Using Glacier Water Machines for tank?

AndtheBonus

Member
So I was at Publix today and saw outside the store a Glacier water machine. It is 39 Cents a Gallon. It shows on the front of the machine what filters it goes through before dispensing the water. It goes through about 5 filters I think. One of them being an RO filter and another one being a UV sterilizer. I forgot the others but none of them were DI filters. Would this be ok to use in the tank. All I have been using so far in the tank has been RO/DI from the LFS but this is soooo much cheaper, cutting the price more then half! Would this be okay water to use inside the tank?? I would really like to go this way if at all possible. I have 150g mix of instant ocean sitting around for a few months now and I would like to start using it and mixing my own water so I can get a SG reading that I want.

All comments are welcome!
 

SJS

Member
If you are going to buy water from anywhere invest in a TDS meter (total dissolved solids). Test the water for chlorine etc before mixing it with salt. You dont know how often they change their filter cartridges. I would bet that there are plenty of machines out there that dont have filters, despite what they say!
If at all possible, get your own RO/DI - check out e-bay and the sponsors here. Over the life of your tank it will save you money - and time...
 

AndtheBonus

Member
See the thing is though that I only have a 24 gallon tank so right now buying the water for water changes doesn't cost too much. But I would like to go cheaper if at all possible because everything else is skyrocketing in price. I guess I should start looking into RO/DI filters but right now I want to get an ATO first then the RO/DI. So for now I am going to have to buy the water.
 

chriswho

Member
I use glacier water in my tank, but I don't have a TDS so I can't tell you for sure whether or not it's the best. I think I'm going to take a sample to the fish store this next friday, since I have to go that way anyways.
 

AndtheBonus

Member
Ok great! Is good to hear from somebody using it. Have you had any problems? Any excess algae or anything to be concerned of? Or does everything look normal?
 

chriswho

Member
I have had some brown algae growth. I once used Culligan water from a local grocery, and I suspect that their filters were bad, because I had a dyno outbreak. I should have known... There was sediment built up around the faucet. Since I switched to Glacier I've had some brown algae, but it's hard for me to say whether or not it's the dyno's coming back. This could be due to alot of factors tho. Not enough rock, insufficient cleaning crew, etc...
 

cbrownfish

Well-Known Member
Unless you get a zero TDS reading, I would avoid use of this water. DI is the largely responsible for filtering out the final traces of harmful trace minerals, Phosphatesm etc.

Recently there was an article on Yahoo (I think yahoo) that discussed all of the bottled water that we buy and they showed that much of it is barely different than our tap water. At one time, I used distilled water from the grocery store and that registered a zero on my TDS meter. Go with distilled if you can find RO/DI from a fellow reef keeper or an LFS.
 

BigAl07

Administrator
RS STAFF
For all the time and $$ you already have invested in your system I wouldn't leave the more critical part of your system (the water) to chance. As mentioned before you're relying on someone else to hold up their end of the bargain and change the filters as required. what if it's employee A's time to change the filter and he/she is sick that day. No one else knows this and the filters aren't changed until the NEXT cycle.

I think that not having your own RO/DI unit leaving WAY to much of your system to chance.

good luck :)
 

MatthewJ

Member
I just bought the Typhoon III from them using the discount. Good stuff. I have a pretty small tank and won't be using it for drinking, so if you're in my area (Des Moines) I can probably help you out. Once I figure out how and where to install the thing.
 

BEELZEBOB

Well-Known Member
that stuff is risky.

they change the filters at my local grocery MAYBE once a year?

not fit for Bob's tank illa tellya whut
 

lcstorc

Well-Known Member
They are really pretty easy to hook up. Our first one was a small unit run off of the kitchen sink and now have a much larger unit that splits off of the washing machine. Basically anywhere you already have water it is easy to add.
 

Jake

Member
When I started my tank back up I used the water from the Publix machine. The unit at this store was frequently serviced every few weeks. I checked the water quality at my LFS several times and they were surprized how good it was. I also planned my water changes around the last service date which was shown on the LED.

However, all that said.... get your own RO/DI unit as soon as possible. The store machine potentially has lots of room for errors dependant upon the location and service of the particular machine.

Also, since it doesn't have DI as a finishing filter you still are not at zero TDS. When I went to DI, it was a noticable improvement.... any initial startup hair algae went away.

Water quality and lighting are two of the main ingredients of this hobby so you will want to use the best you can get.

Good luck, I went with Water General RO/DI 6 stage unit and they were very helpful with cust service as well.
 

AndtheBonus

Member
Ya from everyone's advice I am staying far away from the machines! LOL until I find an RO/DI that I like, which shouldn't be tooo long I am going to keep using the RO/DI from the LFS. But ya I guess it is def. worth it in the long run to get your own RO/DI, its MUCH cheaper!

Lynn do you remember the name of your first RO/DI that you had that hooked right up to your sink?
 

kob

New Member
If you are going to buy water from anywhere invest in a TDS meter (total dissolved solids). Test the water for chlorine etc before mixing it with salt. You dont know how often they change their filter cartridges. I would bet that there are plenty of machines out there that dont have filters, despite what they say!
If at all possible, get your own RO/DI - check out e-bay and the sponsors here. Over the life of your tank it will save you money - and time...


I work for GW.

Filters are changed 30 Days or as needed. (I change all of mine every visit, even if they dont need it) The system/machine will shut down if they are not changed after 30 Days, the computer in the machine knows. Some machines depending on what state they are in are subject to inspection, so you can guarantee we are doing our job.
 
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