RO UNIT and Phosphates

unknown

unknown

Member
Do regular Reverse osmosis units remove phostaphates and such. I know they take out alot but is that just like heavy metals.
THE RO UNIT I have is the Kent 24 GPD.
I don't have a Deionizer on it yet but would that be a good addition to add one. What to DI's do for the water purification??
Vince.
 
tony detroit

tony detroit

Active Member
Test the water on your RO with a TDS meter.
Test it before the carbon filter
before the RO filter
after the RO filter
and after the DI filter
When the DI passes 10 at the latest you should replace it.
 
thegrog

thegrog

Active Member
A good RO unit will remove phosphates, silicates, and pretty much anything else in the water.
I agree with the TDS meter idea. Saves money by letting you know when to replace filters so they are not replaced before their time.
You don't need the deionizer, RO will work fine for tanks.
 
msd2

msd2

Active Member
I would be cautious in saying you don't require a DI unit. What kind of tank are you hoping to run? Also the TDS reading on your existing ro setup will give you a clearer picture if you do or do not need one. Basically DI will give you the cleanest water possible. RO will let some by, but get a majority of it. Example I read awhile ago when deciding on which system to go with. Well water -300, after ro-30, after di- 0-3. Just an example, you needs may vary and if your initial water is of high quality you may only need a ro setup.
 
mburnickas

mburnickas

Member
as msd2 said is correct for me. My RO filter makes my 38 ppm TDS tap water go down to about 12 ppm of TDS. After DI is zero!
I bought a TDS meter for $24.95 and it +/- 2%, and measure temp!
 
thegrog

thegrog

Active Member
My RO unit will get my water down to 1-3 TDS before the DI unit. It is 0-1 after. My water starting out is about 60-70.
I use the DI unit anyway. It is just that DI uses more water to make a gallon.
I am not saying that it is totally uncalled for, just that it may not be totally needed. If you are starting out with good water, you may not need one. With totally pure water, you will also run into buffering problems which will eventually cause pH problems in your tank. Just another thing to think about.
 
unknown

unknown

Member
Do you think that the 30% left in there will cause algea blooms.
See I was using distilled water for water changes and top-off. i was getting reall bad algea blooms i have some pics of my tank in the nano section. i thoughy I should bite the bullet and buy an RO unit. I did. Now I am wondering if the RO water will be that different from the distilled water??
Vince.
 
unknown

unknown

Member
Also what is a TDS meter?? Were can I get one and how much do they cost? Do you think the LFS will have a TDS meter I can use to test my RO water??
Vince.
 
msd2

msd2

Active Member

Originally posted by Unknown
Also what is a TDS meter?? Were can I get one and how much do they cost? Do you think the LFS will have a TDS meter I can use to test my RO water??
Vince.
Your LFS may have a TDS meter, depending on how well stocked. If not, you get one online for about 25-30 bucks. W/O a long explanation the tds meter measures how much additional particles are in the water besides water, Total Dissolved Solids is what it stands for. Im sure if you do a search a indepth explanation will show up.
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator

Originally posted by Unknown
Do you think that the 30% left in there will cause algea blooms.

That completely depends on the amount of Phosphate in your tap water and your tanks ability to deal with the 30%.
 
msd2

msd2

Active Member
Do you really want to risk it to save a couple of bucks? If you check around you can get a standalone chamber that will go inline w/your existing ro filter and DI material for around 40 bucks.
 
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