skimmer or RO unit

[mcginnisandrew]

i have some extra money, and i would like to buy either some kind of RO unit, or an aquac remora protein skimmer. i have a 29 gallon tank, and i have a seaclone 100 protein skimmer. im also using Prime to dechlorinate the water. so i was waondering, should i get the skimmer or an RO unit?

[RobNJ]

ro unit. tap water will eventually kill your reef.

[tanker]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11150487#post11150487 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by RobNJ
ro unit. tap water will eventually kill your reef.

True. You can always do more water changes instead of a skimmer.

[Sk8r]

YOu're at least partially covered via the seaclone: they're not great, but how bad can it be, when the basic process is squirting a jet into water and collecting the protein foam. Yes, the remora is better, but you have something doing the job in a fairly small tank, so your likelihood of needing too much more is less than, say, if you were really pushing the boundaries of your skimmer.

On the other hand, tap water has things that Prime doesn't remotely touch---some of them quite harmful, over time, and given evaporation that concentrates more and more of them in your tank water. I'd go for ro/di, and maybe go to one of our sponsors. I got one of the more expensive ro/di's and after 2 years of fairly hard use on a 54 including one move, I have had to recharge one of the 4 filters and replace the membrane on another, and the other 2 are still going. You get what your pay for on a ro/di, I'm firmly convinced. if you're going with a reputable dealer.
If you can talk to AZ Desert Rat in the Lighting and Equipment forum on RC, he will give you some specifics on what to look for to get your money's worth.

[meco65]

Go with the RO/DI.

[WaterKeeper]

Go with the RO first. Then when you get more cash buy the skimmer.

[Acillaton]

RO/DI unit for sure. It's a must in a succesfull sw hobby.

[virginiadiver69]

Totally agree with everybody but...not all rodi units are the same. Do a little research on what everybody uses. you can get a very good one for just about $200. Don't bother with eBay and get something that uses a full size di canister. I got mine from thefilterguys. They have a faithful group of customers and customer service is by far the best you will ever encounter. There are several other RC sponsors that sell quality units as well.

[Playa-1]

I say buy some good used equipment and get both at the same time. :)

[phenom5]

i agree with the above posts.

if you can only get one...go for the RO.

[AZDesertRat]

Do not buy a used RO/DI unit. Unless you know exactly who owned it and how it was used you will be replacing all the components anyway. Much better off to buy a new one.
A good reef quality RO/DI unit is going to cost from $150 to a little over $200 complete with everything you will need including a TDS meter, pressure gauge, refillable full size DI and the adapters to hook it up either permanent or as a portable.