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View Full Version : How many of you nano reefers use RO/DI?


cherubfish pair
05/31/2007, 07:30 PM
I use well water so I don't know if need a ro/di unit. I started research on them today.

Has anybody that has one found out they don't need one?

2OceanLovers
05/31/2007, 07:44 PM
I got a RO system from the Culligan man and it has made the biggest improvement in my tanks. I have almost ridden them of all hair algae!

Kaos
05/31/2007, 07:47 PM
IME it's one of the most important pieces of equipment I have.

nemofish2217
05/31/2007, 08:07 PM
everyone should....

jski711
05/31/2007, 08:08 PM
i agree with kaos, get one you'll regret it!! i started my tank with tap water and had an algae tank until i started using rodi water.

Mark426
05/31/2007, 08:08 PM
I agree with the above posts...an RO unit is maybe the best money you can spend on your reef. Now ..that said .... if your not having any algae problems, etc. then maybe you are lucky enough to have some great water and wont really benefit from one. If you are having problems then I would get one ASAP.

esc.nuk3r
05/31/2007, 11:19 PM
Reverse Osmosis (R.O.) unit Using the simple principle of applying a pressure gradient to a semi-permeable membrane, IT eliminate most of the chemicals found in the tap water and produce pure water. The semi-permeable R.O. membrane only allows very small molecules (such as H2O) to pass through it, effectively removing 90-99% of most water impurities including pesticides, arsenic and heavy metals.

As you said using well water find out was you WATER WELL TYPE is,

i would advice u to get a rodi unit if you are relly serious about your tank
look here

http://www.deq.state.mt.us/wqinfo/pws/docs/99NSUM.PDF

scaast
05/31/2007, 11:38 PM
I buy mine...$.25 per gallon...I fill a 5 gallon water bottle...it lasts weeks on my 10 gallon tank...I can't justify buying an RO/DI unit at this rate.

shouldabenacowboy
06/01/2007, 12:21 AM
Ive got one....

SBC

motlot77
06/01/2007, 05:43 AM
yep, got one. our water is nasty here so i use it for drinking water as well.

we never had 1 strand of hair algae either.

Purple Penguins
06/01/2007, 07:24 AM
I wont use anything but RO, and if Im short on it I run to the store for distilled, I would never add tap water to any of my tanks with all the extra junk in it

nauticac4
06/01/2007, 07:39 AM
I use one from Air water and Ice. Its a 75GPD unit that I borrow from my neighbor. I am saving up to get one. A great investment because you know the water coming out is clean.

lat0403
06/01/2007, 08:07 AM
Right now, I'm using distilled. It's at the top of my list, though.

Scuba Josh
06/01/2007, 10:23 AM
60 GPD Kent Maxxima here

gsusfreak
06/01/2007, 10:30 AM
i dont have one yet, but i still go to walmart every 2 weeks to fill up my 10 gal at the culligan station

Von_Rahvin
06/01/2007, 10:36 AM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10056919#post10056919 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Scuba Josh
60 GPD Kent Maxxima here

me too. i love that guy.

cwilson
06/01/2007, 11:00 AM
if you find the right grocery/bargain/warehouse store, you can just use their "drinking water" that you buy with your own container. ive found it for $0.30/gal. but if you look hard enough, you can find a 2-stage RO unit for around $100...

topshotta
06/01/2007, 09:33 PM
I buy RO/DI water from my local LFS. .60 a gallon. I just went to Home Depot today and bought three 5 gallon kerosene cylinders to keep it in. My LFS is about a 30min. drive for me. I'd love to get an RO/DI unit, but they produce way more than I need to justify.

ccorpse27
06/01/2007, 11:38 PM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10054894#post10054894 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by scaast
I buy mine...$.25 per gallon...I fill a 5 gallon water bottle...it lasts weeks on my 10 gallon tank...I can't justify buying an RO/DI unit at this rate.

It's more about knowing where your water comes from than the cost savings though that is a big plus as well. The place you buy it from, do they maintain their filters and insist on or close to 0 tds?

ccorpse27
06/01/2007, 11:40 PM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10060776#post10060776 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by topshotta
I buy RO/DI water from my local LFS. .60 a gallon. I just went to Home Depot today and bought three 5 gallon kerosene cylinders to keep it in. My LFS is about a 30min. drive for me. I'd love to get an RO/DI unit, but they produce way more than I need to justify.

You race sailboats and ski and you're worried about the cost of a ro/di unit? They produce as much or as little as you need, the only negative is they take time to make the water.

