ro/di unit upkeep costs. and tap water ?'s

krunk

krunk

Member
first off, im going to start a reef 75 gallons(in december), and do i need ro-di water for a reef or is ro water fine enough?
anyways, id like to know the upkeep cost on kent ro/di units. how often do you have too replace everything? how much does it cost yearly? im going too use about 110 gallons right when i get it....
Would this be ok for now? im going too cycle it in late june/early july, fill it with tap water for the cycle, then use walmart water for topoff/waterchange water. would this work? i plan on having some lps, softies and some sps's.(350 watt mh's)
 
reefnut

reefnut

Active Member
I would get a RO/DI unit. Can't help with the Kent units but I would suggest a Typhoon III. The maintenance cost is going to be directly related to your water quality. The more the filters have to filter the quicker they need to be replaced. IMO, the cost of a RO/DI unit is far cheaper than buying water.
 
krunk

krunk

Member
i dont know my water quality, but i could keep a powder brown tang for two months then the triggers killed it. Could you give me an estimate of how much $ you spend yearly for your typhoon(i was thinking of getting one).
 
reefnut

reefnut

Active Member
I really can't, I've only had mine for a few months. Replacement filters (1 Sediment, 2 carbons, 1 DI cartridge) is about $50.00 for all 4. I forget the typical life span of each cartridge but they all very some.
 
S

sebae0

Guest
definetly get a typhoon ro/di unit cause they work great and a great price. i can't help also with the lifespan on the cartridges because mine is only a few months old also. its all gonna depend on how much water you produce and how bad your tap water is. hth
 
broncofish

broncofish

Active Member
I use a barebones single stage RO unit. There are some theories out there that RO/DI removes to many trace elements that certain coral, and inverts actually need(wilkerson mentions something about it in her book) I just went with the Ro because i am a cheap booger..but it works fine for me. Cost $65 dollars initially, and like $10 for a replacement filter a couple of times a year.
 
kevin j

kevin j

Member
I have a spectrapure ro-di unit and I love it!:D Much nicer then going to go buy my water and I know when the filters have been changed so I can keep the water quality high. I dont know about the kents but spectrapure really bends over backwards to help you if you have any questions. :D TWO THUMBS UP:D
 
krux

krux

Member
i use a kent bare bones ro filter, it is rated at 30 gallons per day, which is more than enough for my 29 gallon tank.
replacement filters are around 60 bucks, but after 6 months of running it my water is still perfect coming out of it, and my flow has not slowed down at all. i am told by fellow local hobbyists in my area that they replace their cartridges annually, so i would expect to do the same, so 100 initial investment, and 60 dollars a year thereafter.
 
zafirablanca

zafirablanca

Member
I have the Typhoon II and I love it. Best equipment for the best price. Do a search here in them and you will see. I am really, really glad that I got one for my tank at the beginning of setting it up. I got it off of ----. The guy who run the business is very helpful and will answer all of the questions that you have. His company is called airwaterice (dot com). BTW, replacement filters are not that expensive, as was previously mentioned.
I would not start your tank with tap water. You will most likely end up battling diatom blooms and other nuciance algae problems if you do. It is worth investing in the RO/DI at the beginning, as it is extremely hard to play catch up with a tank that has already been set up.
You don't need to worry about if the water is to pure, the salt mix provides all of the minerals, etc. that you need. It is only freshwater tanks that need to have the pure water conditioned before use in a tank.
Do not estimate the toll that lugging water around (from the store to your house) can take on your back.
RO/DI is a great investment IMO.
Good luck,
-Christine
 
xxvietxjustinxx

xxvietxjustinxx

Member
I use a 3 stage RO/DI unit that I use to drink water from and for the saltwater tank. Do you think its a problem? I actually have 1 RO/DI unit in my kitchen, and another one in my other kitchen. They both seem to work great so far, no phophates, not too much algae, etc.
 
pyro383

pyro383

Member
I hope noe one is drinking RO/DI, the water is stripped and has no flavor, plus I heard its not good to drink DI. RO is fine since it goes through carbon filters.
Filters for the Compact reef unit 100gpd is rated for 1yr or 3,000 gallons, depending on how bad the incoming water is. I plan on replacing every 1.5 to 2yrs as I don't make that much water. If my TDS goes above zero after a year than I will replace.
 
beaslbob

beaslbob

Well-Known Member

Originally posted by KrUnK
first off, im going to start a reef 75 gallons(in december), and do i need ro-di water for a reef or is ro water fine enough?
anyways, id like to know the upkeep cost on kent ro/di units. how often do you have too replace everything? how much does it cost yearly? im going too use about 110 gallons right when i get it....
...


Tap water is just fine. Especially if you don't do water changes and just replace the water that evaporates.
 
javatech

javatech

Member
Tap water is NOT just fine
start out with the best water you can buy or make it's dumb to try to save with the water
and you know you don't have to quote every post when you reply;)
 
krunk

krunk

Member

Originally posted by javatech
and you know you don't have to quote every post when you reply;)
what? lol :D
 
jlem

jlem

Active Member
Another option that you may have is the Glacier water machines. The water is RO/micron/UV/charcoal/ and yada yada yada. The price is only 25 cents a gallon and the water is extremely pure. The PH is right around 7.3 which is pretty close to pure. I just fill a couple 5 gallon jugs every couple weeks for top off and water changes. I have well water that would burn through the membranes so the Glacier is the most cost efficient for me.
Have you ever wondered if Beaslbob thinks people don't know who he/she is replying to:D
 
beaslbob

beaslbob

Well-Known Member

Originally posted by javatech
sorry that was for beaslbob:D ;)

At least when I post you know who I am responding too LOL :D
 
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