Any benefit to using Prime in RO water?

Long story short, I have to use RO water for my aquarium. I mineralize it, etc. and also add Stress Coat and Stability for water changes. Is there any reason or benefit for me to use Prime since I have no chlorine to remove? Is there any other purpose for Prime?

 

As long as you aren't getting an ammonia reading in the tank there is no reason for adding Prime. Since you are using RO water there is no need to add stress coat either. Once cycled I wouldn't be adding Stability either. I know the instructions recommend adding it with each water change but once a tank is cycle there is simply no reason for continuing to add it other than to keep you buying their product.

 

Just add your minerals and you’re set.

 

Thank you! I haven't been using the Prime but thought maybe I was missing something. I'll stop on the Stability too then. I am still reading 0 on ammonia and nitrites. Do you think Stress Coat is beneficial still when adding new fish to the tank in case there was damage during the netting, bagging, or release? Or is it just a waste of money then too?

 

I personally wouldn’t. If I feel I stressed my fish out, I’d likely just skip a feed and dim or turn the lights off for an hour or two.

 

RO water can have chlorine or chloramine in it. Especially chloramine which is more difficult for carbon to remove and passes through the RO membrane more easily than chlorine.

Some reefers wondered why their corals never thrived for years then discovered small amounts of chloramine were getting through.

It takes some diligence to setup the carbon stages properly and then to test them regularly for chlorine breakthrough. Most test strips aren't sensitive enough to detect these levels.

 

RO water can have chlorine or chloramine in it. Especially chloramine which is more difficult for carbon to remove and passes through the RO membrane more easily than chlorine.

Some reefers wondered why their corals never thrived for years then discovered small amounts of chloramine were getting through.

It takes some diligence to setup the carbon stages properly and then to test them regularly for chlorine breakthrough. Most test strips aren't sensitive enough to detect these levels.

I actually purchase my RO from the LFS. They have a system (I don't have one at my house). Are you suggesting that maybe I should use Prime to be safe in case they are missing something in their RO process?

 

Oh my I hadn't thought it was possible for your RO water to still contain chlorine/chloramines. If that is a possibility I will admit I was wrong and it is probably a good idea to add a water conditioner. Either Prime or stress coat would work as will any of the many water conditioners available today. Most of them now remove both chlorine and chloramines.

I know some folks say stress coat really helps their fish but I really can't see the minute amount of aloe in it having any affect on the health of fish. The good thing about it is I don't think it will hurt our fish if the recommended dose is added.

 

If the store sells RO water, they surely use a big professional unit. For the RO membranes to last longer , almost all units have prefilters, often with activated carbon or other stuff that get's almost everything out.

Stress coat is presumed to be cancerogen according to the manufacturers factsheet. I linked that somewhere here on the forum a few months ago. And I agree with mattgirl, a. there is very little of the aloe in there and b. the skin of fish is constructed a bit differently than that of tetrapods, so it likely has different effects or eventually none at all.

 

I'll just add that it depends on the RO system, what filters are in it, how many stages, and if it is RODI.

For chlorine/chloramine removal, granular activated carbon (GAC) should be used. Depending on the starting concentrations, you may need more carbon stages to fully absorb the chlorine/chloramines.

A TDS meter will help determine if there's anything left in the water. A TDS of 0, you should be fine. I never added Prime to my RODI for my reef tank, and never had a problem.

My RODI was a 4 stage with GAC.

 

I'll just add that it depends on the RO system, what filters are in it, how many stages, and if it is RODI.

For chlorine/chloramine removal, granular activated carbon (GAC) should be used. Depending on the starting concentrations, you may need more carbon stages to fully absorb the chlorine/chloramines.

A TDS meter will help determine if there's anything left in the water. A TDS of 0, you should be fine. I never added Prime to my RODI for my reef tank, and never had a problem.

My RODI was a 4 stage with GAC.

It’s not RODI. It’s just RO.

 

It’s not RODI. It’s just RO.

