water filter

mtkas29 · 11-06-2003, 07:24 PM

hi all,

i know that RO/DI is the way to go.
but what do you guys think of this filter?

i do 3gal/week water change for my 125.
here is the picture.

thefatman · 11-06-2003, 08:38 PM

same one i use... not as good obviously as a true ro/di but better than tap water.

it's pretty quick too. a gallon in about 15 minutes, at a nice slow speed.

i have no readings of ammonia, nitrites, copper, silicates, or phosphates. so i guess it's doing its job.

i'm going to buy a true ro/di in a bit, for for starting off, this was quick and simple and does a better job than nothing at all.

good price. i paid 59 locally for mine!!

DONT use the electro right or the ph adjuster... thats for FW tanks.

mtkas29 · 11-06-2003, 09:31 PM

i think i will give it a shot...
do you think it will perform a little bit better if i combine it with my existing water softener?

yardboy · 11-06-2003, 09:43 PM

Owwww. That's some expensive water. My water's got so many minerals that 25 gallons would be lucky. And softening it wouldn't help, since that's just an exchange of one ion for another. (Ca or Mg to Na) RO isn't the greatest filter in the world, but it reduces the ionic load down to where you can get a decent run on an ionic exchange bed.
For future estimates, I produce 0.06 uS water with <5ppb Si for about 3 cents a gallon. Figure what a $15 cartridge at 25-125 gallons would be! Economics of scale of course, as I produce 250gpm! That's part of the reason I've not scaled up my tank. A 70 gallon I can handle with buckets (for free) but a 180 would be too daunting, and so I'd have to spend 2-300 dollars for an RO/DI!

Prismaco · 11-06-2003, 11:38 PM

15 mins....takes me about 20 mins per 1 gallon of RO/DI

-Paul

tdwyatt · 11-07-2003, 12:18 AM

Heh! I fill a 45 gal barrel in about 8 hours, after the initial investment for a Spectrapure unit (about 6 or 7 years ago they were $400) the reccurring costs are about $50 every year (making around 70 gal a week plus rinsing the carpet at least twice a year

)

CAT · 11-07-2003, 05:57 AM

I use one. It works well but it's not cheap. Couldn't afford to use it on a larger tank.

thefatman · 11-07-2003, 06:15 AM

this will do a gallon in five minutes.. but it also says the slower the flow, the better it is filtered. so i run it really slow.

though i wouldn't compare it's quality with an ro/di.

i haven't had to change the filter yet, hasn't changed colors, i've done close to 150 gallons. though i'll admit, i also haven't tersted the output with a tds meter either..

Doug1 · 11-16-2003, 11:02 PM

its a DI filter, works well on fairly "clean"" water, works better with 2 in series. Also can be used behind a basic RO unit as the DI stage

ffc3 · 11-16-2003, 11:27 PM

I used to use one of those but it was a pain (not as bad as buying RO water). I know I'll get some conflict for this but I've been using tap water for the last month and have not noticed any difference. I let the water sit for a few days to get rid of any chemicals. I just can't see how the amount of nitrates or phosphates in tap water can come close to the amount that is produced in a tank from feeding, excrement, etc. If my system can handle what the bioload produces I think it should also be able to handle the little bit that tap water has. I might look for some sort of neutralizer or water conditioner.

ffc3 · 11-16-2003, 11:32 PM

Also I've been doing this on a 75g fish only tank with skimmer and canister filter, 50g reef with 30g refugium with skimmer and hang on filter, and a 30g reef with two hang on filters and no skimmer.

tdwyatt · 11-16-2003, 11:36 PM

all the dissolved solids in tapwater remain behind and accumulate ovedr time. As the water evaporates from the system, all these substances remain behind. tap water is usually not a significant source of nitrate (unless you have well water in an agricultural area), but the minerals and phosphates and other algal stimulants ARE significant in the water mains in most muni's water supplies (rust inhibitors and lead and heavy metal precipitant). The use of RO/DI in some areas means the difference between reef tank success and failure.

ffc3 · 11-16-2003, 11:40 PM

I find it easier and cheaper to just do lots of water changes with tapwater so maybe that will help with leaving substances behind from evaporation.

tdwyatt · 11-16-2003, 11:46 PM

heh! Must be a nano tank then...

yardboy · 11-17-2003, 01:49 PM

Don't sweat the flack. If it works for you, go with it. But if you start having trouble, maybe you'll know what course to take for correction. The water supplies across the country vary tremendously in their ionic loads. We even see major differences between wells that are a mile apart. Here in the panhandle of Florida, the groundwater is hard as the rock it comes out of. Two hours west it's soft as a baby. Trouble there is that you have to deal with the acidity and metals.
Are you from Utah, ffc3? Snowmelt flowing over granite would be practically RO/DI. Water from the valley floor would be so laden with salts (and not in the proportions you would like) as to turn your tank into the Great Salt Lake!