Vinegar in DI water experiment

[MatroxD]

Hello, just wondering if anyone else has tried this.

As a quest to gt water free from pathogens, cysts, etc, that the ionization/deionization process does not remove after extensive carbon filters(Matrikx cyst and other carbon filters), I am wondering if anyone has tried regular vinegar in their di water? I have done a bit of reading, and on top of the normal thing of vinegar lowering the ph and reacting with the carbonates once you mix the salt, I am wondering if anyone has tried this.

I read that 1/4 cup to a gallon of water is great as a bactericide around the house, and that for years, it has been used to treat different bacterial issues, but I am wondering if using it say, in small quantities or reduced quantities, can control the proliferation of the bacteria in your "source" water only.

As a side note, does anyone know where food grade hydrogen peroxide can be purchased?

Thanks..

[rmalone]

Really? 1/4 cup of vinegar per gallon of water is going drop ph big time and you will need to neutralize that acidity with a base. I have used about half that amount of vinegar to drop ph for petunias, 2oz into well water with a alkalinity of 300ppm bicarbonate get you to a ph of about 5, and an alkalinity of close to zero ppm.

Overall, bad idea IMO. What pathogens are you worried about killing? Nothing in your tank will live with that low of a ph and alk. So you would only be trying to kill pathogens in your source water and then dragging the alk and ph back up to a usable level in your tank. So unless something troublesome is coming from your source water you gain nothing, besides an exercise in alkalinity depletion and replacement.

If you add top off water or water change water with that much vinegar you will create a bacteria bloom that will almost certainly kill everything, assuming the drop in alk and ph doesn't kill them first. The problem is that you are adding a huge carbon load to the water which will feed bacteria, and create a bacteria bloom. You do not want one, trust me, been there, it's scary at best.

[MatroxD]

No, LOL, I was going to do it at much lower doses, like 1-10 ml at most per gallon of water. It shouldn't take much, and I didn't want to add enough to drop the ph. The 1/4 cup/gallon, I just threw that in there for reference.

But yes, that was my concern also with the carbonate interaction and to basically add only a little. The reason I was thinking about it, is because recently(about two months ago), I had to dose my main tank which I really, really hated doing, but it needed to be done due to ich coming in when I purchased my first fish for this system. This is actually, something that followed me from my last tank as far as an occurance and honestly I am sick of it.

I wasn't doing quarantine then(but you bet I am now) and pretty much everything got wiped out. Luckily, I turned off my Nitrate/Sulfur reactor, and throughout the time that it was off, the water that was in the two tubes had a chance to really, really get going to the point of it now taking care of nitrates "and" phosphates.

I was talking to my wife though this morning and she mentioned that all while she has known me, that I never had this problem until I switched salts on my previous tank and BAM! I checked my logs and sure enough, it coincided with that, so I am not sure as that would be a very strange occurance.

However, now, in my RO/DI unit, I have it pretty much maxed with good prefilters specifically for high concentration removal and also as I mentioned the cyst and other bacteria removal. I was thinking of doing this just as an "extra precaution", and now, I do whatever I can to make sure that water is as pure as it can be, but even at that, there is still something in there even after the six stages of my unit. That is just the nature of it, but then again, I could be noided also. But I do know, that once I added those carbon blocks I am using now, I haven't had an outbreak whatsoever. I also am feeding the spectrum food, which seems to keep things in check(I think) with the fish and it's making them grow like crazy..

But it was just a precautionary thought and before I did it, I wanted to see if anyone else had expirmented with it.

Thanks for the response and if you have any other input, I would most definately appreciate it..

[lakeviewink]

I dose 8-10ml daily as a carbon source and also add 10ml to my 7.5g top-off kalkwasser. The small slow additions have very little effect because of the kalk keeping pH up, I believe. Every test I've done, no matter what time of day, has been between 8.0-8.4pH.

I worked slowly up to 20ml of vinegar to get the bacterial load I wanted then cut it in half for maintaining. I just watch my Nitrates and do water changes. Everything seems to be growing well and have great coloration.

I don't think small doses of vinegar will hurt but also I have no idea its effect as far as a bactericide for RO/DI. Sorry I can't be more help.

[rmalone]

I think to acheive any antimicobial/anti pathogen benefit, would require huge amounts of vinegar, mainly because those benefits come as a result of the ph drop. As stated some of use vinegar to encourge bacterial growth, because its a carbon source.

[MatroxD]

Interesting... But now I am sort of afraid and I believe I will probably just leave it be, as everything is going well. It was just a thought that I think for me at least needs to be kept just as that.

[on the spot]

curious thing, not using RO in an abundant water state.

You having trouble with your water? or paranoid?

I haven't heard of a water borne pathogen that will make it through a RO membrane.

[BlackGrandPrix]

Only place I have found is rebekahs pure living in lapeer

Originally Posted by MatroxD

Hello, just wondering if anyone else has tried this.

As a quest to gt water free from pathogens, cysts, etc, that the ionization/deionization process does not remove after extensive carbon filters(Matrikx cyst and other carbon filters), I am wondering if anyone has tried regular vinegar in their di water? I have done a bit of reading, and on top of the normal thing of vinegar lowering the ph and reacting with the carbonates once you mix the salt, I am wondering if anyone has tried this.

I read that 1/4 cup to a gallon of water is great as a bactericide around the house, and that for years, it has been used to treat different bacterial issues, but I am wondering if using it say, in small quantities or reduced quantities, can control the proliferation of the bacteria in your "source" water only.

As a side note, does anyone know where food grade hydrogen peroxide can be purchased?

Thanks..