RO/DI Question

[billandjess]

We are looking to get a RO/DI unit for our 125gal reef tank. There seem to be a lot of options out there but here is what we have discerned:

• 5 stage seems to be plenty because everything we read says stage 6 is activated carbon for "taste and texture"
• 50 GPD should be plenty to provide us with the 5-10gal per week for topoffs and 25gal bi-weekly water changes

That being said, does everyone concur with these assumptions and if so, does this look like a good unit?

http://cgi.ebay.com/5-stage-50GPD-Re...QQcmdZViewItem


Thanks in advance!

Bill and Jess

[Kimberfish]

well most of the housings are the same - it's the quality filter/membranes you use that I found important.
There are a few things I don't like about the one you linked to.
I don't like that the housings are solid - I like the see thru ones (personal preference)
the unit is only a ro unit with no mention of a DI stage. However, it looks like it has one of those 2.5" cartridges on the top - even if it is meant to hold Di resin it's too small.
You probably won't use the "luxury faucet or the metal storage container either.
also realize that it is 50gpd IF your pressure reads 50/60 psi which straight out of the faucet it probably doesn't.
I have a 100 gpd unit w/o a booster pump and it makes about 40 gallons in 8-10 hours.
I have used Jim at www.thefilterguys.biz with great results!! They sell a unit that is RO/DI for not too much more than the one your looking at.

Good luck and welcome to TRT and hopefully the club! Can you tell us about your setup and post some pics!!!???

[Loverotties]

That looks great!

[s10willy]

I don't too much care for the e-bay item. It is only an RO, not RO/DI. The link to the 5 stage unit at the filter guyz is a better option. Take a look at the options on that unit, though. If you need/want the items such as the flush valve or pressure gauge, then you might want to check out the Typhoon III at www.airwaterice.com. Here is a direct link:
http://www.airwaterice.com/product/1...er_75_GPD.html

I have used this unit for the last 4 years with no problem. They are located in South Florida, so the shipping is quick, but you will have to pay tax. Customer service there is excellent. You can check out their e-bay feedback here:
http://myworld.ebay.com/theh2oguru/

[marineduud]

Originally Posted by s10willy

I don't too much care for the e-bay item. It is only an RO, not RO/DI. The link to the 5 stage unit at the filter guyz is a better option. Take a look at the options on that unit, though. If you need/want the items such as the flush valve or pressure gauge, then you might want to check out the Typhoon III at www.airwaterice.com. Here is a direct link:
http://www.airwaterice.com/product/1...er_75_GPD.html

I have used this unit for the last 4 years with no problem. They are located in South Florida, so the shipping is quick, but you will have to pay tax. Customer service there is excellent. You can check out their e-bay feedback here:
http://myworld.ebay.com/theh2oguru/

Willy.. glad to see your still around !!!!!

[billandjess]

Originally Posted by Kimberfish

Good luck and welcome to TRT and hopefully the club! Can you tell us about your setup and post some pics!!!???

Thanks!

We have a 125-gallon reef tank 72x18. We inherited it a while back from a guy that was told by his wife that he had to get rid of either it or his 75 gallon reef, so he told me i could have it if I could move it.

We are running 3x 250w XM 10k Metal Halides in it.

We have had the tank about 8 months and have constantly been fighting green hair algae, which I am hoping to finally kick with the RO/DI water.

I have 2 kids under 3, so I have not had a lot of time to put into it over the last 8 months that I have had it, but everything in it was fairly healthy until our recent house move. During the move, we unfortunately lost 3 of the 4 fish we had. We lost a lawnmower blenny, a damsel and a green chromis, with our 1 green chromis surviving the move. They were all apparently healthy until 2-3 days after the move, then we lost 1 a day for 3 days.

We have about 40 head of assorted hairy mushrooms, 30-40 polyps of ricordia florida, about 20 other assorted mushrooms, a ton of xenia (go go poor water quality!) and some neat sponges. My pride and joy is a blue sponge that we bought as a rock from Ocean Reef for $5. it started out the size of a dime on the rock, and has grown to approx 16" long with 6 significant branches.

During the move, as recommended by john at Bio-Reef, we scrubbed the live rock with a potato scrubber to get excess algae dislodged and discarded, so we are back at a manageable level of algae, and hope to keep it under control by keeping the phosphates and nitrates down with better quality water before restocking the tank.

This weekend, I implemented my new filtration, which I am very proud of. I have a modified berlin system that I took a standard berlin chamber and housed it inside a 35 gallon aquarium to add an extra chamber, but I put some of my 2 year old's mega blocks under the berlin as feet, so that the water flows under it past the heaters. It is now a 4 chamber filtration sytem with chamber 1 having filter pads in a distributor plate, dripping onto 40 pounds of live rock, chamber 2 having grow lights and chaeto algae, from there, the water cascades down out of the berlin into the aquarium chamber 3 having the Urchin-C protein skimmer, after which the water flows under the berlin (which helps ensure the bubbles from the protein skimmer dont go to the return) across a bed of live sand to chamber 4 which has 10 lbs more live rock, some stars and cucumbers and the return pump.