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Where are the TDS coming from?


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  1. #1
    MizTanks - Reefkeeper
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    Jamie
    Awards Photo of the Month - October 2012 Photo of the Month Post and Reply Award - Winner of the first PAR Contest. Monthly Giveaway Winner

    Default Where are the TDS coming from?

    I have a 6g food grade bucket that I use for mixing my makeup water in. I use a Koralia 750 for circulation and a 100w heater.
    Well something's been amiss with my tank. Brown looking stuff all over the sand bed, green film algae on the glass. Parameter are all reading great and stable.
    While making new water yesterday I decided to test the makeup water before adding salt to the bucket. WTH? I got a TDS reading of 160!! No this is not the reading from the RO/DI unit. I test that always and it was/is at .0
    So I dump out that water and refill it. At about 4g's full I test again and now it's reading 80 TDS. So I dump that out and completely fill it to 6gs. Test and get a reading of 1.

    Is there a way to clean the bucket out between usages? What is the proper way to store it? Where are the TDS coming from?
    There's nothing like being a Reefer! www.upmmas.com

  2. #2
    BeakerBob - Reefkeeper
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by MizTanks View Post
    I have a 6g food grade bucket that I use for mixing my makeup water in. I use a Koralia 750 for circulation and a 100w heater.
    What are you mixing in your make up water? If you have any saltwater or supplements left over in the bucket (dried or wet), the addition of RO/DI water will have an elevated TDS reading.
    BeakerBob - Past MMMC Club President, current Board Member
    imagephp?u1&amptypesigpic&ampdateline1261894023 - Where are the TDS coming from?

  3. #3
    MizTanks - Reefkeeper
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    Default

    That's exactly what it was-lol. Residue
    There's nothing like being a Reefer! www.upmmas.com

  4. #4
    AZDesertRat - Reefkeeper
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    Water Treatment

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    Default

    I use seperate buckets for draining the tanks during water changes and for new saltwater.
    You can rinse the buckets occasionally with a vinegar solution to cut the skum or calcium build up too.

  5. #5
    jimsflies - Reefkeeper
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    Default

    A minor amount of salt residue shouldn't hurt anything either. It is after all salt mix and should be safe. You should verify that your specific gravity is still where it should be....but I doubt a little residue will move that salinity much.

  6. #6
    MizTanks - Reefkeeper
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    Default

    I am using separate buckets for draining and mixing I simply had a brain fart-lol
    There's nothing like being a Reefer! www.upmmas.com

  7. #7
    tazzy695 - Reefkeeper CR Member
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    Sep 2009
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    flint, mi
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    Default

    the residue from mixing salt should throw off the salinity but when you put pure RO water in the bucket it will toss off the tds reading as the old residue will change that

    however if you use your tds meter on mixed saltwater it will either error out or show a very high number
    I have been reefing from 08-2007 till 5-2011

    reef tanks are like wifes you have to give them some attention every now and then

  8. #8

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by tazzy695 View Post
    the residue from mixing salt should throw off the salinity but when you put pure RO water in the bucket it will toss off the tds reading as the old residue will change that

    however if you use your tds meter on mixed saltwater it will either error out or show a very high number

    +1 agreed

  9. #9
    AZDesertRat - Reefkeeper
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    Water Treatment

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    Most TDS meters read to 999 on low range and some have a high range that reads by 10's up to 9,999.
    New saltwater will have a TDS somewhere above 32,000 TDS so is way above the range of the meter.
    If you do mistakenly stick your TDS meter in saltwater, make sure you triple rinse it in DI or distilled water right away to keep the probes clean and accurate, once a film starts to develop it will not be accurate.
    Likes jimsflies, tazzy695 liked this post

  10. #10
    tazzy695 - Reefkeeper CR Member
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    Default

    good info az I never did know what the approx tds of sw would be

    if you ask me you should always rinse off your meter before and after every use this eliminates possible dust or other things that might have stuck to it while in the air
    I have been reefing from 08-2007 till 5-2011

    reef tanks are like wifes you have to give them some attention every now and then

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