Slimy ATO and RO water ??

[gregzz4]

I'm new to keeping SW, as many of you know ...

My RO water has never been slimy, but my ATO is
My 10g ATO tank, that I top up manually, is developing slime
It sometimes pumps slime into my DT ...
The pieces of slime float around my DT until they either are removed by the overflow, or are shredded by the pumps
My ATO has a maxijet 900 and it keeps the water well mixed

I've read on the web about others having the same issues but no one has ever stated whether it is an issue or not ...

I may have contaminated my ATO holding tank by rinsing my hands in it ( I know ... stupid me )

It was too easy for me to rinse my fingers in it after playing in my DT

I will clean it out and not rinse my hands in it again, but I see many people on the web with similar complaints about slimy RO water

Has anyone ever dealt with slimy ATO water ?

How can we keep our ATO water clean ????

[11purewater]

If its a slime that looks like egg whites it's from your RO.You'll need to sanitize your system.It's a biofilm from the water supply,harmless but gross.i see a lot of that here.

[tang daddy]

It's best to always keep the ato resivoir away from light and have a lid, do you remember me suggesting that you also add an air wand for oxygenation. This also acts as a skimmer bubbling debri and other scum to the surface and eventually adheres it to the side of the tank. This way you could wipe the residue off the glass with a clean napkin or cloth....

I hope what I am saying registers if not let me know and I can clarify in more detail!

[gregzz4]

Ya the bubbler idea makes perfect sense
I actually get that in my return area sometimes

Thanks guys

[scherzo]

I used to have slime. in my ATO.

I now have a tight lid to stop anything from falling into the tank and I also bleached and rinsed the 10 gallon ATO tank and all of the things that touch the water.

This seems to keep things at bay.

My ATO has a float switch that is attached to my RO/DI unit. I turn it on when I have about 1/4 of the tank left so that I don't have the problem of really short bursts of making water.

I have a powerhead which I also sterilized that runs when my ATO pump turns on. This helps keep things moving.

Have you checked the TDS of your ATO water? I try and put 0 TDS water into my tank for ATO water.

Having said all of this, when I was putting in slime water in my tank I didn't have any NEW problems. Even after I improved the quality of water I used I still had an GHA problem.

[gregzz4]

Thanks for the thoughts

The TDS is 0. I always flush my RO membrane until the output is 0 before I let it run into the storage drum
My powerhead runs 24/7 pointing up from the bottom, but it's obviously not enough
The slime is probably nothing to worry about but it can't hurt to try and stop it

I'm going to scrub the tank and try Chris' suggestion with an air wand
And I'll have to get into the habit of wiping the glass before refilling

[PurpleMonkey]

Greg, have you thought about blacking out the tank?

I use a black bucket with a lid that I can close and no slime problems

[gregzz4]

I could if I had to, and may try it if the air doesn't do the trick

[Nano]

Thanks for the reminder! My ato reservoir is empty :P

[scherzo]

Your TDS coming out of your RO is probably 0 but is it 0 in the reservoir? I found that when I had slime in my ATO reservoir it would go up.

[gregzz4]

Hmm, I'll have to test it