RO/DI questions

[Clown79]

Theres no room under my counter to house one. I personally don't want to get into the system, having to hook it up every time I need water or having to order membranes etc. Etc. For me its easier to run to a store and grab distilled.

[asting]

Do you have the ad link?

unfortunately the liSting has ended. I bought from usa_water_supply. I can't provide feedback other than it was shipped quickly and seems good. I'm setting everything up in a month.

[seabass]

You might look here: http://www.ebay.ca/sch/sis.html?_nkw=REEF+AQUARIUM+WATER+FILTER+RO+DI+75GPD+REVERSE+OSMOSIS+&_itemId=250424161614

[Canadianeh]

On thing that I noticed is there are tons of brand names for this product. Do they matter? Are there any good brands?

[seabass]

I hear the PurelyH2O Optima and H2O Science units are good.

[Canadianeh]

how about Spectrapure?

[seabass]

If you can get them up there for a reasonable price, that's what I'd do.

[Gooburz]

I've used this unit for a year and a half, they have it on sale right now and they make an amazing product. It's paid for itself already since I had a 40B and now a 80B so now I do 25 gallon water changes and user a lot for top off. Plus it is on sale too right now, can't go wron with Spectrapure!

 

http://spectrapure.com/Refurbished-90-GPD-RODI-System

[Canadianeh]

is this one is a better deal since it comes with some extras?

http://spectrapure.com/Aquarium-RO-DI-Starter%20Kit-Includes-RODI-System-Replacement-Filter%20Kit-TDS%20Meters-Chlorine-Test-Kit

[ezcompany]

testing your existing tap water source (using a handheld TDS meter) would help before deciding which unit to purchase.

if you are in a area with high chloramines, spectrapure has units specifically designed for efficient removal of that.

I don't know what your budget or situation is, but if you plan to have a reef tank a long time, or produce a lot of water, you may want to look into long term cost savings (in terms of DI Resin, Membrane replacements, etc.) it's best you get a unit that will help you do so.

If you have high TDS like I do, (400ppm+) it would be worth it to get a unit thats good for this situation. I got the maxcap 90gpd with manual flush. This is a 5 stage unit that fits under my sink, and I use a faucet adapter whenever I need to make water.

you can google spectrapure faq and find a lot of good information there. you will learn quickly what separates spectrapure from most other ro/di companies. (for example all their membranes are individually tested and guaranteed)

hopefully AZdesertrat will chime in soon!

[seabass]

Absolutely. Any good RO/DI with a 1 micron or preferrably 0.6 or 0.5 micron extruded carbon block, high rejection rate RO membrane and full size vertical DI with fresh resin will remove chloramines. The most critical part is actually the DI resin which is what removes most of the ammonia portion of the chloramines not the carbon as many vendors try to tell you. Any good 1 micron or smaller carbon block, provided it is protected by an equal size or smaller sediment filter will remove the chlorine portion of chloramines and break with the bond with the ammonia which is removed by the RO and the DI.

The Spectrapure is especially efficient since it has a well protected carbon block, a specially treated and batch tested high rejection rate RO membrane and reef specific custom blended DI resin.

[Canadianeh]

some of them come with membrane flush manual or auto, and some of them don't.

 

What is manual and auto membrane flush? Do I need it?

[seabass]

In AZ's stead:

Don't waste your money on a flush kit. Keep your waste ratio at the manufacturers recommended 4:1 and you have all the flushing your membrane needs. If you want to really do something install a DI bypass which is simply a 1/4" tee inserted between the RO membrane and the DI filter with a 1/4" ball valve to flush the TDS creep out before it gets to the DI resin exhausting it prematurely. TDS creep resides on the treated side of the RO membrane, flush kits do nothing for this since they are on the waste side.

[Canadianeh]

so if I don't get the one with membrane flush, is there anything I need to do for maintenance of the unit other than to replace the membrane/filter?

 

How do I know when to change the membrane/filter?

[seabass]

I change the prefilters every 6 months. The RO membrane should last somewhere around 3 years (just check the TDS to ensure the rejection rate is still good). The DI resin should be changed as soon as you can detect TDS.

[Clown79]

Reefsupplies in cda has ro/di systems. See whats available there.

 

I find here outside of that, you have water depots to purchase from and its like $800 for a system.

[Canadianeh]

reefsupplies has the Maxcap 5 stages with TDS meter for $350

[seabass]

This is essentially what I use: http://www.reefsupplies.ca/online-store/MaxCap-90GPD-RODI-w-dual-tds-ASO-and-membrane-flush-by-Spectrapure.html

 

This is also a good unit: http://www.reefsupplies.ca/online-store/CSPDI-90GPD-w-Manual-Membrane-Flush-by-Spectrapure.html

However, I recommend getting an auto shutoff kit: http://www.reefsupplies.ca/online-store/Automatic-Shutoff-Kit-with-Float-by-Spectrapure.html

 

I'd even use this one: http://www.reefsupplies.ca/online-store/MPDI-90GPD-RO-DI-SYSTEM-by-Spectrapure.html

[Canadianeh]

can you please tell me how the ASO works? In what situation this will be beneficial for me as I only want to use it as portable unit.

[seabass]

It takes awhile to make (let's say 5 gallons of) water, so usually we start it up and walk away and do something else. You need to set a timer on your phone or something, or you risk overfilling your container and causing water damage.

 

However, as a good precaution, there are auto shut off kits which include the auto shutoff valve, float valve, and check valve. When the water gets high enough in the container, the float valve stops the flow. The auto shutoff utilizes the back pressure created by the float valve to shut off the water supply to the membrane. Without an automatic shut off valve, waste water would continue to run out after the float valve is activated.

[Canadianeh]

But if I do it in the bath tub, I don't think I am going to need it.

 

On a different topic what do youthink of Tunze comline DOC Skimmer 9004 for IM Fusion 40 compare to Reef Octopus BH50 skimmer ?

How about Ecotech MP10WQD VS Tunze 6040 water mover?

[seabass]

What about the IM Ghost (MidSize) skimmer?

 

I can't say that I've read much about the Tunze 6040 yet. However, the MP10 is a nice pump.

[Canadianeh]

I was going for Ghost but so many mixed reviews out there.

[Gooburz]

For smaller skimmers I trust 1 brand and that's Eshopps, they are amazing skimmers (the best) and priced great too!

[Sharbuckle]

https://www.aquasafecanada.com/products/aquarium-ii-7-stage-ro-di-system.html

But if I do it in the bath tub, I don't think I am going to need it.

 

On a different topic what do youthink of Tunze comline DOC Skimmer 9004 for IM Fusion 40 compare to Reef Octopus BH50 skimmer ?

 

How about Ecotech MP10WQD VS Tunze 6040 water mover?

My LFS in Ottawa uses tunze powerheads and skimmers on their 10+ year old display tanks. Incredible results. Also CJ's aquariums on youtube does a good review for the 9004 skimmer. As for the 6040, you already know I'm a fan. Ill post a video of the flow in my tank when I get home.