a TDS meter is giving a reading of resistance. More accurately, however, the readout on a TDS meter is a reflection of how well the sample water conducts an AC current, not how poorly.

[Tangster]

LOL Yea well you got me

[ReefSparky]

Originally Posted by reef_guru

ive never seen a tank last with tap water, there are to many elements that are not wanted in a reef tank. like tangy said, they build up, ro/di is the way to go.

I've had the same 55 gal FOWLR tank for 20+ yrs now, and all those years I've had horrendous algae problems. NOTHING I did would help, other than pouring a few cups of bleach in the tank and starting over (of course with no fish present!). That always works wonders, by the way!

Every ounce of water for all those years has been tap water. Honestly I've never tested for phosphates until recently, but algae and me were best of buddies.

Now I have an RO/DI unit, and I've not had a speck of algae (other than in my refugium under a 67K daylight bulb) in my tank since Nov. 1st.

Believe me, I'm happy enough without a single coral, just to shout out to the world that I have a fish tank with no algae! But I'm still going to buy my first coral very soon. Either a hammer or some type of leather. . . .

[reef_guru]

I've had the same 55 gal FOWLR tank for 20+ yrs now, and all those years I've had horrendous algae problems. NOTHING I did would help, other than pouring a few cups of bleach in the tank and starting over

excatly my point, ro/di is needed

[Dador]

I found out early on that I couldn't get the system to take off correctly with out RO/DI. Trying to balance chemistry was impossible with tap water. The RO/DI gives you a nice pure substrate to start from. Mysterious RTN, crazy algae problems, all stopped when I went RO/DI. I'm not trying to sound like money means nothing but considering the cost of an RO/DI system in comparison to oh say 1 or 2 coral or fish....

RO/DI only way to go.

[Tangster]

Will to me its like who would run a Car with out a Oil filter ? It will work but at some point the metals from the cylinder walls and piston rings will kill the engine at they just acclimate in the oil pan..

Also as for Conductivity (: Thats just another way of calling it a simple wire that carries electrical current through a circuit But its the resistance of certain minerals in the water that creates the resistance in the water that break down the conductivity of the fluid that give the meter a number read out.. Like Pure water has a super low conductivity (high resistance) and the more minerals added, the lower the resistance and more electrically conductive the water is.. Now with water it also depends on the charge of the ion if its positive or negative as to how it will effect the resistance of the voltage reading of the meter . For example a wire brings or conducts the electricity to the aquarium heater But it's the resistance to the electricity caused by the heater that makes the heater get hot , same for light bulbs and fans pump motors . Conductivity is just the path of the elect charge looking for a grounding source.. You have to have somthing to conduct current so that it can read or detect the resistance. Last Night I had just filled up on Nerve deadening , spasm and pain Pills (: But I'll still concede LOL

[ziggy222]

ok so i went half way.i bought a pur 3 stage fauset filter.i took my 534ppm reading down to 60 and its been steadily going down with each reading as it breaks in.filter was like $30and does 500gallons before changing the $18 filter.