HUGE Mistake?!?!

[IcantTHINKofONE]

I think I may have made a huge mistake. I have a Kent Marine RO unit set up with the Kent Marine float switch and flush kit. I filled a 55 gallon pale with it and salted it and finally added it to my tank today. The water had been sitting, mixed and with a powerhead on all the time, in the pale for about a month. Today I finally began to fill my tank. Half way through the 55 gallon pale I realized there was some brown slime on the walls of the pale. I started to think what it could be and thought to myself "has the flush kit valve been in the right direction?" I don't know if I've been making good water or flushing the system and just added that water to the tank. How do I know? I don't have a TDS tester. Does anyone who has this flushkit know how I can find out? Water seems to be coming out of the blue (filtered water) line faster when I am supposedly making good water and slower when I flush it. Is this normal? Is it supposed to be slower through the blue line when flushing the system or have I been flushing it the whole time I thought I was making water? I'm having a panic attack right now. Please help!

 

[reefland]

A flush kit just bypasses the flow restrictor in the waste line and allows water to zoom through the RO membrane (flushing it). With no back pressure water can't be pushed through the membrane and next stage.

So yes it is totally normal to have reduced (almost none) flow when flushing the membrane.

 

[IcantTHINKofONE]

so reefland, bad water never comes out of the blue (good water) line? Even if the flushkit is on? And what's the brown slime?

 

[reefland]

Some kind of biofilm would be my guess. I've seen it as well.

 

[IcantTHINKofONE]

My first impression is that the brown stuff was algae growing on the wall of the pale. Is it dangerous? Should I disregard it and continue filling the tank?

 

[reefland]

I would say just ignore it. Wipe the container clean after each use.

 

[Anonymous]

hi.
Next time, test the water before adding salt to make sure it is clean. The biofilm is coming from bacteria living in the water. The carbon and nitrogen gotta come from somewhere... either initially in the RO water, or from the salt.

 

[quazi]

Sounds like bacteria. It is not harmful. I get a redish brown bactria that grows in my RO water if left alone too long. Do not know what they eat, but I assume that airbourne "food" makes it way into the water, and they eat it.

That is probably the way the bacteria get there in the first place. :lol:

 

[IcantTHINKofONE]

Thanks everyone! This is such a relief! Now I can finish filling the tank