RO vs. Tap Water Filter on a nano tank

~Rookie Wookie~ · 09-16-2003, 07:55 PM

Hey guys, thought I would pull this over from the Nano Reef section since it'll get more exposure here...

-- What would be more cost efficient in the long run for a 10g tank? Given the fact the RO unit will waste water and the filter will not. In most cases, the tap water filter will make anywhere between 50 and 150 gallons of DI water.

What is the avg price for one of these water filters from Aquarium Pharmaceuticals? I do a weekly water change of about 20%, what do you guys think is a better choice? --

triggerhappy8 · 09-16-2003, 08:00 PM

Sorta tagging along. I also have a 10 gallon and am curious. By tap water deionizer do you mean like a standard Brita filter or is this something more hi tech? I know my tap water is 88, Brita water is 41, and RO water is 2.5 on a TDS meter if that helps at all.

~Rookie Wookie~ · 09-16-2003, 08:23 PM

I was referring to the Tap Water Filter from Aquarium Pharmaceuticals, which is stated in my first post... take a look from their website.

http://www.aquariumpharmaceuticals.com/aqfilter.html

It's the last one down.

FishDaddy · 09-16-2003, 08:33 PM

Rookie Wookie,

I used the Aquarium Pharm. Tap Water Purifier for a long time; far too long to be cost effective, for my 55 & 38. Finally broke down a couple years ago and got a nice 4-Stage RO/DI. TDS meter shows "0" from the RO/DI. Can't remember the TWP numbers but they weren't too bad.

A TWP should be fine for a 10 gal, though the highest quality water will come from RO/DI. I would get 60-75 gallons of purified water from a cartridge so, over time, I bought a lot of them before switching.

Cartridges will run you about $16-17 apiece from most mail order houses. Your actual 'mileage' will vary depending on your local water system water. No more water than you would use for the 10gal, a cartridge should last you a long time!

Dick

Doug1 · 09-17-2003, 01:34 AM

I agree, its prolly hard to justify spending upwards of $200 on an RO/DI for a 10g nano, but you vcan shop around for the TWP, running them in sequence helps, and later add an inexpesive 25 gpd RO and use the TWP behind it