really freaked out
- Thread starter teresaq1
- Start date
O
oreo12
Guest
From what I have have seen 90 % of all pet stores bottle up there water and sell it. That is right the water from there water change is sold to who ever is willing to buy it they get free water for there tanks and make money on there old water. Just get you some oceanontic salt mix it up a couple days in advance in a tote and you are set.
mudplayerx
Active Member
Buy the biggest batch of synthetic sea salt you can find. I have a barrel of Instant Ocean in my garage and I haven't had to buy salt since I started the tank 8 months ago. I think the thing cost me around $100 and I probably saved at least $100 or more.
teresaq1
Member
mud, i usually make my own mix, got lazy today. guess i'll be going back to mixing my own.
Ben, I go to del prado for water, brine and supplys, 47th if looking for coral frags, but really like ocean env on 41 for corals, fish and trades.
The one i went to today, was in weavers corner in n ft myers,.
I also like to go to salt water solutions in bonita springs when i feel like taking a road trip, and looking for deals. they have really good prices, and nice fish.
Ben, I go to del prado for water, brine and supplys, 47th if looking for coral frags, but really like ocean env on 41 for corals, fish and trades.
The one i went to today, was in weavers corner in n ft myers,.
I also like to go to salt water solutions in bonita springs when i feel like taking a road trip, and looking for deals. they have really good prices, and nice fish.
acrylic51
Active Member
Originally Posted by DSkidmore
RO units don't start paying for themselves on the smaller tanks. I did the research, and for my needs it's cheaper to buy Wal-Mart RO water than to get my own filter.
I don't see how you can say they don't pay for themselves on smaller tanks???? It's all about piece of mind knowing you have good quality water that you are controlling, not relying on Walmart or other source who might not check their RO output water or change filters when needed......An like MonaLisa states"Nothing, but NOTHING goes into my tank that I'm not aware of!!! But then, there are those of us that are a bit more anal than others..."
F1shman says "I've actulley went in the back room and watched my LFS take the water out of a fresh 400 gallon tank that is not connected to anything else and has nothing in it but water", but have you checked the RO water with a TDS meter? And you say about saving .20 a gallon buying water from them, well how do you figure that with price of gas and your time involved and totting jugs, and what if the inevitable happens and the LFS isn't open and you have an emergency for water???? :notsure:
Heaven forbid we depend totally on our LFS for our water!!!!!! When we all got into the hobby I'm quite sure we either asked or were advised what were some important pieces of equipment for the hobby correct???? :yes: and I bet an RO unit was up there right around a skimmer as well
RO units don't start paying for themselves on the smaller tanks. I did the research, and for my needs it's cheaper to buy Wal-Mart RO water than to get my own filter.
I don't see how you can say they don't pay for themselves on smaller tanks???? It's all about piece of mind knowing you have good quality water that you are controlling, not relying on Walmart or other source who might not check their RO output water or change filters when needed......An like MonaLisa states"Nothing, but NOTHING goes into my tank that I'm not aware of!!! But then, there are those of us that are a bit more anal than others..."
F1shman says "I've actulley went in the back room and watched my LFS take the water out of a fresh 400 gallon tank that is not connected to anything else and has nothing in it but water", but have you checked the RO water with a TDS meter? And you say about saving .20 a gallon buying water from them, well how do you figure that with price of gas and your time involved and totting jugs, and what if the inevitable happens and the LFS isn't open and you have an emergency for water???? :notsure:
Heaven forbid we depend totally on our LFS for our water!!!!!! When we all got into the hobby I'm quite sure we either asked or were advised what were some important pieces of equipment for the hobby correct???? :yes: and I bet an RO unit was up there right around a skimmer as well
teresaq1
Member
Yes, thank goodness i saw what she was doing. It is still freaking me out that thats how they sell water.
its a 150 gal with a 55 gal sump/fuge. Not an in wall, just a stand and canopy. . I already have the tank. just sitting waiting to be set up.
and i will be installing a r/o unit in my laundry room
its a 150 gal with a 55 gal sump/fuge. Not an in wall, just a stand and canopy. . I already have the tank. just sitting waiting to be set up.
and i will be installing a r/o unit in my laundry room
benter
Member
Hey Teresa..I think we feel the same about all the fish stores..O.E. is a pretty cool store for sure. When I said hwy 41 I meant the one in North fort myers...tropical fish on the net , I believe...Did you go to the last reef club meeting - O.E.? If so did you get any of the frags? Dustin and myself, with reddawg were the ones who got the whole reef club started... And yes , I love going to saltwater solutions..did you go there while Peter ran the store, he was quite a character, for sure.. I was surprised to see the open brain, that Dustin sliced seems to be doing quite well in there tank, wonder if the other pieces are still o.k......
dskidmore
Active Member
Originally Posted by F1shMan
I don't know if it would be worth my while to buy a R/O unit, i have one now on my filtered water at my house, but the tank is small and it runs out fast.
If you already have one, and feel up to minor plumbing, you can make out really well. The ammount of water an RO unit produces is dependant on the incoming and outgoing pressure. The tank is really nice for providing tap-pressure water for short bursts, but it increases the outgoing pressure, which cuts down on the productivity of the RO membrane. You have two options to make your current unit more useful.
