ro water treatment

[BYU]

just a silly question
with ro water i notice the ph is really low 6+
what is the best treatment to put in with it to keep the ph up
and should i put a buffer in the water prior to adding salt or after
any advice would be appreciated
thanks again

 

[ZANYMASTER]

When you add the salt,the PH should go up or add something by Kent called Osmo-Prep to the RO water.

 

[Simon Garratt]

Ro doesnt realy have a pH as such becouse it has no buffering capacity. Becouse it hasnt got a buffering capacity it will pretty much take on the pH of any solution it is added to, or any material that is added to it.

in effect, its a blank slate.

When you add your salt, it will take on the characteristics of that blend and the pH will fall into where the combination of elements present and gas concentrations dictate...so in effect, you dont have to do anything but add your salt.

If you add buffers to the RO prior to adding salt, then chances are you will end up with elevated levels of some elements which will throw the mix out a tad.

Regards

 

[InfernoST]

Does that mean it's OK to use RO directly for top off water without worries?

 

[ZANYMASTER]

Yeah,it's fine as long as you monitor your salinity.

 

[InfernoST]

Yeah,it's fine as long as you monitor your salinity.

Cool, must take into consideration what the skimmer is removing as well.

 

[Simon Garratt]

I ran some test a while back on Skimmate from a Reeflo 200 and found that the skimmate was just about on a par with the tanks salinity (if only slightly lower due to what I believe was atmospheric condensation in the collection cup).

Cant say thats the same in all cases but worth baring in mind if using a big skimmer on a small tank volume.

Whilst you top up evaporation with Fresh water, you'll probably need to top up whats removed via skimming with salt water at the same salinity as your tank if running a very low water change regime, especially if you want to avoid a gradual ongoing drop in salinity.

Regards