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R.O Water on big tanks

Glen Adams

New Member
Joined
28 Dec 2019
Messages
22
Location
Eastleigh
hey guys

ok so i'm looking into maybe getting a pretty big aquarium (10ft x 2.5ft x 2.5ft) but i'm also exploring about how id use r.o water on it, its probably going to be a monster tank but because the nitrates in my tape water are around 20-30ish ppm amd its generally very hard water, that's gonna be hard to keep them nitrates down with some meat eating fish.... i know that the only way is to buy my on system but how do i store that amount of water? should i buy a high flow (400gpd) system and fill the tank (slowly) during the day adding the mineral and trace elements as it fills?

i'm also interested in what nitrates some of you guys are getting out your tap water?
 
Hi @Glen Adams

I would suggest that you don't need to be concerned about the 20 - 30 ppm nitrate figure of your tap water. But, in my opinion, you might be wise to keep an eye on this over time. A word of warning - avoid the API Nitrate Test Kit. I place my trust in the JBL range of test kits but some aquarists prefer not to use test kits. What is your water hardness? You will be able to get these figures from your water company. Or you could use the API KH/GH test kit. Dependent on the fish you choose, water hardness is where I'd be focussing my attention. I'd be tempted to opt for hardwater fish as this would be a better 'match' to your tap water. Which fish species do you have in mind?

JPC
 
so i'm looking into maybe getting a pretty big aquarium (10ft x 2.5ft x 2.5ft)

You’re not kidding 😂 That is 1769.8 litres of water before in-tank displacement, minus filter capacity, or additional volume of a sump.

Is rain water collection also an option? Is tap water really not an option given the volume?

i know that the only way is to buy my on system but how do i store that amount of water?

Obviously depends on what it is you’re doing with the tank. However, at those volumes and if you want it to hand you’re in IBC tank territory for storage.

fill the tank (slowly) during the day adding the mineral and trace elements as it fills?

You would need to sleep before it filled. Even the more rapid RO systems only produce 50-60 litres an hour.

Here’s a video of a 6ft x 2ft x 2.5ft setup that uses continual water change by having the system plumbed:




Unless you have your mind set would seriously consider tap water then design the setup around that. Nitrates are not a problem in a planted tank, if that’s the intention.
 
Hi again, @Glen Adams

You could consider a company called Spotless Water. But, please do a bit of 'research' with fishkeepers to confirm that their water is OK for fishkeeping. There may be members here on UKAPS that use this company. Anyway, here's a link:

Spotless Water Home

If it's OK, it may be easier than installing an RO unit at home and it will be a good deal cheaper than getting RO water from Maidenhead Aquatics, for example.

Good luck!

JPC
 
I agree we need to know what fish and plants are likely to be introduced before we can rule out the tap water purely on the grounds of nitrates.

A copy of the water report from the local water company would answer a lot of questions.

@jaypeecee I like the idea of Spotless Water and wish they had an outlet near me. However the OP is probably going to need 500kg+ of water per week so it is not going to be very practical to transport by vehicle.
 
Hi @Glen Adams I suggest you don't believe all you've been told about nitrate and hardness. A lot of 'information' out there is just wrong.
If you fancy using the search box you can find a lot if good info on here, much of it is backed up by links to modern scientific research. And it comes from people who are not trying to sell you anything.
You will find lots of us are quite happy with 30ppm nitrate from the tap, and many don't worry about hardness. The hardness depends on your choice of fish, but most are happy in a range of hardness, what species are you planning?
For nitrate info you could start here;
Nitrate toxicity
 
As mentioned by others we need to know what species of fish you plan to keep. There’s a good chance you may not need to worry about RO.

I dread to think how long it would take to fill a tank that size with RO!

Cheers
 
As others have said, a 1,700 litre tank is a beast - you need to do a lot of planning ahead to design the system or you’ll be spending every waking hour maintaining it.

Again as mentioned above, you would be wise to try and design the tank (including selection of its inhabitants) around your tap water - but I know that can be difficult if you have your mind set on certain fish.

Although 1,700 litres is an awful lot of water, it’s not unmanageable even with RO, once it’s filled, if you are prepared to invest in automating the system.

For example you could get a 50 litre container which should fit easily under your tank, and have the RO unit (including the flushing line) on electronic ball valves, timers and float valves, such that the container auto-fills 3-4 times a day.

If you fit the tank with a decent overflow system connected to mains waste or the garden, then you can simply pump the RO water up to the tank 4 times a day and old water will flow out. That gives you a 10%+ daily water change or there abouts.

A good quality double membrane RO unit should be able to produce 50 litres within a couple of hours, so you would not be limited on when or how many of those water changes you do.

A good quality auto-dosing system (e.g. EcoTech Versa, GDL etc) will handle any and all dosing of both remineralisers and ferts as needed (in terms of quantity, frequency and speed of dosing) to support the water changes.

