Okay, so the dumbest question ever....

[linda lee]

The 250 gal RO water tank is in the garage and the water is sooooooooo very cold.

I bring 15 gals into the house and put it in a rubbermaid container for water changes, but it takes forever to heat it with a couple of titanium heaters.

Here's the dumb question:

Can a small portion of RO water be heated up in the microwave and added to the container until the temp comes up? I'd kind of like to do a water change tonight and can't wait hours.

Are microwaves harmful? What about warming up water on the stove?

 

[tnyga]

I believe that is an Ok thing to do yes

 

[wbholwell]

Because RO/DI water is so pure, it's possible to super heat the water above 100 deg. C without it boiling. Then it can spontaneously boil (think diet coke and mentos- very dangerous.) But since you won't be heating it that much, I would think you'd be okay.

 

[linda lee]

Thanks!

Will only be heating a couple quarts at a time and it won't stay in the microwave very long.

Just wanted to make sure microwaving wouldn't do something weird to the h2o molecules and either kill my tank or introduce radiation that might morph my livestock into creatures that would kill me in my sleep.

Water change time.

 

[linda lee]

Thanks, Barb!!!

I chickened out. Hauled in 5 gals, brought it up to temp with a heater and did a mini-change. I'll let the rest heat overnight and do a regular water change tomorrow.

I'm fighting a red slime algae problem right now. I have too much of everything in a 55g holding tank with inadequate flow, no real filtration and too much light. I stirred up too much junk trying to syphon it out and thought a water change might be critical due to a possible spike. Hope everything is still alive tomorrow night.

90g with sump this weekend... fingers crossed!

 

[linda lee]

BeesBaby;107344 wrote: Linda - don't mean to snag your thread, but been meaning to tell you I just love your avatar!

Thank you, and I yours!! Blue fish are awesome.

 

[dakota9]

Linda Lee;107366 wrote:

90g with sump this weekend... fingers crossed!

Call if you guys need any help, I'll bring my magnums....

 

[linda lee]

Dakota9;107369 wrote: Call if you guys need any help, I'll bring my magnums....

Well, I need to figure out how to get that skimmer.

Magnum<span style="font-size: 14px;">s</span>????? How many are you up to now???

 

[dakota9]

Linda Lee;107370 wrote: Well, I need to figure out how to get that skimmer.

Magnum<span style="font-size: 14px;">s</span>????? How many are you up to now???

Just the two....... Hot Mag, and a 350.



Thinkin about buying a third to keep in the truck for emergencies (j/k of coarse)

 

[xyzpdq0121]

Hey linda, I put mine on the stove to boil... works like a charm when I do not feel like running heaters in my RO water...

 

[stroid]

Linda a good way to get water to an acceptable temperature is to fill a bath tub about 2-3" then put your container in there. the water will adjust to the temp in the tub in about 30 min....depends on how cold the water is. Ive done this and it works great and there is no watching, or overheating.

 

[xyzpdq0121]

I thought Rit was crazy for dumping pool CA directly in his sump but his results speak for themselves. I must admit, I do not wait for my saltwater to "age" before I put it in. I have never had a problem. Rumor has it that it releases some sort of acid if you do not let it age, I have had no ill effects that I can note but I would not recommend it to anyone because I do not want to be the one to nuke someone's tank if it goes wrong!

 

[skriz]

if you're that worried about the water "exploding", you can heat up some tank water and add it to the fresh ro to bring it up to temp. since you'll only be adding a small amount, it won't matter.

however, I have microwaved my ro water many times without any issue.

like Rit, I don't heat my water for water changes. I only let it age for about an hour max. never had any issues.

 

[victor626nj]

Skriz;107457 wrote: if you're that worried about the water "exploding", you can heat up some tank water and add it to the fresh ro to bring it up to temp. since you'll only be adding a small amount, it won't matter.

however, I have microwaved my ro water many times without any issue.

like Rit, I don't heat my water for water changes. I only let it age for about an hour max. never had any issues.

only the hair algea

 

[skriz]

Victor626nj;107460 wrote: only the hair algea

haha! :lol2: yeah, except that came with the rock, not from the water change!

 

[dakota9]

Xyzpdq0121;107438 wrote: I have never had a problem. Rumor has it that it releases some sort of acid if you do not let it age, I have had no ill effects that I can note but I would not recommend it to anyone because I do not want to be the one to nuke someone's tank if it goes wrong!

That's why rumors and wivestails </em>persist in this hobby in great numbers! No one wants to be responsible for someone else's tank. Has anyone else deduced that half of the knowledge we share is actually folklore, the other half common sense.

 

[roland jacques]

Xyzpdq0121;107438 wrote: Rumor has it that it releases some sort of acid if you do not let it age, I have had no ill effects that I can note but I would not recommend it to anyone because I do not want to be the one to nuke someone's tank if it goes wrong!

Ive heard this about the caustic effects of instantly / freshly mixed saltwater also. I do believe their some truth to it. But have never read anything thing to support it. Whats the biggest water change you've done that way?

If you put a pump to circulate water while heating it, it seems to heat up more than twice as fast as without circulating water.

 

[flyingarmy]

reef1973;107403 wrote: You folks probably going to think that I'm nuts. Don't do what I always do with my water changes but I just want to share with you what I did with cold water.
I never heat my RO water. I just mixed the salt and pumped the water into the tank. Sometimes when the hydrometer read a little bit on the low side after the water change. I just dump a 3 or 4 cups of IO salt straight into the sump.

Rit..I do the same thing. I used to worry about the temp of the water, especially with smaller tanks. But with the 160 Cube it mix and pour. The water storage tank in the garage does get cold, 50-60 degs, so I might get a trough heater to keep the temps up some during the winter months.

 

[xyzpdq0121]

Roland Jacques;107511 wrote: Ive heard this about the caustic effects of instantly / freshly mixed saltwater also. I do believe their some truth to it. But have never read anything thing to support it. Whats the biggest water change you've done that way?

If you put a pump to circulate water while heating it, it seems to heat up more than twice as fast as without circulating water.

The largest water change I have ever done that way would be 20 gals into my 55 gal tank. No ill effects. Heck, I have even had a small salt rock or two fall directly on a coral will no ill effects. You know the more I think about it, the more I wonder if Rit's way is so bad. Lets say I needed to raise the SG of my tank a few points. If I just put a cup of salt into my sump, the flow is high and the salt should disolve over time with little to no problem. Hummmm....

Yes putting a pump in the water helps it heat up faster, so does covering the bucket you are trying to heat up.

 

[chicagoman_35]

FYI,
Aging the mixed salt water is primarily to raise the oxegen content to enable the PH to adjust to proper levels. If the content is too low the ph drops, this could cause issues with sensitive creatures. That said, if the volume changed is small (5-10%) this prolly won't be an issue. I personally perform larger volume changes
like 25-30% at a time and prefer not to risk it...