Testing RO water quality | The Aquarium Solution

Testing RO water quality

Question:

hi,
ihave a marine tank and ime getting lots of algea growiing, i have a ro filter set up,RO MAN, 5 micron sediment (pre-filter). its 3 years old now, i make about 75litres a week, i also make it sometimes a week before i use it, storing it in air tight containers.
can my water be tested? am i doing anything wrong? do i need to replace any items on my ro filter?
many thanks craig

Answer:

Hi Craig

It’s possible that after three years that your RO membrane maybe in need of replacement. To test the quality of your RO water you will require a TDS meter (Total dissolved solids). These are relatively cheap and will give you an accurate indication of how well your RO unit is performing.

Our article on TDS can be found at the link below:

http://www.theaquariumsolution.com/tds-what-does-it-mean-and-why-should-i-test

Just as a point of interest, aquarium test kits do not work well if you are using them to test RO water. The reagents rely on a certain concentration of the correct ions to work. As RO water is so ionic ally pure the reagents can actually upset the test as they make up the majority of ions present in the pure water.

Replacement membranes with matching flow restrictors that will fit your RO man unit are available and we also supply TDS meters and Di pods for total removal of residual TDS that may make it through the membrane.

These are available from your local D-D stockists.

http://www.theaquariumsolution.com/tds-meter-and-digital-thermometer

http://www.theaquariumsolution.com/replacement-ro-membrane

http://www.theaquariumsolution.com/flow-restrictor

http://www.theaquariumsolution.com/300ml-deionising-pod-resin

Hope this helps Tony