R/O-DI systems

n2deep

Member
I am thinking about getting a R/O unit and was needing info on which units were the best for the money?
 
Both Kent and Spectrapure have great systems. It is also helpful to get the DI with that. It will remove the remaining things that Just plain RO still has.
 

n2deep

Member
When you use the unit how do u store the good water while its made? Can you set it up to drain into a large tub?
 
You can buy the under the sink unit that come with a storage tank, and you will have contantly stored water for drinking and water changes. i just use a 20 gallon cooler, fill it up a couple days before doing a water change, aerate it, and use it as needed through the week. I use it to mix Kalkwaser, and do water changes. Just don't let it sit and stagnate.
Go to www.spectrapure.com and it will explain their whole line of systems, how they work, and so on. You will get a better price on them if you do some shopping around, though.
 
I have a 55 gallon, reef.
Aprox. 80 lbs. live rock
2 coral banded shrimp
1 carpet anenome
2 bubble corals
Assorted mushrooms
1 scolymia coral
many riccordia mushrooms
1 red gorgonian
yellow ball sponges growing wild
pencil urchin
1 yellow cucumber
1 yellow tang
1 yellow tail damsels
2 tank raised percula clowns
1 absolutesly huge green brittle star
2 emerald crabs
assorted hermits and snails
1 false percula clown
1 small porcupine puffer
Substrate: crushed coral
Filtration: Prizm skimmer
Emporer 400
Skilter 250 - tore out the skimmer - use it as just a filter
Lighting: 1- 175watt Metal Halide 12000K bulb
2 normal out put 15 watt flourescents
I am overstocking my tank a bit. I am about to start up another tank. I just keep a good eye on the water parameters.
 

smalltimer

Member
Man, I have had 2 units in my time a 24 gallon per day and a 50gal per day......pay the extra and get the 50, then get the float and the shut off kit and plumb into your sump, if you have one.....no more water top offs, ever, and salinity stays steady, especially important on sps corals....if you go di, don't drink the di, if you have holding tank. I have top off with a tee before it with the ball valve (ALL AFTER THE RO, RODI HAS, REPEAT HAS TO BE PLASTIC, JACO FITTINGS, CAN GET FROM CHAMPION AND SOME OTHER PLACES, if you use any other materials it willlllllll mess up water. Rodi is so pure it will make you sick to drink it, also tastes nasty....but is the best for reef tank...fish only you can get away with ro only but may have more algea due to more phophates and nitrates in water..
I just read your tank stock again, looks like no sump,, I have not tried a spectrapure rodi but from what I have seen it has the selnoid valve for auto shut off already on it, 30 $ add on for kent.... when you get larger tank go with sump and dump the crappy skimmer, your tank will thank you !!!!!!
:)
 
If you go to the link above, at spectrapure, it says all these things and much more. Like anything in this hobby, research what you are buying, and shop around. I do not use RO/DI for drinking, I use it for my tank. Read up on the different systems, and deside which is best for you and your situation.
 

shadow678

Member
Um....I use an Aquatic Reef Systems Oceanus 100gpd RO/DI, and I drink the water after the DI cartridge...tastes more pure than from the water store down the street, and has not made me sick yet...are you sure you aren't talking about the waste/reject water? Water that is dispensed by Glacier and many other water purification companies is both RO and DI, and I have yet to hear of any ill effects from their water. All of my friends that have had my water have also said that it tastes much better than bottled water from both sotres and the water company...perhaps I'm just lucky.
 
Although I do not drink it, I do believe that there is a in line carbon post filter that improves the taste. I really can't see getting sick on 99.9% pure,water. Spectrapure site, though, says that ro/di is used for laboratory, aquarium, and other pure water applications, and mentions nothing about drinking water.
I'm with you on this one, Shadow.
 
A

amoroso6

Guest
before you buy go to ---- and do a search on Ro/di systems. I got mine for 139.00 and it handles 100gpd.
 

dubba-r

Member
The post i was looking for! Was looking for a RO/DI unit after getting tired of constantly getting water from the water store. ---- does have some that are reasonably priced...
 

smalltimer

Member
RODI, is almost as pure as distilled water, it should have a flat taste and if you read a bottle of distilled water, it is not for drinking...It has NO mineral content and will actully pull minerals from you body. I would not drink it, it may not make you sick, but if you di is working the way it is supposed to, it should be almost distilled quality water.
 
Where are you getting your information. distilled water has been put in the stomach of humans for hundreds of years.
They even sell small distill units for drinking water office coolers. Kind of looks like a big culigan machine, without the water bottle.
I did a lot of research when a topic came up of distilled verses RO/DI. That is where I found these office distilleries. I really hate to do all the research again, and it is late. I'll do it tomorrow.
 

shadow678

Member
Assuming you don't eat anything at all that contains any minerals(just try), I guess drinking enough totally pure water and then urinating it back out might remove some mineral content from your body, but I would think that you would be more apt to die from starvation before any calcium deficiency set in enough to do much damage. My RO/DI water is 4 ppm, as opposed to my tap water, which runs usually 475 ppm, according to my TDS meter. This is the only water I drink, although I do drink soda every once in a while.
 
If you drink any soda water, whether it be soda pop, soda water, club soda, or vodka, It has been through a purification process. Mainly distilled, but RO, or, RO/Di, has been used.
 
By the way, when I did the research, I found out it is law that any commercially sold water has to go through one of these processes according to the epa, and has to meet a certain standard. Funny thing is, tap water provided by city, state, or any government agency, or any private agency that is providing tap water, does not have to abide by these epa standards. May I emphisise the word TAP.
 

broomer5

Active Member
Deionized water should not be used for drinking water - not if it's 99.9% pure DI.
Water in it's purest form is looking for ions. It want's them bad, to dissociate, break apart and bond with.
That's why they call water the universal solvent.
DI water is like the universal solvent on steroids - super solvent.
Pure DI water will strip ions out of most anything it comes in contact with, except for glass.
IT will strip ions out of steel piping or the organic compounds/ions that make up your stomach & digestive tract lining.
If you drink it - by the time it reaches your bladder, it's no longer deionized. It's pulled ions from anything in your digestive tract, bloodstream or whatever it can get it's gubby DI hands on.
Laboratories use glass lined piping to transport their DI water, to keep it pure, to keep it in the deionized state. Anything other than glass lined pipe will foul the water, and it's no longer Deionized .... it then contains ions.
People are not built to drink DI water. It does not normally exist naturally here on Earth, and must be made using DI positive and negative resins. I don't believe we were intended, or evolved to drink it.
Of course I've tasted it before out of curiosity. The stuff is flat out nasty in my opinion.
Distilled water is yet another process - and can be used as drinking water, although I don't like the taste of it either.
 

smalltimer

Member
Broomer, thanks for the back up, I was getting BOMBED, anyway, my Uncle had to drink distilled water for some reason along time ago, due to some illness he had, the unit boiled the water and then the h2o that was left was drinkable, he called it distilled but I don't think that boiling water and getting the steam and condensing it is so pure as to remove ALL the ions, as in a di system...anyway, if it is so darn pure that we argue that we should or shoud not drink it, don't you think that it is pure enough for a reef system....if it even has the possibility of being too pure for human consumption, if added to salt mix with the ions and minerals added from that, it should be the best damn water we can make for our little buddies that cost more than our children...........:confused:
 
Thanks Broomer for clearing that up. I just ordered a spectrapure kit with all the bells and whistles, 5 stages, RO/DI with pressure gauges, and some gauge that shows the purity of the water and the drinking water kit...Cost a pretty penny though.. How long should my RO/DI water sit and aerate before I top off my tank?
 
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