question on water

[pattycake]

I have a question on water quailty. When I first set up my tank I used tap water. After fighting with the red slime I started water changes using the water machine Culligan from Walmart. Boy, it is getting old caring 5 gallons of water home all the time. I really need to have something at home but I cant figure out from the posts just how the RO/ DI units work. Can you just hook them to your faucet and fill your bucket from here or do you have to have garbage cans sitting around collecting the water from the unit (pics seen on this site)? I was also thinking of buying a PUR filter that fits on your faucet and use it instead. Would the water be the same as the Culligan? Thanks for your help.
:notsure:

 

[effloresce]

you can buy an ro/di unit(a good one) for $100 or less, you cna hook it up to a 5g bucket if you want, most people have thme hooked up to carbage cant to have alot of it if you need it fast(waterchange) i make mine in a 5g "gatorade" bucket with the little gate on the bottom to release water also, becaus ei ahve to carry mine up a flight of stairs, while getting water alkl over the tiles and myself(not fun)
I have a garbage can in my room, and that is where i mix and "age" my saltwater for water changes, i can have 34g of nice agged saltwater on hand if i have a flood or a chemical release.
I will soon be setting up a 34g can of RO/DI water also
i got my unti off ----,. Aquasafe, very nice company and very good products, it takes a long time to make the water, so thats why people keep it in large batches.

 

[pattycake]

When you say "long time to make" is that because it just drips? And when you say "cure" how long are you talking about? This is the time you run it thru the RO device and before you put it in your tank, right? Do you add salt or other things to this water first?

 

[clarkiiclo]

I have an R/O that fits under the sink. I has a 10 gallon tank.
The water ususally comes out at a steady pace, not a drip but a stream. But as I draw water it will slow down. Then I wait a few hours and get some more.
Alot of the better RO devices will allow you to pull 50+gallons a day.
Hence the garbage cans.
When they says they age the water. Usually the water is drawn a few days before you do the water change.
Add the salt and a powerhead to your mixing bucket. This allows the water to areate and the salt to mix. Most people say the minimum is 24hours. That way the PH and temp is stable in your water.