RO/DI system a must have???

[Bedroomgangsta]

Either way youre probably better of with an RODI unit depending on what the TDS is in your LFS water and how much you pay for it.

 

[jeffesaurusrex]

I was more worried about the fact that I have chlorinated it. I know chlorine will wipe out my whole tank. Chlorinating a well involves dumping a good amount of chlorine bleach into the well and cycling it with a hose.

But it would encourage me to change water a lot more often if I didn't have to put a deposit on the container every time and pay 20 bucks for 40 gallons of water... Then make another trip to bring the container back. It's a big pain.

This unit would work fine, I could change the media and membranes to higher quality ones later? http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=380326615149&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

 

[doctorgori]

I dunno rain water does work in a pinch ... I'm sure others might have a different experience, but some killifish entusiast swear by it
,,and even here in the rust belt it ain't all that "toxic" ...I cudda swore it metered out at 0 ms last time i chk'd

,,,a rain collection sys is under $100, no waste, no filters to change, lil on going cost

 

[maynardjames]

get at least a 75 gpd unit. not much more then a 50 & more efficent

 

[Bnortz]

Get one and don't turn back, you won't regret it

 

[thelizardkin]

Places like home depot and lowes sells them for alot cheaper than lfs

 

[Master Kyle 297]

Ok just to get everything straight, what is EVERYTHING that the RO/DI system needs to remove from tap water so when I go to home depot or lowes I know what to look for a system that does what I need it to do

 

[orion251]

The waste water could be an issue since it will increase your water bill. But, my RO/DI is mounted by my washing machine. I put the waste line in the washer until it is about 2/3 full then I move the line to the washer drain and wash clothes. I am using a large percentage of the waste to wash clothes............

I think I pay around $8 for every 1000 gallons of water I use. The RO/DI is not costing me enough to worry about since I go through about 60g of top off and WC water a month, but it makes me feel better by using the waste for something useful........

 

[orion251]

Ok just to get everything straight, what is EVERYTHING that the RO/DI system needs to remove from tap water so when I go to home depot or lowes I know what to look for a system that does what I need it to do

Don't bother with HD or Lowes. The filter cartridges they use are not "standard" so you will pay more over the long run.

I have THIS ONE.

Or you could save some cash and get THIS ONE. The plus version has a pressure gauge and a TDS meter which are both nice to have.

 

[Master Kyle 297]

ok i might consider one of those

 

[Buckeye Hydro]

Here are some things to look for in a good system for this hobby:

No more than 4 stages (sediment, carbon, RO, DI) unless you have specific water quality issues you want to address
Standard-sized prefilters, membrane, and DI cartridge
Brand name, high-rejection membrane
Specifications provided for each stage
Pressure gauge after the prefilters and before the membrane
Thermometer
TDS meter (handheld or in-line)
DI bypass
Vertical DI stage
Refillable DI cartridge
Aluminum bracket
Quick connect fittings
No water from pressurized storage container delivered to DI
Flush valve
Clear housings
High-quality instructions written in clear English
Customer support before, during, and after your purchase
A vendor involved in your hobby

Russ

 

[kcinnick]

You don't have to have one, my first couple of reefs were done with tap water and were quite successful.

I now use a RO unit for my reef.

Whatever you do, don't buy water, the cost of water will quickly equal the cost of a RO unit.

 

[disc1]

You don't have to have one, my first couple of reefs were done with tap water and were quite successful.

That is completely relative. How do you know anything about the quality of someone else's tap water?

 

[Crypsis]

What type of corals are you wanting to keep? My first few reef tanks back in the 90's were soft coral only and I never used anything but de-chlorinated tap water.

Depending on what's in your tap water you might be better off saving your money if all your going to keep is hardy soft corals.

Now I keep mainly SPS and live in a dirty city so I use RODI because it gives me peace of mind.

My first RODI was a water General off ebay which I used for two years till I
started feeling bad for wasting so much water. I think the rejection ratio was
1:4-1:5

Now I'm using a Reef Miser from The Filter Guys, who I highly recommend. Because the water pressure is so low down here in nola, I also had to add a booster pump.

My rejection ratio is 1:1(tested five gallon buckets) and I pipe all the wast water out to my koi pond which acts as a slow water change.

 

[SpencerG]

lol - we do have some dirty water down here in the Big Easy. I don't think there's a filter big enough to take out all the runoff and waste from the Mississippi River basin. There are phosphates and nitrates in the tap water, and the pressure is around 42 psi (old pipes with lots of leaks). RODI is a must.

Depending on where you are in Texas, you may have pretty hard water. I'm wondering if you could get too much mineral buildup if you use tap water. Check with some reefers in your area, but I bet they're all using RODI units. Good luck!

 

[dwarf_angels31]

I agree with kcinnick..my reef is just fine with tap..just depends on where its from...just because everyone else feels stuck up about ro-di doesn't mean all tap water is bad. I would like to see some pics of the people on rc that use ro-di water..I bet most of them look just fine.

 

[Crypsis]

I would like to see some pics of the people on rc that use ro-di water..I bet most of them look just fine.

Like head shots or what are we talking here?

 

[frank2926]

It all depends WHAT is in your water source, and what you plan on keeping.
There are some places that have very good water with very low TDS.
If that is the case, then you can go without an RODI unit.

IMO I would NOT do a reef tank without one. Even if others are doing it successfully I would not risk it. The cost of an RODI unit is small comparatively in this hobby.

Good read on the subject here. http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2004/1/chemistry

 

[nuclearheli]

+1 for RO and your reef tank.

Also, be sure to run an extra line for your drinking water.... better than what you'll find in the bottles at the gas station

But don't drink it. You can cook with it, that's a great idea.

The downside to reverse osmosis as a method of purifying drinking water is the removal of healthy, naturally occurring minerals in water. The membrane of a reverse osmosis system is impermeable to natural trace minerals. These minerals not only provide a good taste to water, but they also serve a vital function in the body's system. Water, when stripped of these trace minerals, can actually be unhealthy for the body.

There is a ton of information on drinking RO water. After careful research we stopped using it for drinking water long ago. Conditioned water is better. Of course we have a 300' deep well, no chlorine and the last test showed pristine water.

I still use RO water for my tank. Another consideration you need to take into account when using RO water. RO water is also completely void of CO2 and acts like a sponge for CO2 when used in your tank. Take a cup of RO water and measure the pH. Let it sit for an hour and measure it again. It should fall pretty low, in the 6 to 7 range providing of course your indoors and have CO2 which probably everyone does. Just to be aware, when I do larger water changes on my 220 I always experience a significant pH drop for several days after the change until it finally stabilizes and comes back up.

 

[Buckeye Hydro]

Hmm. We'll respectfully disagree with the prior post.

RO (not DI) is fine for drinking.

RO water can contain significant CO2 - it passes through the membrane and unfortunately, eats up the capacity of the DI resin.