Are any of you familiar with these products

[bginop]

I just had a quick question about these products and any advice you could offer me.

These are the products below:

poly filter

Phosban

phosphate sponge

I am interested in these products because I want to find a solution to the tap water issues here in Arizona. Of course, I am aware that I should buy a RO unit, but those are expensive, and if this alternative works then I can use this for now.

 

[fishaholic911]

I have had luck with phosphate filter but I can say it will be cheaper to buy R.O. water as the filer needs to be changed every 2 days and it cost 9.99. R.O cost about .50 a gallon and if you do a 20 gallon water change every month it will cost 10 bucks. The filter method would be 150 bucks. These products are for last resort until problem is solved

 

[fishaholic911]

I am sorry you get 2 pads for 9.99 so it would cut cost to 75.00 a month

 

[cerreta]

I have been using the phosban in a reactor for quite some time now. The media works better if placed in the reactor vs just placing it in a media bag.

However, I'm not sure if it would do much for tap water, in means of purification. There are a lot of other metals and nutrients in tap water that will not be absorbed by phosban.

As another option, you can buy water at a Glacier water machine in front of Fry's and Albertson's stores.

I have tested this water to have 0 Phosphates and a TDS of 4ppm. It is a commercial RO unit with UV, far better than most home units, but without the DI cartridge.

The cost is 25 cents / gallon. You can also stick 7gallon water jugs in this machine.

 

[Sk8r]

Polyfilter is particularly good for when metals have gotten into your tank. It pulls contaminants. It works for metals the way carbon works for biologicals.

And it can do for regular water treatment, but IMHO, nothing beats ro/di, for cost-effectiveness and convenience. I've never used phosban, but it's good if you're up to your ears in algae, so I've heard.

You can hook one up to any cold water source. And you know at that point that you aren't subject to somebody else's maintenance.

 

[phlipper84]

I have used polyfilters dating back 15 years ago. They are bascially the filtration pads out of a dialysis machine. Extremely good at removing everything. Way back when I was told they were good for a month. However, with today's emphasis on cleaner water, it probably needs to be changed more frequently.
RO is really not that expensive, it is the initial purchase that is the drag. It is the same problem almost every fish-keeper starts off with. It is the " I don't want to spend money on something I can't see." Of course, they spend a long time trying to band-aid their problems. I was on the tapwater routine for a long time. However, I think that the water in town may be being treated at the moment with higher quantities of something that produces phosphates in the pursuit of "cleaner" water out of the tap. It caught up with me when all of a sudden everything started looking like cr*p. I am now changing 20 gallons of water every 2-3 days in an effort to reduce the phosphates. Lot of work, lot of money.