ro/di system question.

pfcreed

Member
My wife told me I can set aside 200 bucks for fishtank equipment :beer: The tank is allready set up but I only used tap water. At this point I have every form of algae imaginable in there along with a snail clean up crew, a clown fish, two emerald crabs and some live rock. its been running for around 3 months. I have a cannister filter with nothing but carbon inside and t5 lighting. I am truly on a tight budget and all this is more of an experiment so I have to do the best I can with what I have. Its 36 gallons. I wanted to get a RO/DI system. I was looking at the Mighty Might because I rent and I dont know much about plumbming. Any suggestions on another system that might be worth it or any experiences you have have with the mighty might. I read that it makes 50 gpd does that mean I have to leave the water running the entire day untill I have my 50 gallons. How much of that water would become waste water? does having this unit significantly increase your water bill?
 
I like the 75gpd 4 stage bulk reef supply unit. It's small enough to carry around and it's easy to attach and remove from the faucet. 50gpd would be significantly slower than the 75gpd that I have. If you work out the math, I'm getting about 3 gallons per hour which is taking 3 days to fill my 125 gallon because frankly I can't let it run while I'm sleeping or at work because I don't have an auto shutoff valve. It basically trickles out of the unit. All RO/DI units have a waste ratio and the one I have is 4:1 waste ratio. The other thing you want to look for is rejection percent meaning how much total dissolved solids it's taking out of the tap. Mine is 98% rejection rate which is pretty good.
 
The ratio of of waste water to usable water is usually 3 or 4 to 1.
So for every 50 gallons you produce 150-200 gallons go down the drain unless you use it to fill your washer or find another use for it.
Still a vital piece of equipment for a reef tank.
 
Your water bill will increase, but not really by that much given your system is on the small side. In my area, the total water/sewer charge is just over a penny per gallon of water. That means including my waste water, it costs me about 5 or 6 cents per gallon of RO/DI water. If you do a weekly 10% change on your 36g tank, you're seeing less than a $1 per month increase on your bill.

I bought the Bulk Reef Supply Stage 5+ system. It is great. It cost me $180 after I joined a group buy (check the Bulk Reef Supply forum on this site). It's very easy to "install" - which for me was using an adapter to connect to a standard bathroom faucet. All you do is unscrew the aerator on your faucet, and screw in the adapter. I did have to go to home depot and get another adapter (cost about $5), but the people Home Depot is very helpful if you bring your aerator and the fitting BRS supplies.
 
Your water bill will increase, but not really by that much given your system is on the small side. In my area, the total water/sewer charge is just over a penny per gallon of water. That means including my waste water, it costs me about 5 or 6 cents per gallon of RO/DI water. If you do a weekly 10% change on your 36g tank, you're seeing less than a $1 per month increase on your bill.

I bought the Bulk Reef Supply Stage 5+ system. It is great. It cost me $180 after I joined a group buy (check the Bulk Reef Supply forum on this site). It's very easy to "install" - which for me was using an adapter to connect to a standard bathroom faucet. All you do is unscrew the aerator on your faucet, and screw in the adapter. I did have to go to home depot and get another adapter (cost about $5), but the people Home Depot is very helpful if you bring your aerator and the fitting BRS supplies.

What are the actual benefits of 4 stage versus 5 and even 5+? They have all the names and what each stage is etc but honestly, that means very little to me.

Can anyone break it down in layman's terms?
 
Four stages is all you need.
Stage 1) Micron filter to remove particulate matter 1 to 10 micron
Stage 2) Carbon block to remove chlorine before water goes to the RO membrane. (chlorine can damage the membrane)
Stage 3) the RO membrane itself 95-98% rejection rate (meaning if you test the water after the membrane it should have 5% or 2% TDS of the source water)
Stage 4) De-Ionization resin (removes the remaining 2-5% of the TDS that made it past the RO membrane)

Sometimes a second DI chamber is added or a silicate remover but the above is what is a must.
 
He could need catalytic carbon if their water contains chloramines! I have a 5 stage unit for that reason.

To OP: Look at your local water report to see what's in your water and call Bulk Reef Supply. They will help you get exactly what you need.
 
Is the waste water drinkable, or is it so polluted that it isn't drinkable at all. i usually go thru a camel back a night so i could further justify the use. no matter what im going to be getting one today or tomorrow. i think the water and ice place has one where you can get a free tds meter. it seems like either way you need one.
 
I would NOT drink it. All the minerals/chemicals/stuff that is kicked out is going into that waste water.
 
