Another RO/DI thread...Sorry!

garnet13aj

garnet13aj

Active Member
Okay, so peer pressure and guilt has convinced me to buy a RO/DI unit for my tank. The thing is I don't know anything about them. I've looked at a few other threads and am thinking of getting an air water ice Typhoon 5 stage. What I'm still wondering is what is GPD? The options are 75 or 100 GPD, which should I get? I have a 55 FOWLR that has been up for about month and a half. Also, do I need any other equipement to use them and are they easy to use (I'm not great with the technical stuff).
I'm open to other suggestions.
Thanks!
 
sign guy

sign guy

Active Member
they are super to easy to use I have a kent maxima hi-s 65gpd and that is more than enoughe for my three tanks
 
sign guy

sign guy

Active Member
you will want to get a tds meter as well to make shure that your filters stay fresh. I know you will not regret it
 
geridoc

geridoc

Well-Known Member
TDS=total dissolved solids, a measure of what is dissolved in the water. For example, using my 5 stage Typhoon, my water goes from about 175 at the tap to 0 after filtration. I seem to recall that Airwaterice includes a TDS meter with the Typhoon. If not, they sell them. I have found a float valve to be very handy, too. It turns off the filtration flow if you get distracted and forget to watch your reservoir.
 
garnet13aj

garnet13aj

Active Member
Okay, thanks for the info. I'll make sure to get a tds and look into the float valve--I live in a SMALL appartment, so it's hard to foret about much of anything...except dishes :thinking: funny how that works out.
 
Y

yeffre kix

Guest
If your talking about water changes for a 55 gallon tank I think a RO/DI unit is going overboard. You can buy three 5 gallon water jugs for $9 each and purchase RO/DI water from a water store for 25 cents a gallon. No worries about auto top off malfunctions, water leakage, or replacement filters. The only drawback is gong to the store every couple of weeks to fill your jugs.
(just my 2 cents)
 
chipmaker

chipmaker

Active Member
I really find it ironic one can make a decision as to what unit to buy and bump specs of all together when one doe snot understand what the abbreviations mean. Check out a Water General sold at filterdirect dot com for a lot less money than any of the ones thats mentioned. Made in the USA, and available with yur choic eof membranes in GPD of your choice. Look for the RD-102.....my 2 units put out 99%. ONe is equipped with 100GPD the other is a 75 GPD. Under $125 shipped.
 
garnet13aj

garnet13aj

Active Member
The only issue is that I don't have a car (college girl) so I have to lug everything I get on foot or by bike.
What I've heard is that RO/DI water is necessary and for the first month and a half I haven't been using it. I've just been adding dechlorinator to my water. But I want my fish to be comfortable and long lived.
What do other people think, am I going overboard if I can't go the the store every few weeks and pick up water?
 
Y

yeffre kix

Guest
If lugging the water back an forth is too much trouble then the RO/DI unit might be worth the cost for you. Thats up to you to decide. I would recomend having a plumber do the instal so you don't have leaking issues. Years ago I flooded my apartment twice because of the RO/DI filter so they made me move or get rid of my tank. ( I moved of course)
I was using a cheaper unit with plastic connectors to the bathroom faucet. So just make sure to do it right.
I even had a "professional" top off installer from a LFS do mine and had leaking problems at my home.
 
f14peter

f14peter

Member
Granted, my tank is larger than yours (90g), but in the course of less than two months, I've run in excess of 250g through my RO/DI unit. I figure in about another six months or so it will have paid for itself. If you had a smaller tank (20g-30g range), then I'd say consider buying water.
Not only is there the regularly scheduled water changes, there's also topping off for evaporation, which can very typically average a gallon a day. If you set up a quarantine tank, that's another water use requirement. If you need to do things like store/cure LR, that's even more. If for some reason you need to do a emergency water change (spike or something), it's unbelievably handy to have the water source at hand.
Since saltwater tanks require so much attention, I feel anything a person can do to expedite/ease maintenance is worth the effort. Even if you had a car, late in the evening if it's between tossing the buckets into said car, driving (and using gasoline) and dealing with traffic (Which I don't care to do) to get the water . . . or walking to my laundry area, that's a no brainer.
The units are easy to set-up and operate. Permanent installation may require drilling some holes in pipes and mounting screws in walls, but I would imagine it would also be quite easy to set it up to sit on your countertop on an as-needed basis, hook the source to your faucet, and then run the waste-water tube into the sink drain.
Although it's been a relatively short time, I've have no problems what so ever with leakage. Most units come with all the connections you need, and careful installation should yield a leak-free system.
Of course, there's also the trend of no matter what size tank you have now, at some point you'll want a larger one.
 
garnet13aj

garnet13aj

Active Member
Okay, thanks. I think I'll be getting one. I can't get a bigger tank until I move into a bigger place that I'm sure can hold the weight, so I'll be sticking with the 55 for now, but it sounds like a good idea to get the RO/DI system. Does it need to be set up all the time? or can I just set it up when I need it, does it depend on the type of system? Also, one more question, do they sell them at most lfs, or should I go ahead and order one online?
Thanks.
 
f14peter

f14peter

Member
Originally Posted by garnet13aj
Okay, thanks. I think I'll be getting one. I can't get a bigger tank until I move into a bigger place that I'm sure can hold the weight, so I'll be sticking with the 55 for now, but it sounds like a good idea to get the RO/DI system. Does it need to be set up all the time? or can I just set it up when I need it, does it depend on the type of system? Also, one more question, do they sell them at most lfs, or should I go ahead and order one online?
Thanks.
Online would probably be your best bet. If cost is an issue, I hear that WATER GENERAL units are highly regarded and tend to cost less than the AirWaterIce ones.
You don't have to have them running all the time, although it's a good idea to have a decent sized bucket of pure water on hand. I believe most work on the same principle . . . you need a source of water (Many units offer fittings that attach to a generic sink faucet) and a place for the waste water to go such as a sink drain, drain pipe, I use the drain for my clothes washing machine (Just stuck the tube down the pipe), and a bucket for the pure water to go into. If you go with the float-valve, it can be installed on your pure water bucket to stop the flow when it reaches a certain level. These float-valves are reasonably reliable, but I wouldn't just let it go unattended for days and days unless you're completely confident that it won't leak.
If you're prepping for a water change, a few days ahead of time set it up and make some pure water, then mix your salt in to match your tank's salinity/SG and agitate it for a day (and bring up to your tank's temperature) before putting it in.
 
skyman

skyman

Member
I searched ro-di on that

[hr]
site and only came up with a couple different units but if you try several different search names you can find multiple units. The best deal I found was at store name ROfilter Depot. For around $100.00 delivered you can get a pretty desent ro-di unit. $10.00 for a TDS meter.
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It's important to increase the contact time and minimize channeling, and maximize the usage of resin
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Removes 99% of all Sodium, aluminum, lead, copper, arsenic, mercury, calcium, phosphate, iron, magnesium, zinc, chloride
, nitrate, silicate, cyanide, sulphide, nickel, silver, bicarbonate, manganese, ammonium, barium, chromium and Phosphates
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Water Purity Reference: (1.)Tap or well water(300 PPM), (2.)After RO system(about 20 PPM)
 
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