I assume with a system this large you are going to be going with a sump, which although adds a complete additional layer of complexity, does allow for other maintenance time saving such as fleece roller pre-filters and the like. It might mean you need to think of other solutions for changing the water (as a ‘fill and overflow’ water change system won’t work well with a sump) such as auto-water change units like the Kamoer X2SR Pro.
 
As others have said that a lot of water to put through an RO unit and if your water is very hard to start off it will take even more water to process the water, your water bill will shoot through the roof unless your on a bore hole with your own water supply.
Google your water company and get a water report and post it so we can see how hard it is ;)
 
Hi @Glen Adams

I would suggest that you don't need to be concerned about the 20 - 30 ppm nitrate figure of your tap water. But, in my opinion, you might be wise to keep an eye on this over time. A word of warning - avoid the API Nitrate Test Kit. I place my trust in the JBL range of test kits but some aquarists prefer not to use test kits. What is your water hardness? You will be able to get these figures from your water company. Or you could use the API KH/GH test kit. Dependent on the fish you choose, water hardness is where I'd be focussing my attention. I'd be tempted to opt for hardwater fish as this would be a better 'match' to your tap water. Which fish species do you have in mind?

JPC
To be fair i did test with the API test kit... are these known the be inaccurate? I do also have the Nutrafin Master Test Kit and ill test the water again at some point.

Species that im considering - a fairly high grade arowana (high back red tail golden), a couple of peacock bass, datnoid, large clown loach (which i already have)... debating about oscars but think they could be trouble?

 
You’re not kidding 😂 That is 1769.8 litres of water before in-tank displacement, minus filter capacity, or additional volume of a sump.

Is rain water collection also an option? Is tap water really not an option given the volume?



Obviously depends on what it is you’re doing with the tank. However, at those volumes and if you want it to hand you’re in IBC tank territory for storage.



You would need to sleep before it filled. Even the more rapid RO systems only produce 50-60 litres an hour.

Here’s a video of a 6ft x 2ft x 2.5ft setup that uses continual water change by having the system plumbed:




Unless you have your mind set would seriously consider tap water then design the setup around that. Nitrates are not a problem in a planted tank, if that’s the intention.

ive definitely thought about rainwater but my local aquatics warned me off due to contaminates... im currently experimenting with pothos (devils ivy) to see if that reduces the nitrate... maybe a sump with a section of plants could be a way forward?
 
I agree we need to know what fish and plants are likely to be introduced before we can rule out the tap water purely on the grounds of nitrates.

A copy of the water report from the local water company would answer a lot of questions.

@jaypeecee I like the idea of Spotless Water and wish they had an outlet near me. However the OP is probably going to need 500kg+ of water per week so it is not going to be very practical to transport by vehicle.
Species that im considering - a fairly high grade arowana (high back red tail golden), a couple of peacock bass, datnoid, large clown loach (which i already have)... debating about oscars but think they could be trouble?
 
Species that im considering - a fairly high grade arowana (high back red tail golden), a couple of peacock bass, datnoid, large clown loach (which i already have)... debating about oscars but think they could be trouble?
I think you’d be ok with tap. Do you know what the taps like where you’re from?

Can understand why you’d want to have full control over your water though, high grade Asian arowana are not cheap.
 
Hi @Glen Adams I suggest you don't believe all you've been told about nitrate and hardness. A lot of 'information' out there is just wrong.
If you fancy using the search box you can find a lot if good info on here, much of it is backed up by links to modern scientific research. And it comes from people who are not trying to sell you anything.
You will find lots of us are quite happy with 30ppm nitrate from the tap, and many don't worry about hardness. The hardness depends on your choice of fish, but most are happy in a range of hardness, what species are you planning?
For nitrate info you could start here;
Nitrate toxicity
i think the reason why i wanted to go down the ro route was because of wanting to purchase a fairly high grade arowana..

Species that im considering - a fairly high grade arowana (high back red tail golden), a couple of peacock bass, datnoid, large clown loach (which i already have)... debating about oscars but think they could be trouble?
 
As mentioned by others we need to know what species of fish you plan to keep. There’s a good chance you may not need to worry about RO.

I dread to think how long it would take to fill a tank that size with RO!

Cheers
Species that im considering - a fairly high grade arowana (high back red tail golden), a couple of peacock bass, datnoid, large clown loach (which i already have)... debating about oscars but think they could be trouble?
 
As others have said that a lot of water to put through an RO unit and if your water is very hard to start off it will take even more water to process the water, your water bill will shoot through the roof unless your on a bore hole with your own water supply.
Google your water company and get a water report and post it so we can see how hard it is ;)
this is exactly what i was thinking... the waste would be high, southern water price per cubic metre is around £1.48

one cubic metre = 1,000 litres

if the r.o unit waste was double that of purified water then roughly each water change would cost me no more £4.44.. (£230.88 per year)

i could be wrong tho.. but if you compare how much it could cost to get ro from an aquatics, its not too bad
 
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