Is the Aquatic Life RO/DI Unit Good?

[blackbeard88]

https://www.aquaticlife.com/ro-di-systems-and-cartridges/aquatic-life-ro-buddie-3-4-stage-reverse-osmosis-deionization-systems.html

I was thinking about getting the 4-stage for my 32 gallon Biocube. Does this seem fine or should I buy a BRS or Spectrapure? I haven't set up the tank yet, I'm just planning out the equipment.

[Opus123]

Depends on what you want. The one you have linked is for ease of use. You are stuck buying their cartridges whereas a BRS or Spectrapure will use any cartridge you choose as long as it is the normal size. Plus I don't see where they ever mention the rejection rate of the RO membrane, which is a very important piece of data. They also say to replace the RO membrane every year or 2. If you change out your prefilter and carbon filters when they need it, then the RO membrane should last 4 or 5+ years.

This is the one I always recommend. If you can wait until black friday they usually have it on sale then. You can't go wrong with the BRS unit either. They also have a great black friday sale each year.

http://spectrapure.com/Refurbished-90-GPD-RODI-System

[homer1475]

I owned one, and a biocube. Worked for my needs, but.....

In a one word answer. NO

Don't waste your money. Depending on your incoming TDS, you'll end up spending more in replacement cartridges over the course of a year then if you buy a decent unit to start with.

When I upgraded to a bigger tank I bought a BRS unit, I've made hundreds of gallons of water and only have had to replace the DI cartridge once. The Aquaticlife unit I was replacing the DI cartridge every 30 or so gallons.

[Opus123]

Wow, only 30 gallons. Makes me wonder if your RO membrane was defective. Of course like I said in my previous post, I couldn't find where they ever state the rejection rate. Maybe it is only something like 90%.

[billdogg]

No. For all the reasons listed above. My go-to is www.buckeyehydro.com , but any of the standard sized units available from a multitude of sources will be a much better choice than one that requires proprietary replacement cartridges.

My reasons for going with BH over any of the others is their unbeatable customer service.

When I had questions, I emailed them about 9AM on a Saturday morning. About 10:30 the phone rang. It was Russ from BH who took the time to answer my questions, custom design a unit for my needs, and in the process save me a couple hundred dollars by not selling me stuff I didn't need.

I had my shiny new RO/DI on Tuesday.