[Pattern8]

I'm having some difficulty with maintaining stable GH and pH in one of my nano tanks due to the seriyu stone used in hardscape. So, though I really didn't want to go this route, I'm considering purchasing yet another piece of equipment. Anyone have any recommendations on an RO unit? Does it need to include DI? I have going two 6 gallon and one 12 gallon tanks so the output does not need to be large. My greatest consideration is ease of use. I would like as close to "plug and play" as possible.

 

[bsherwood]

Does NOT need to be DI

I just ordered another coralife 3 stage ro unit....I gave my first one to my nephew a few years back. It had served me well through my "salt phase".
I am hoping it can help me make my shrimp tanks happier.

 

[Calestus]

Love air water ice.

they have some nice systems and they will build you anything you like if what they stock doesn't suit you.


great customer service too, been a customer for ten years or so.

 

[WaterLife]

Check how much more the DI portion is in comparison to just the RO unit. I've heard of some people saying it was only a few bucks more. You don't have to use it, but for a few bucks more, it might be worth picking up just to have on hand. DI can come in handy. You could always buy the DI at a later time, but for a few bucks more (IF), might as well just get it.

Not sure if you are just getting one to better micromanage planted tanks or you want a unit for keeping soft water fish/inverts.
Been a long time since I've looked into RO units, but if I remember correctly, get a 4 stage unit, or better yet, a 5 stage unit.
Pretty sure they are all just "plug and play", just dispense water or not. Though you need to change filter cartridges every so often.

It's been many years since I've looked into RO units though...

 

[Clear Water]

Things to look at with RO units for me was to have TDS gauges to see if the water is being filter a pressure gauge to make sure my pressure is up to making my production. Cost of replacement membrane and how long the company been round.
I had the coralife I never liked it, it used connects that to me were cheaper than others. I have a Specapure unit and have been very happy with it.

 

[Nexgen]

I have a bulk reef supply ro/di unit, that I like. It has the murlok connections that seem to be very reliable and the membranes are the type that can be bought from many different sources, not just the brs ones. BRS has been around for a while and it is what many of the saltwater guys get theirs making them easy to find used. So I would recommend doing what I did and that's checking your local Craigslist. I got mine for 70 and it included all new membranes and resin. The only recommendation I would give is to ask the seller to hook it up so you can see it doesn't leak, otherwise there isn't much that can go wrong with them.

 

[GraphicGr8s]

How come we can't just use an RO like those that would be sold by a plumber? A customer who happens to own a plumbing company can get me a 100gpd unit for about $120.

 

[latchdan]

How come we can't just use an RO like those that would be sold by a plumber? A customer who happens to own a plumbing company can get me a 100gpd unit for about $120.

I bought mine from the filter guys. I called and they helped me out. They also said over 75gpd you would need a booster pump to achieve the output.

I just have a 3 stage unit my tds is around 3 to 6.

 

[Pattern8]

Check how much more the DI portion is in comparison to just the RO unit. I've heard of some people saying it was only a few bucks more. You don't have to use it, but for a few bucks more, it might be worth picking up just to have on hand. DI can come in handy. You could always buy the DI at a later time, but for a few bucks more (IF), might as well just get it.

Not sure if you are just getting one to better micromanage planted tanks or you want a unit for keeping soft water fish/inverts.
Been a long time since I've looked into RO units, but if I remember correctly, get a 4 stage unit, or better yet, a 5 stage unit.
Pretty sure they are all just "plug and play", just dispense water or not. Though you need to change filter cartridges every so often.

It's been many years since I've looked into RO units though...

Thank you. I'm inclined to agree with your recommendation. Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. My hope is to keep soft water nano fish, the majority of which are wild caught. My problem is really two fold

a) my source (tap) water is unusual: TDS 50ppm, GH 3º, KH 3º, pH is 6.8 straight from tap and 7.6 after aging for 48hr. The relatively high level of 1.0ppm of phosphate is ,from what I've read, likely the cause of the swing in pH

b)my heavy use of the iwagumi style seiryu stone and removing some of it is not as easy as it would seem. The tank is a fluval edge and the aquascaping is analogous to building a ship in a bottle.

So really I'm not even sure that an RO/DI or combination of the two will really save me in this project but I'm willing to try.

 

[hbosman]

I use an RO unit but, If I had your tap water, I wouldn't bother. My tap is kh of 6 or more and gh of 10 or more. I mix my RO with about 25 % tap to bring it up to KH 2 or 3 and GH 4 or 5. I add KH2PO4 to bring my phosphate above 1 ppm.

You might want to FIRST check the pressure of your plumbing with a gauge:

Amazon.com : Rain Bird P2A Pressure Gauge : Pressure Washer Gauges : Patio, Lawn & Garden


If you can't get your house pressure to 60 or above PSI, then you'd have to buy a booster pumb which would cost an additional $120 or so.