1) Plumb in a larger or additional tank. This would be half the cost of a whole new RO unit, and you only have to replace one set of filters.
2) Plumb in a valve that allows you to direct water somewhere besides the tap, preferably below the RO unit so there is 0 to negative pressure on the line. The idea situation would be an under sink RO unit in the kitchen, with a T on the line going to the tank. Run a line down from the T into the basement, to a large reservoir with a float valve shutoff. Whenever the reservoir is low (after you've taken out some of the water) the RO output will be diverted to the resivoir. When the reservoir is full, the float valve will cut off flow, and the under sink reservoir will fill up. (I'm not sure, you might also need a check valve to keep the under sink tank from backflowing when the float valve is open. With a check valve, there will be a small pressured supply left for drinking water for the few hours your basement reservoir takes to fill.)
I don't know if it would be worth my while to buy a R/O unit, i have one now on my filtered water at my house, but the tank is small and it runs out fast.
If you already have one, and feel up to minor plumbing, you can make out really well. The ammount of water an RO unit produces is dependant on the incoming and outgoing pressure. The tank is really nice for providing tap-pressure water for short bursts, but it increases the outgoing pressure, which cuts down on the productivity of the RO membrane. You have two options to make your current unit more useful.
1) Plumb in a larger or additional tank. This would be half the cost of a whole new RO unit, and you only have to replace one set of filters.
2) Plumb in a valve that allows you to direct water somewhere besides the tap, preferably below the RO unit so there is 0 to negative pressure on the line. The idea situation would be an under sink RO unit in the kitchen, with a T on the line going to the tank. Run a line down from the T into the basement, to a large reservoir with a float valve shutoff. Whenever the reservoir is low (after you've taken out some of the water) the RO output will be diverted to the resivoir. When the reservoir is full, the float valve will cut off flow, and the under sink reservoir will fill up. (I'm not sure, you might also need a check valve to keep the under sink tank from backflowing when the float valve is open. With a check valve, there will be a small pressured supply left for drinking water for the few hours your basement reservoir takes to fill.)
dskidmore
Active Member
Originally Posted by acrylic51
I don't see how you can say they don't pay for themselves on smaller tanks????
It's a matter of budget vs. pickiness. If you want absolute control over your water, I agree that the store vending machine could be improved upon.
I was looking at it on a pure cost basis for water that people have had some reef tank sucess with. There have been several threads on this board discussing the merits of grocery store vended RO water. I looked at the RO process Wal-Mart uses, and I agree it's not the best, it skips the DI stage. I do not yet have a TDS meter, (will get one if/when I get an RO unit) but I suspect that wal-mart water is not 0 TDS. However, several people are using this water with some success.
On a pure cost analysis, I would need to use something on the order of 15 gallons a week for it to be cheaper to buy my own RO unit (from a conventional source) than to buy water from Wal-mart. I have looked into a couple vendors on e-bay that can provide units and replacement filters that will break even in the first year of use, and save me 40% on the yearly water demand for a 75 gallon tank. When you get down to a 50 gallon tank, it would take 40 years to pay off the cost of the cheapest 6 stage filter I could find. Smaller than 50 gallons, and you really won't see any cost benifit to buying your own filter.
Speaking of cost analysis, how do you tell when it's time to change your filters? Every source I have seen says it depends on the conditions you run the filter under. I assume you use the TDS meter, but when the readings go up, how can you tell if it's the RO membrane or the DI resin that needs replacing? My water here is awful, I don't think I'll be able to stretch any filter cartridges very far, and I will definately need to get the TDS meter at the same time as the system.
I don't see how you can say they don't pay for themselves on smaller tanks????
It's a matter of budget vs. pickiness. If you want absolute control over your water, I agree that the store vending machine could be improved upon.
I was looking at it on a pure cost basis for water that people have had some reef tank sucess with. There have been several threads on this board discussing the merits of grocery store vended RO water. I looked at the RO process Wal-Mart uses, and I agree it's not the best, it skips the DI stage. I do not yet have a TDS meter, (will get one if/when I get an RO unit) but I suspect that wal-mart water is not 0 TDS. However, several people are using this water with some success.
On a pure cost analysis, I would need to use something on the order of 15 gallons a week for it to be cheaper to buy my own RO unit (from a conventional source) than to buy water from Wal-mart. I have looked into a couple vendors on e-bay that can provide units and replacement filters that will break even in the first year of use, and save me 40% on the yearly water demand for a 75 gallon tank. When you get down to a 50 gallon tank, it would take 40 years to pay off the cost of the cheapest 6 stage filter I could find. Smaller than 50 gallons, and you really won't see any cost benifit to buying your own filter.
Speaking of cost analysis, how do you tell when it's time to change your filters? Every source I have seen says it depends on the conditions you run the filter under. I assume you use the TDS meter, but when the readings go up, how can you tell if it's the RO membrane or the DI resin that needs replacing? My water here is awful, I don't think I'll be able to stretch any filter cartridges very far, and I will definately need to get the TDS meter at the same time as the system.