SugarFox03
06/02/2007, 07:02 AM
I dont have one, at least not yet. I have a source for RODI water, although expensive, but I only buy about 10 gals a week. My next buy will be a chiller since storm season is here. We lose power if the wind blow the wrong direction. After the chiller purchase I'll get the RODI system. :)

I do think its important, but as long as you know the water you're putting in your tank is 0 TDS, and you don't mind buying water every week - than you're ok too.

phenom5
06/02/2007, 11:39 AM
It's more about knowing where your water comes from than the cost savings though that is a big plus as well. The place you buy it from, do they maintain their filters and insist on or close to 0 tds?

that's it exactly. if your buying from a lfs or getting it from one of those $0.25/gal dispensers, the fact is there's a business running it. and those businesses are more concerned about their bottomline then the health of your tank. RO membranes cut into the bottomline, so if they can get away with changing them less they will.

the other thing...i probably averaged about 10g of RO a week ( MH on a nano=lots of evaporation :D ). at 2.50 a week for...we'll say 100 weeks for simplicity...i bought a really nice RO unit, or 2 ebay RO units over the course of that time that i was using the $0.25/gal dispenser water. not to mention the time, gas, and aggravation of getting the water. and to top that all off, my tank never looked as good as it does now that i use a home RO unit.

at the very least, i'd invest in a TDS meter, or borrow a TDS meter from a local reefer to test the RO water that you get.

just my 2 cents...but IMO, an RO unit is one of the most important, and most benefical pieces of equipment for a reef tank.

Eklikewhoa
06/02/2007, 08:36 PM
I work across the street from a few LFS's so I just buy RO/DI for $0.25 per gal.

Slakker
06/03/2007, 01:09 AM
I pick up RO water from my grocery store in a 5g jug for 1.95.

Sure, it's probably not the best RO water, but it's gotta be better than the tap water in the dorms :)

BlakDuc
06/03/2007, 09:55 AM
I just bought 1. Just get a valve for the input and the output and turn it off when you don't need water. With your 100 week scenario, you forgot to add the water changes into the mix. That will be even more. at me using 20 gallons a week for water change and top off, My RO/DI will have paid for itself in 14 weeks. If you shop around, you can get a really good deal. Look at Buckeye field supply, they can get you the basic RO/DI with no pressure regulator or any of the frills for about $120. Go on ebay and get the dual TDS for $25 shipped and you have a kick@$$ RO/DI unit for under $150.

Friskaburger
06/03/2007, 03:21 PM
I've owned two RO/DI units from airwaterice and I have to say they're pretty awesome. My friend's RO unit was acting weird and everything, so I lent him one of mine since I didn't need it. Definitely a worthwhile investment! Highly recommend the airwaterice ones!

uhuru
06/03/2007, 03:51 PM
well water is very dirty. I just setup up my ro/di yesterday, my well water TDS was 125! The only good side of well water is you don't have chemicals like chloramines to worry about, so you can get away with a 1 stage carbon instead of 2.

pledosophy
06/04/2007, 12:37 AM
RO will make your life way easier in the long run, especially in a small tank. I used to purchase my RODI from an LFS but now that I have my own unit, it just makes life a bit easier.

Ace1
06/04/2007, 01:02 AM
Costco has a RO unit for sale for about $150 bucks, but what is the difference between R/O and the RO / DI units. they seem to say RO

DiSkuStiNg
06/04/2007, 12:31 PM
If you are making a nano an RO/DI unit might not be worth the cost. You can just pick up RO/DI water at your LFS in buckets.

uhuru
06/04/2007, 02:08 PM
true but the way I see it most people don't just have a nano, at least not for long. eventually the hobby blossoms into multiple cool ones are a big tank to go along with the nano, in which case, you might as well have gotten an ro/di unit to begin with. I'm using the term nano loosely here.

BlakDuc
06/04/2007, 03:22 PM
For $150 at costco I would definatly pass, especially for just an RO. You can get one from Buckeye with DI for quite a bit less than that shipped. The costco one probably does not have a DOW Filmtec membrane either. Good luck.

topshotta
06/04/2007, 03:30 PM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10061406#post10061406 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ccorpse27
You race sailboats and ski and you're worried about the cost of a ro/di unit? They produce as much or as little as you need, the only negative is they take time to make the water.

1st FYI - I don't race sailboats anymore. Our boat was destroyed last year during a major flooding of the Grand River.

2nd FYI - I'm not worried about the cost of a RO/DI unit - I'm worried that I won't be able to produce enough water and that the unit's membrane will deteriorate from not being used. Put it this way. I'd produce 20 or so gallons and then I wouldn't use it for at least 2-3 weeks. Won't it go bad? I always thought RO units were something that you needed to use on a pretty consistent basis in order for them to be effective.

cherubfish pair
06/04/2007, 05:22 PM
SugarFox03,

You haven't got your chiller yet? ;) I haven't got my IceProbe for

my 10 gallon either. Looks like I'll get the overwall kit for my JBJ Arctica for it for now.

As for rodi, I'm going to use Culligan 5 gallon DI jugs for now. I'm saving up for a family reunion in the Black Hills.

mwoneal
06/04/2007, 06:02 PM
I started my tank with an RO/DI unit, and never had any problems with hair algae. I am curious about the deterioration question as well, as I only use mine every other week for a couple hours.

BlakDuc
06/04/2007, 08:28 PM
Put valves on all 3 lines. The feed line, the waste line, and the pure water line. This will seal it up when you are not using it and keep everything moist. This is how I have mine configured, When I start it up, I let it run into the drain for about 10 minutes before saving any of the water.

CT1258
06/08/2007, 03:25 PM
I have well water, tests 397ppm tds. I also have a cheap 3 stage RO/DI unit, water out is 0.00 . The cheapest RO/DI unit is better than the best well water IMHO................CT