Close to disaster

[KathyC]

I try to clean these containers out between uses (will admit that every now & then I will use the same one for a couple of weeks before a scrubbing, but at a minimum they are always rinsed & wiped down).

My usual routine after using the water is to wash out the bucket, wipe it down with vinegar, rinse well, and then I put it out in the yard to air dry in the sun. When I bring it back in, I wash them out again (told you I was anal about my water) and then fill with rodi & make my SW.
I have 2 of them, one is always out in the backyard...

Nothing gets into these buckets..I even first rinse off whatever I use to take rodi water out of them...lol

..and (!!) I chane the hose connected to the pump every two months or so as I feel I can never get it clean enough.

I'd really like to see some ammonia testing results for others who keep new SW sitting around for more than a few days. :scratch:

 

[Domboski]

well she didn't specify length of time, so boo!

:lol2: Knowing Kathy you could probably eat out of the can after she cleans it I doubt she does more than one water change a week if that so I think it is safe to say the bucket is clean and dried out nicely.

 

[CHEMCHEF]

If you dont dry out your container well, after using it. Mold spores will form if it does not dry fast enough. Or worse yet if you cover it without first drying it, Especially if it is stored in a basement.
I go through this all the time with my employees, that just think the board of health wants us to do it to be a PITA.
Try cleaning your pail with vinegar or bleach, and rinse it weel, dry it well, with paper towels, and then dry it every time after use with paper towels.
However there will always be some mold in r.o. lines. The world is not a sterile place....
JMO

 

[Killerdrgn]

If you dont dry out your container well, after using it. Mold spores will form if it does not dry fast enough. Or worse yet if you cover it without first drying it, Especially if it is stored in a basement.
I go through this all the time with my employees, that just think the board of health wants us to do it to be a PITA.
Try cleaning your pail with vinegar or bleach, and rinse it weel, dry it well, with paper towels, and then dry it every time after use with paper towels.
However there will always be some mold in r.o. lines. The world is not a sterile place....
JMO

Yup had that mold thing happen to me before too.

 

[JHOV2324]

wow so im not the only one......I've actually let my new salt water sit in the bucket for a week and then finally did a water change and no bad effect.....:scratch:

 

[da5speed]

wow im going to check my ro water when i get home. My water may sit for a week at a time. But i have a separate tube that i use for mixing the salt.

 

[BZOFIQ]

Yeah you should never have the water standing around like that. I use TAP water which I dechlorinate (stress-coat), wait 5 minutes, dump salt and half an hour later it gets slowly pumped into the tank with 700 GPH pump. It takes about 1 1/2 hrs to pump 40 gallons of water to the tank (I change 40 gallons on 180 gallon tank) so the pump thoroughly mixes the salt in the process.

As for top-off water I ...you guessed it, also you tap water which I declorinate (5-7 gallons) and 5 minutes later I drip it into the sump over a course of about 4-6 hours.

 

[Tim]

Cathy how old is that kit that you used? Do you have any other kits to do a second test?

 

[Pinkheine]

Now let me pose this question.... for those with an auto-top off senario. There is a container in use, obviously. I am wondering if this would also pose the same problem?

We have one container that we use for both salt/water changes and top off.. I know, not the best idea but it is what we have been doing.

The lid of said container had mold on it from the air stone in the bucket .. the condensation on the lid molded. It was cleaned out obviously. I have tested my Ph of this water and salt when we do a water change, never anything else.

Before and after water changes the tank gets a parameter check so I am assuming I'd notice a change. Hmmm. Maybe it's time to check the bucket before hand.

I must say Kathy you cracked me up with the hose change thing-- I don't like giving the dogs a dish of water from the hose. Something about them(hoses) baking in the sun during the day with left over water in it just doesn't seem very thirst quenching.

 

[BZOFIQ]

I must say Kathy you cracked me up with the hose change thing-- I don't like giving the dogs a dish of water from the hose. Something about them(hoses) baking in the sun during the day with left over water in it just doesn't seem very thirst quenching.

Most garden hoses for sale at HD have lead in them. Right there on the label it says so and it specifies it is not to be used for drinking water.

 

[jhale]

I'd really like to see some ammonia testing results for others who keep new SW sitting around for more than a few days. :scratch:

I'll let you know. I just made 50 gallons last night. I was going to use it today prior to dosing with copper. I tested the water and it was much cleaner than I thought, so I'm saving this new water in case there is a mini-cycle from the copper treatment. It might not get used for a while.

 

[House of Laughter]

Kathy,

I get that brown slimey film in my GREEN Brut container all the time and I use IO (like RD said, no salt hysteria needed).

