do i need a ro/di unit?

[stevefromga2000]

i'm not sure if i should get a ro/di unit. why exactly would i need one of these? do they truly benefit a saltwater system? i don't exactly have the money to throw around right now, and there are other things that i would like to spend money on like new lights, but i was just trying to get an idea of some stuff that i could use. any help is appreciated. thanks.

[austinsdad]

Assuming you're not going reef (w/your chocolate chip star), you may not need one. Have you tested your tap water for phosphates? That's the big thing IMO that the unit would help alleviate, but you may be OK. I'd test the tap first.

[fishfreek]

It may help to know how a RO/DI works first How a RO/DI unit works

Depending on your domestic water quality you may not NEED a RO/DI unit for a fish only setup or a fish only with live rock. If you try with out a RO/DI unit do you plan on mixing your own water or do you plan on buying saltwater thats premixed from a store? If you buy it premixed from a store how where you doing to do the daily/bidaily evaporation top offs. If you where planning on using water again from a store the time saved in getting a RO/DI unit will be well worth it.

You might find you have algae issues you just cant seem to get rid of when using tap water. If this is the case a RO/DI unit will most definatly help. If you dont have alge issues than you wont NEED a filter.

If you want reef its truly in your best interest to get one.

[stevefromga2000]

first off, i don't buy pre-mixed water. i'm already limited to the things that i have access to here in japan, at least where i'm stationed. second, i would like to get a reef tank going later on. i just wanted to ask around a little bit before i started getting heavy into the research. i don't want any high light corals or anything, just something that i could get set up with a 2x96 set up or something. the thing is, i'm only here for 3 1/2 more years, so i don't want to invest thousands of dollars just yet. i am willing to invest the money when it's needed though. in my opinion, this is a learning experience for me and i am learning hands on just how beneficial each piece of equipment really is. that way, when i get somewhere that i will be for a while, i can set up a major reef tank.

[fishfreek]

The corals will be more sensitive to the possible extra items found in tap water so this is why we say if you go reef you will be more likly to want a RO/DI unit. You will find people on here and on other forums that have reef tanks with out RO/DI units. Some buy DI water from stores where as others just use tap water with no negitives. Their tap water quality undoubtbly is much higher than that of other areas of the country/world. I saw your location as Japan so I cant speek to any degree on the quality of tap water in Japan as compared to the standard municipal water supply here in the US.

I think you will find RO units can be found fairly inexpensivly. Of course again dependingin on shipping I know some dont ship to military bases so you might be limited to some degree. Ebay is a good source for low cost filters. AquariumWaterFilters whom is a sponsor here has very high qulity units but they can be a little higher priced than the ebay units.


All I can say is to give it a try with a fish only setup and see if you run into problematic algae issue. If you dont than good you can likly get by with out a RO/DI unit.

[melosu58]

Another good result is that you dont have to go a buy water and lug it around. For eight years I went to the LFS and got SW and FW. I finally got an RO/DI unit and the curse is over. I`m free at last !!!!

[stevefromga2000]

awesome. thanks for the help guys. i will definetly keep that stuff in mind. first, i have to get my powerheads, which i ordered about 10 days ago and they should be here any day now. then, i want to get a skimmer. i will ask all kinds of questions after i get some money aside for that. then i would like to upgrade my lights. after that, i think i will be ready to try something like a ro/di unit. thanks again for all the help.

[lando]

Another good result is that you dont have to go a buy water and lug it around.

This is a great benefit! You have good water when you need it and when you want it. Besides, you can act as "quality controller" for your water. Often times, when you buy RO/DI water it ends up to have detectable PO4 or NO3. Testing your source at home is a good way to ensure your water is top-notch. When I first started in the aquarium hobby I thought it obserb that good quality water be so important. Now I can say from experince that it is the single most important thing (along with LR) to a successful marine aquarium.

[stevefromga2000]

okay, i think i understand now. thanks for the help guys.