 

[Pattern8]

I use an RO unit but, If I had your tap water, I wouldn't bother. My tap is kh of 6 or more and gh of 10 or more. I mix my RO with about 25 % tap to bring it up to KH 2 or 3 and GH 4 or 5. I add KH2PO4 to bring my phosphate above 1 ppm.

You might want to FIRST check the pressure of your plumbing with a gauge:

Amazon.com : Rain Bird P2A Pressure Gauge : Pressure Washer Gauges : Patio, Lawn & Garden

If you can't get your house pressure to 60 or above PSI, then you'd have to buy a booster pumb which would cost an additional $120 or so.

What a hassle! I've never kept a saltwater tank but if I'm having to go to all this I'm strongly reconsidering it.

 

[Calestus]

I'm slightly off...I suppose.

I take my ~300PPM tap water down to ~2PPM and then restore it to the KH/GH I need in my tank. Time consuming, yeah, but it works for me. KH~3/GH~3

I keep my tank between 190PPM-220PPM, 220 triggers a water change. At my dosing/light/co2/feeding/stock levels takes ~2 weeks, depending on where I am with plant trims. When the tank is overgrown it sometimes takes a month to get there.

I no longer test regularly, just TDS. For grins I run a full set of tests every when I feel like it. It doesn't change much though.

 

[Clear Water]

You don't need a RO unit with water like that. I dream of having tap water like that. Just get a tank and age your water and buffer the PH.

 

[HBdirtbag]

anyone have any recommendations for something I can connect to the garden hose and leave outside for good? My MTS is kicking in hard and i've gotta find a better solution then carrying 5G buckets back and forth to the kitchen all week.

 

[gnovince]

This is a great question OP and I'm also thinking about getting a R/O system. I'm currently getting a gallon for $.37 cents for refill at my local grocery store. But it sure would be easier just to do right from home. I'm wondering if anyone has this one = http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=26888 Price is right but is quality?

 

[Pattern8]

I'm slightly off...I suppose.

I take my ~300PPM tap water down to ~2PPM and then restore it to the KH/GH I need in my tank. Time consuming, yeah, but it works for me. KH~3/GH~3

I keep my tank between 190PPM-220PPM, 220 triggers a water change. At my dosing/light/co2/feeding/stock levels takes ~2 weeks, depending on where I am with plant trims. When the tank is overgrown it sometimes takes a month to get there.

I no longer test regularly, just TDS. For grins I run a full set of tests every when I feel like it. It doesn't change much though.

How did you determine your "trigger" TDS? I run full tests every week but would like to get a better idea of how to use TDS as a water change indicator.

Bump:

anyone have any recommendations for something I can connect to the garden hose and leave outside for good? My MTS is kicking in hard and i've gotta find a better solution then carrying 5G buckets back and forth to the kitchen all week.[/QUOTE


I like the sound of this.

 

[Calestus]

It's just my arbitrary change some water reminder. I log my TDS everyday about the same time before I feed.

My goal is always to maintain as stable a tds over as many days as I can and to modify dosing for any deficiencies detected.

I use a modified PPS recipe on a 4 head auto dosing pump.

One macro contains nitrogen, one macro without, a diluted micro and an iron mix.

I dose the macros on alternating days, micros and Fe every day. I modify the macro amounts depending my plant load, usually the one without nitrogen. I maintain micro dosing as low as I can without deficiencies, which is why I dose Fe separate.

Cheers.

 

[eklu65]

Check out purewaterclub.com. I bought a system from them in 2012, everything worked great, 0 TDS. There were tiny leaks when I first plugged it in, but they were easy to fix. Significantly cheaper than most of the other sites.

 

[Edward]

It's just my arbitrary change some water reminder. I log my TDS everyday about the same time before I feed.

My goal is always to maintain as stable a tds over as many days as I can and to modify dosing for any deficiencies detected.

I use a modified PPS recipe on a 4 head auto dosing pump.

One macro contains nitrogen, one macro without, a diluted micro and an iron mix.

I dose the macros on alternating days, micros and Fe every day. I modify the macro amounts depending my plant load, usually the one without nitrogen. I maintain micro dosing as low as I can without deficiencies, which is why I dose Fe separate.

Cheers.

Did you try doubling PO4 to get higher NO3 consumption?
Still, dosing macros every day will improve NO3 uptake and plant health. Plants can take all available PO4 in minutes and have nothing left for the following no-dosing day.
I have updated NO3 Free solution if you are interested, “What if my NO3 is too high” section.

 

[Calestus]

@Edward I could have been clearer, I do dose macro everyday. I alternate between the mix with NO3 and the one without.

I haven't actually messed with higher PO4 levels to increase uptake of NO3. My NO3 stays pretty stable and I haven't found any need to bring it down.


Everything grows too fast as it is. I will experiment with my next tank as I'll need high growth to fill it in and I'll have 8 dosing heads to go crazy with.


Love that site, it's what got me started on a planted tank again.