I have found, that it's a precipitate of some sort - I NEVER leave my container open more then the time it takes to fill it with water from a separate RO/DI (covered) reservoir and addition of salt - I leave my salted water sometimes for 2 weeks with a pump running in it and use it to no ill effect. I shrugged the precipitate off to be some sort of alk build up on the walls of the container and cleant it once a year. Never had ill effects - been doing this for almost 1.5 yrs (never tested it for Ammonia either)

Hope you find out this mystery, but I would say it's the test kit before anything else. JMO

House

 

[KathyC]

Hey Jim, Interesting Can you do something,, test the water for ammonia (for the heck of it), but can you also run your hand along the slime and smell it? ..and maybe post the results of that please? :flirt:

Cathy how old is that kit that you used? Do you have any other kits to do a second test? Today 01:53 PM

Tim...not old at all, but API uses codes rather than dates, so I need to give them a yell on Monday for specifics. Considering that I got different readings when I tested different batches of water last night, I'd venture that they are fine. And yes, I already tossed the water but plan to run a test in the other Brute can over the course of the next week or 2 ..just a much smaller amount of water...

well she didn't specify length of time, so boo!:tongue1:

Killer...lol, you're funny The time varies, from a day to weeks or more.

If you dont dry out your container well, after using it. Mold spores will form if it does not dry fast enough. Or worse yet if you cover it without first drying it, Especially if it is stored in a basement.
I go through this all the time with my employees, that just think the board of health wants us to do it to be a PITA.
Try cleaning your pail with vinegar or bleach, and rinse it weel, dry it well, with paper towels, and then dry it every time after use with paper towels.
However there will always be some mold in r.o. lines. The world is not a sterile place....
JMO

Chemchef-- good info for all to have
Yes, I clean them and dry them. Even after they are dry, they either go out onto the deck in the yard to dry some more, or if the weather is bad, I turn them on their side and put a fan (yes, I turn it on...lol) in front of them..and I do cover them afterwards..most of the time.

Has anyone tested their fresh SW??

 

[NYPDFrogman]

I too like Jim use IO reef crystals and have gotten the same brown slime
might be the result of the anti caking agent they use???
been doing this for years never had a problem.

 

[emmanuel]

I use reefcrystals and also get the brown slime only if i leave the water in the bucket for more than 3 days not really sure how many days but since i noticed this was happening I mix the salt the day before the water change . For what its worth I am almost positive when I would let the water sit in the bucket for more than 3 days and it would get the brown slime my tank would also look worst after a water change I would get a brown film on the tank.

 

[autoponicz]

ok now you got me running to the bucket to check the mixed water....its been circulating in the gararge for almost 2 weeks now since i broke down my tank...
i have no brown film at all...just a little condensation ...tested and got 0 ammo.
i am using seachem marine salt.

 

[Domboski]

I've been extremely busy at work lately and missed my last water change. The water had been all ready to go, about 30+ gallons stored in a Brute pail, to be used in my 120 and 33 cube. I'd guess it's been sitting there for about the past 7 or 8 days.

I have 2 Brute cans and alternate use of them due to frequently finding a brown film in them when I wash them out after using them.

have you tried scrubbing out the container and letting it dry for a week or more?

Killer...lol, you're funny The time varies, from a day to weeks or more.

I'm You implied that fresh SW sitting in the can for 7-8 days was unusual for you but then you said the cans may sometimes sit for days to weeks drying. Considering you have two cans, sitting for days would imply you either conduct multiple water changes a week or you wait quite some time before cleaning the cans after use.

Based on what you've posted so far, if a can only sits for days drying before use that would mean you used it swiftly after cleaning. Unless of course you are running water changes more than once a week.

I'm curious because I use my cans swiftly after cleaning them. Maybe this is not enough time? How long was the latest can left to dry after cleaning? How often do you run water changes?

Sorry for all of the questions but I have been really stressing with keeping parameters in balance. My tank is one that doesn't seem to do well right after a water change. I have tested the freshly made RO/DI water before I add salt and after and all parameters checked out fine

 

[aaron23]

ah boy... i guess that's why the salt water i mixed and left sitting for 4 months during the summer was not clear (cloudy) and i still used it... oh well :tongue1:

 

[NaCl H20]

I wanted to add one more possibility for those that don't have a absolutely tightly covered container (power cords running in/out) and keep their containers in a basement or garage: Bugs. I've noticed the occasional spider, fly or potato bug etc. near or drowned in a container of water (top-off or SW). (Not that I have bugs all over the basement) but insects seeking out water somehow find their way to the containers and/or possibly my 24hr lit refugium sump. They sometimes get in there and foul the water.

I've also had that brown slime issue too using Tropic Marin in a grey opaque rubbermaid with heater and airline venturi powerhead. Now I just make it as needed the day before and have not had the brown slime issue.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[mray]

Hey Kathy, just wondering... did you test some your tank's water with the same test kit so that you can be certain that it's not a faulty test kit?