RO/DI units.....a necessity????

sentencedme

New member
I'm going to fill up my tank, 120 gallon, with tap water for a FOWLR and a few inverts (hermits, emeralds). I will use the water conditioner and a skimmer with it, so will I need a RO/DI unit for this set up???? People have told me I don't need it but some recommended it....Any help is appriciated..

Thanks
 
I have a 140 gallon setup with 650 watts of halides on top and go through a gallon a day of evap. I WANT an ro/di unit but can't right now so I get fresh ro/di form the store every week and have an auto top off unit. Heaving water around is fine for me since I like the workout but for some an ro/di unit is much more effective and easier and cheaper in the long run.

Point is you don't need it but it would make your life easier so if you can get one go for it.
 
Unless you have absolutly phosphate, silicia, nitrate, flouride free tap water then you dont need one. However i doubt anyone does now adays. If your planning a set up that big i would highly suggest you get an ro unit. Believe me the last thing you want to be doing a month down the road is harvesting fistfulls of green hair algea.
 
depends where you go. it does add up but I live in a one bedroom condo right now with my sweetheart and a 140 gallon reef, and her bunny.........

I can't wait for an ro/di unit but space is an issue for me right now. I get my water around here for less than $4 for 5 gallons but your right at fancier "better quality" stores yes it's about 5. If you have a place and the money at the moment for an ro/di then do it. But don't skimp on it, do it right.
 
I filled my 140 with hose water, cured it, but rhough a skimmer on there that can powerhouse a 250 and the best fuge cheato setup I have ever done. I have 0 algea. I did through the cycle but that was normal.

I went though that hair algea case with a 75 gallon. DISASTER!

Anyway I don't cure tap water for evap or saltwater for my tank. I heave it from the store which is made from an ro/di unit. BeesGoneWild is right on the money about tap, it contains too many unknowns and minerals.
 
How is the set up work.....do i need constant feed from the tap...I'm a bit clueless about this issue. I do have a couple of overflows on my tank and will drain them through sock filter into my 30 gallon sump...Skimmer inside, and pump returning it back.... If there needs to be a constant feed....I don't have a sink next to the tank.....How can I set it up???
 
i have a faucet adapter for mine, i hook it up ( ten seconds) make water, then put it away. adapter is about ten bucks. i use my unit to make ro water for drinking as well. managment might like the free "bottled water" idea. i bought a cheap water cooler, made mama happy.
 
Get one you will be happier with the end results and avoid many impurities added to the tank with tap water.
 
Thanks....how many stages does it need???? Are there any particular brands out there that may suit my tank..??? How is Aqua???
 
A good RO/DI unit will be some of the best money you will ever spend in this hobby. I have tried it all and can say that with all certainty.
 
i'm really happy with my filterguys unit. there product is really well built, plus there customer service is great. give them a call before u buy a unit
 
At a minimum, get a RO unit if funds are real tight. That will take care of 95% of the water issues. You can add the DI unit later.

Most local public water is horrid for a reef. Be safe!
 
After I run the water to fill up the tank do I need to keep schedule of how many times I run the afterwards....Or that's just it....no more filtering???
 
EUREKA......How does going to a hardware store such as Menards and purchasing purified water for about .69 a gallon....filling the tank and adding salt...???
 
I put RO/DI water right up at the top of the list of must haves.
You may be licky enough to have decent tap water but probably not. even if it is good drinking water does not mean it is reef quality water.
When buying an RO/DI unit don't fall into the number of stages game. the number is irrelevant, its what is contained ih each stage that matters. For RO only you need 3 and RO/DI you need 4. 5, 6 or 7 stages doesn't mean a hill of beans if they are things like granular activated carbon (like the Aqua which I would not recommend) or a post RO drinking water taste and odor cartridge.
Some of the units I will recommend here also use multiple carbon blocks which research has shown are not really necessary but for the price and quality they would still be a best buy in my book.

www.spectrapure.com - MaxCap - By far the best RO/DI unit on the planet.

www.buckeyefieldsupply.com - 75 GPD Premium - Great unit and very affordable including all the bells and whistles to get you up and running. The only thing I would add is an autoshutoff valve.

www.thefilterguys.biz - Ocean Reef +1 - Great unit also. I would probably opt for a handheld TDS meter over the inline variety as they are more accurate but to each his own.

www.melevsreef.com - Reefkeeper- Very good quality. Marc is a frequent contributor to RC and a very knowledgable individual. This is the only 100 GPD system I would recommend but it is because it uses a different brand of RO membrane not the 100 GPD Dow which i would not recommend.

www.airwaterice.com - Typhoon III- One of the most popular units for years.

www.purelyh2o.com - Optima series - there are several 75 GPD versions in the Optima series depending on how you intend to use it. Some are easily automated others are more basic.

Whatever you get, buy yourself a good handheld TDS meter as you will use it a lot and come to depend on it.
 
One of the best attributes of having your own RO/DI filter and a couple of rubbermaid brute trashcans to store water in is never having to go buy water and lug it home. HUGE CONVENIENCE!
 
i first set up my 36 gallon tank with tap water and water conditioner. I had all kinds of algae outbreaks such as green hair and, cyano. i then did about a 25 percent water change with ro/di water. then did regular water changes with the ro/di water. now everything is doing great. i recommend purchasing one for the water changes and top off's.
 
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