Then still the carbon stage filter is with 95% likelihood part of the system they're using. It's just one filter stage difference. Also, maybe just ask them. If they have a carbon stage in the filter all is good, isn't it?

 

My LFS sells RO water as well. Assuming they use it for their saltwater tanks, like mine does, I'd assume it's free of chlorine and completely safe. Still it doesn't hurt to ask.

 

Didn't want to create new thread alas ... can one use RO wate for fresh water fish aquarium ?

 

Hi and welcome,
I really think you should start your own tread BlackBurn. ?
I don’t currently use RO water but know enough to say the answer to your question is not a straight forward yes or no.

 

Didn't want to create new thread alas ... can one use RO wate for fresh water fish aquarium ?

You could, but why?

If you can't reasonably answer that, then it's probably best to stick with your tap water.

 

You could, but why?

If you can't reasonably answer that, then it's probably best to stick with your tap water.

I am thinking towards using clean filtered drinking water which is R of course. Own a small tank ,, around 3 gallons capacity I reckon .
Tried treated tap water and let it sit by for 3 days or more before using it for water change for my tank.

 

I am thinking towards using clean filtered drinking water which is R of course. Own a small tank ,, around 3 gallons capacity I reckon .
Tried treated tap water and let it sit by for 3 days or more before using it for water change for my tank.

If you haven't had any issues using tap water before, then stick to it. A lot of new hobbyists like to make things more complicated than it needs to be, sometimes to the detriment of their fish. When fish keepers mention RO water, it usually means distilled water or water lacking minerals. The only people who really use it are those that need to mineralize the water themselves to create very specific water parameters, such as salinity and hardness for saltwater or African cichlid aquariums; so I don't suggest using straight RO or distilled water by itself without mineralizing. My belief for long term success is to keep things simple. The simpler the process, the less prone to errors. Very few people I meet here require anything more than their tap water, which is why I said that if you can't logically answer why you want to switch to RO water, then you probably shouldn't.

 

If you are buying the water from the store it has probably been aged just by the fact that it is waiting for you to purchase it and chlorine won't be a problem.

chloramine is more problematic. The first thing to do is check if your city uses chloramine - if they do then you should probably use a neutralizer to be safe; if they don't problem solved.

 

That's correct. It is much easier to use tap water that you have treated than to use RO water. I have to use RO water because my tap water swings dramatically as it switches back and forth from surface water to well water and is also impacted a lot by heavy rains. So it changes all the time pretty dramatically. This is not the norm for most people. Because I use RO water, I also have to re-mineralize it to make sure the GH/Kh/pH remain stable. So it is a pain and an added expense.

 

If you are buying the water from the store it has probably been aged just by the fact that it is waiting for you to purchase it and chlorine won't be a problem.

chloramine is more problematic. The first thing to do is check if your city uses chloramine - if they do then you should probably use a neutralizer to be safe; if they don't problem solved.

Thanks mate, will confirm on those Chloramine with DOE in my area. Yeah I am currently aging me own water at least 4 days minimum before using it for water change for the tank .

That's correct. It is much easier to use tap water that you have treated than to use RO water. I have to use RO water because my tap water swings dramatically as it switches back and forth from surface water to well water and is also impacted a lot by heavy rains. So it changes all the time pretty dramatically. This is not the norm for most people. Because I use RO water, I also have to re-mineralize it to make sure the GH/Kh/pH remain stable. So it is a pain and an added expense.

I kept forgetting the mineralization process thats needed in order to use RO water. My bad thanks for elaborate details ferg42995

 

Thanks mate, will confirm on those Chloramine with DOE in my area. Yeah I am currently aging me own water at least 4 days minimum before using it for water change for the tank .

If you are using a water conditioner there is no reason to age your water. Just about any water conditioner will almost instantly remove chlorine from tap water. It may take a few extra minutes if you have chloramines in yours but either way the water should be safe to use within just a few minutes.

Chlorine will dissipate if left sitting out over night but I don't think that is the case with chloramines. That is the reason some water companies have started adding chloramines instead of chlorine. It stays in the water much longer.