Float valve

So my 40 gal breeder has a float valve. I don't have an RO/DI unit yet. I KNOW I KNOW HORRIBLE right? well yea Its hard to purchase things without money.... anyways I plan on getting one, so can someone tell me how the RO unit and float valve work? My dad said he wouldn't let me hook up the float valve directly to our water line.. i just don't get how that all works really. Helppp me thanks. ( I plan on getting an RO unit with my next pay check)

 

peoples ATOs are usually just a 5 gallon bucket next to the tank with rodi water and whenever the float valve kicks on a pump turns on in the bucket with a piece of airline tubing running to the sump topping off their tanks..

 

most people dont hook their rodi units up straight to the auto top off

 

I've heard it's best not to plumb your auto top off directly to your RO/DI supply.... then again, I'm a rookie, too.

For sure research auto top offs.... here's on good reference:
Melevsreef.com - Automatic Top Off System

 

AWESOME thats good. so how does the RO unit work does it just filter the water into a container and then from there I hook up the float valve to it?

 

alot of people have their rodi units go straight into a huge drum that stores their water..from there just fill up a 5 gallon bucket every few days for their ato..

and they have another drum that holds mixed new saltwater.. and they just take out as much as they need..

u could hook ur rodi unit into the bucket that tops off ur tank.. but u would have to have controllers to tell when to fill the bucket with the rodi and stuff

an rodi unit is gonna filter out about 3 gallons and 2 of those gallons are waste water u dont want and then the 1 gallon of the 3 is what u want for ur tank..some rodi units waste a little more water and a little less depending..

 

Why do they waste water?? I dont really understand how the RO/DI units work I guess... do they draw water from your tap or do you fill it up or whatever I have no idea to be honest..

 

yeah u hook the rodi to the faucet and turn it on, it starts to filter the water, and usually tap water has a tds of like 400ish, and it starts filtering the water and by the time the water starts to read 0 tds takes around 2ish gallons.. but for every 1 gallon of rodi water it take like 3-4 gallons to get it..

most rodi units have a 4:1 ratio 4 bad gallons of high metal water for 1 gallon of 0 tds water

 

Ah I see... interesting. sounds like super clean water tho. Im worried about my water levels because I cant seem to get my skimmer right. it will be set perfect then I get home and its overflowing like crazy so I fix it back to where its supposed to be and later i'll look at it and its not even close to being at the rim... its so frustrating..

 

skimmers take a while to break in and get going

just leave the water line low on it..eventually and make take a day or so, but will eventually start to build up a foam, and thats what u want... plus u dont have any bioload in your tank its skimming, so it shouldnt be producing much.. a skimmer just takes the proteins out the tank before they turn into nitrates, it doesnt take nitrates out the water, well maybe a little, but thats what waterchanges are for.. if u have no fish producing proteins then your protein skimmer shouldnt be really skimming..

also skimmers dont produce foam non stop,, at least u dont want it really too if it is.. it takes a while for a skimmer to produce a super black dark thick foam.. my skimmer cup takes about 5 days to fill up with a black yuck and a foam that is super shinny and oilly looking foam