No don't drink it. I mean it's no different than tap water that you drink all the time but I believe it's more condensed in the stuff that is filtered. However it is perfectly safe for plants and other things around your house. Another thing you can do is get a second membrane kit and piggy back dual membranes. That way all the waste water will go through another membrane before getting thrown out so your waste water is drastically reduced.
 
Four stages is all you need.
Stage 1) Micron filter to remove particulate matter 1 to 10 micron
Stage 2) Carbon block to remove chlorine before water goes to the RO membrane. (chlorine can damage the membrane)
Stage 3) the RO membrane itself 95-98% rejection rate (meaning if you test the water after the membrane it should have 5% or 2% TDS of the source water)
Stage 4) De-Ionization resin (removes the remaining 2-5% of the TDS that made it past the RO membrane)

Sometimes a second DI chamber is added or a silicate remover but the above is what is a must.

Thanks for the break-down. I live on a property that is serviced by a well-- we're the only users and the well's been tested for a whole slew of toxins (to humans) and they're all very very low. Naturally, though, being from a well it contains a host of minerals and such that are likely unwanted in a tank. I don't know how prevalent chlorine is naturally, but I really doubt we have any at all. Does the carbon filter still serve a purpose then? Or is it chlorine that just happens to be the big item it removes but also removes other chemicals?

Is the waste water drinkable, or is it so polluted that it isn't drinkable at all. i usually go thru a camel back a night so i could further justify the use. no matter what im going to be getting one today or tomorrow. i think the water and ice place has one where you can get a free tds meter. it seems like either way you need one.

If the ratio is 3-4 to 1 gallon, that means you have 3-4 times the toxins and dissolved solids in your waste water so I agree with the others that this would seem a bad idea. With that said, you can still use this water if you want... I use my waste water on the garden. A lot of those solids are things plants LIKE. Things such a chlorine etc will evap naturally and have no ill-effect on the long term of plants....terrestrial, just to be sure, not those in your tank :hmm1:

I will have to get a more detailed test of our well water. Being in the DRY west in Colorado, water usage must be managed responsibly. Thankfully, I have loads of uses for my waste water but I need to determine if I need any extra stages besides four.
 
What are the actual benefits of 4 stage versus 5 and even 5+? They have all the names and what each stage is etc but honestly, that means very little to me.

Can anyone break it down in layman's terms?

What Uncle Salty said is correct. The Stage 5 system from BRS adds a second, finer carbon block to the system to get rid of more junk before it gets to the RO membrane. That is the only functional difference - everything else is just "toys." Their stage 5 system also gives you a nicer faucet adapter and an auto shutoff valve.

Stage 5 plus adds on a Dual TDS meter which will help you determine when you need to replace the RO membrane and DI resin. It also includes a pressure gauge, which helps you know when you need to replace the sediment filter. It also includes a flush kit.

Their Stage 6 system adds a dual RO membrane, a float valve (useful if you want to automate your system), a better TDS monitor, and a filter monitor.

It seems the general consensus is that the stage 6 is a bit overkill for most people, and the stage 5+ tends to be best bang for the buck. In reality, anything is better than tap water...
 
Or is it chlorine that just happens to be the big item it removes but also removes other chemicals?

Bingo. Sometimes with a well you want two sediment filters, one a large one, like 10 micron, and the second a small one, like one micron. That's so they don't clog as fast. You may already (probably) have a whole-house sediment filter anyway. But you have no chlorine or chloramines to deal with. A second DI chamber is useless unless you don't pay attention to your system and TDS, then it kicks in when the first is exhausted.

Air Water Ice, Buckeye Field Supply and The Filter Guys are also sponsors here, you may want to check them as well.

Jeff
 
I ordered mine from bulk reef supply. I got in on a group buy and payed $180 for the 5 stage plus 75 gpd system. I did add on the watersaver for another $54, which brings water production to 150 gpd and gives you a 1 to 1 ro/di to waste water ratio. You do have to have the water pressure to run it though. If saving water is important to you you can get the standard 5 stage in a group buy for $144 then the $54 for the watersaver and you will get under your $200 allotment.
 
No don't drink it. I mean it's no different than tap water that you drink all the time but I believe it's more condensed in the stuff that is filtered. However it is perfectly safe for plants and other things around your house. Another thing you can do is get a second membrane kit and piggy back dual membranes. That way all the waste water will go through another membrane before getting thrown out so your waste water is drastically reduced.

Drinking it may depend on your water to start with. If your local water is already low in contaminates and total solides say around 50 then your waste water will be in the 100 plus tds range once it is to the drain. Some area start with tds in to 200 plus range, so in some cases your waste water may be purer than some peoples tap water.
 
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