RO/DI Question

[biotoxin]

I was talking to a lfs the other day and asked if they think its essential to have an RO/DI on my tank. The lady there said that the water in this area (norcal) doesnt need to be ro/di'd because the ph levels are fairly clean. She then mentioned that they dont use it at their store and their tanks have no problems. She then mentioned that having an ro/di removes trace elements that youll just add with additives for your tank later. Can anyone confirm this? Ive seen many people praise ro/di's and it makes me wonder if its worth the trouble to do it.

 

[cj10488]

What I would do is call the city and get a copy of the water reports and go from there.. It is always best to use Ro/Di but some use Tap water and have no problems... I know my tap around here as so much chlorine in the water you can smell it and it makes the water taste nasty.. So getting the Ro/Di unit also dubbed as a super nice drinking water filter... Bye Bye brita pitcher lol

hth,
James

 

[Biggen]

The lady there said that the water in this area (norcal) doesnt need to be ro/di'd because the ph levels are fairly clean.

Not to put her down or anything, but what is a clean pH level and what does that have to do with RO/DI water???

She then mentioned that having an ro/di removes trace elements that youll just add with additives for your tank later.

She is absolutely right here. The RO/DI will remove just about anything in the water. But that is what the salt mix is for. It adds everything back in that you need.

Bottom Line: You can have a successful tank without using RO/DI, but unless your local water conditions are pristine (the majority are not) than you will have endless algae problems for as long as your tank is in existence.

You don't have to buy an RO/DI filter right away. When the budget is right, go for it. Like I said you don't need it, but it sure does help.

 

[Michel]

You may want to check this product from Canada !
I have one and at that price I think it's almost a no brainer!
I used to carry distilled water bottle from a local store ...
No more

www.aquasafecanada.com

 

[biotoxin]

Ive also ready people using water vending machines like Glacier water thats supposed to be really clean. Anyone ever do this?

 

[cj10488]

You can also check on ebay for a user id of FilterDirect I have personally bought an Ro/Di unit from them and it was Great.. 125.00 shipped wasnt bad either for a 6stage 85gpd ro/di.. I know there have been quite a few others that have bought them as well from here.. Just an Idea


HTH,
James

 

[fishfreek]

We have some articles on RO filters in our aritcles area and I beilve our sponsor AquaFX has posted some links to some aritcles they have on their website about how RO filters work, etc.

As Biggen said you can have a sucessful tank with out a RO filter but alot of that success is dependant upon your local water quality. Using the PH of the water as a scale of water quality would be like telling someone a resturant has good food becase of the smell from outside.

There is much in the water that a simple PH test can not turn up. Things like trace ammonia, nitrate, copper, lead and other heavy metals. The RO membrane will in essence remove 99.9% of the impurities from the water and what you end up with is nearly pure H20. Everythign your saltwater tank needs is contained within the salt mix. There is no need to add these elements back to the water when doing water topoffs because its the h2o that evaporates and not the elements.

If you do want to look at some RO filters I belive our sponsor AquaFX has some good deals currently going on.

 

[jamal-188]

I'm not sure on my local water quality but I always use tap water detoxifiers such as Bio-safe by marineland. I"m sure these products aren't as safe as using a RO unit but I"m assuming they will hold me over until I can get one.

 

[Biggen]

The point of an RO/DI is to remove un-wanted metals, chemicals, solids, etc... This reduces the toxic buildup of metals in the water that is common among all aquarium systems. This also removes nutrients from the water that fuel algae blooms.

The Bio-safe is only eliminating chlorine, chloramine, and ammonia from the water. It is, essentially, only making the water safe for fish so that they can live. It is doing nothing to prevent buildup of metals or other chemicals that algae love.

Don't get me wrong, the use of Bio-safe is great if you aren't using a RO/DI filter. But don't get them confused as they are not one in the same.

 

[jamal-188]

Oh yeah, I understand that using products such as Bio-safe is not the same as a RO/DI unit, I just have to use that for now until I can afford a RO/DI unit. I guess products such as bio-safe just make the additives in water less harmful or harmless completely to fish where the RO/DI unit actually removes them from the water

 

[Biggen]

Yup, you have got it...

 

[snookface]

I highly recommend the RO/DI from the Canada website. The owner is Ed and he will answer any questions you have. I got a complete 100 gpd system for $119.00. I know the site is sponsored by AQUAfx, but they cant come close to that price. My water quality went from 216 TDS to 3 TDS and I see a great improvement to my tank.

I also use it for my drinking water source and hooked it up to my ice maker.