Lets talk water

Initially I started out my tank with tap water. This seemed ok at the moment, but the more I read, I should be more aware of the chemicals etc added to the water, e.g. chlorine, flouride, magnesium etc.

We currently have water delivered for drinking purposes at my home. In addition I can any number of other types of water delivered. Here's wherein my question lies.

They offer RO water, DI water and mineral free water. Nothing but H and O.

I have added the mineral free water thus far thinking that this would have the least a mount of impact on the tank thus far. I'll add here that the tank is empty, this is a new setup and I'm still waiting for my nitrites to cycle.

Here is a link to the chemical compounds in the DI water, I didn't ask for the RO water. Can someone help me make sense of this?

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B1TtuXMrfYY3ZkRKSFAyNkJyUzg/edit?usp=sharing

Should I go with RO delivery or DI or mineral free water. Would it be worth while to install an RO system in my house? I've seen these on amazon, and the cost of this outweighs the cost of the water being deliverd after 14 bottles or 70gal of water.

 

I would invest in a 5 stage Rodi unit. Cheaper in the long run. You can make water whenever you need it. How much do you lose a week in evaporation? That and water changes you'll be using a lot of water.

 

+1 on getting the RO/DI. It's an up front investment, but it will pay off over time for a tank of that size.

 

+1 to both, totally agree. I've gone the distilled water route and it is very annoying. If you have a larger system you will end up getting a RO/DI unit in the future. Bottled water even if RO will be a pain... you have to carry it all to the tank, dump it all which can take a decent amount of time, then find somewhere to get rid of all the jugs. RO/DI will save you time and money in the long run. Spectrapure has some nice units at decent prices. I've had my Spectrapure for 3 years and it's worked great!

Go with your own RO/DI unit if you can!

 

I've saved a boat load on my RO/DI unit. That said, I guess I'm not sure how they are differentiating DI from "mineral free". DI water is 0 TDS...

 

+1 just grab a Spectrapure and save a ton of money/ hassle in the long run. They have factory refurbished units for $130 FACTORY REFURBISHED

I've had one of these for over 2 years now and it has been great!

 

It's well worth the cash now to install a ro/di unit. I bought & installed one right before I got my tank.

 

DI or deionized water is mineral free.
Not sure what their description is but they should be the same thing. I have not seen a delivery service with DI water, its usually RO, spring water and distilled water around here.

I would have to agree that having your own RO/DI system is well worth the investment. I don't know what you pay for delivered water but the average cost of a gallon of RO/DI from your own system is about a nickel a gallon and I, pretty sure you are paying much more that 25 cents for a 5 gal jug or RO, or distilled water. You spend $130 for the system and maybe $25-$30 every 6 months for replacements and thats it.