Do you have to use RO water?

[CaptainAhab]

You know what the big O says.. Pay to play baby.. Pay to play.

btw: used to work over on Park Ave. Miss the city, not the drive

 

[InfernoST]

I'm sure there has to be a place you can buy RO/DI water somewhere near by. Are there any LFS around? Most of them will sell it by the gallon then you don't have to buy a unit right away. You could use distilled water but I have heard that it can contain copper which could be bad.

How is the unit you got at bulk reef supply? Does it require a pump or is it driven from tap pressure?

 

[InfernoST]

You know what the big O says.. Pay to play baby.. Pay to play.

btw: used to work over on Park Ave. Miss the city, not the drive

That's some commute. You know what (The wife wont like it) It seems to be too important, What do you think about the unit blasterx uses from bulk reef supply? I must apologize for my ignorance but this is my first SW tank and want to do the right thing and not wind up sleeping in my garage, you know what i mean? It does make sense, starting off with a clean slate at least you know what your starting with.

 

[melosu58]

Chemistry and the Aquarium

 

[blasterx]

The pressure from the tap runs it but I guess it all depends on where you live, I guess I would the water pressure in my city "normal" it seems much the same as anywhere else I have lived. It's worked out well, it was cheaper than some other units around and they sell the replacement resin for cheap. I have been really happy with it. It didn't work when I connected it the first time, the had connected the auto shutoff valve backwards. Once I put that on the right way it worked great

 

[ulfius]

The pressure from the tap runs it but I guess it all depends on where you live, I guess I would the water pressure in my city "normal" it seems much the same as anywhere else I have lived. It's worked out well, it was cheaper than some other units around and they sell the replacement resin for cheap. I have been really happy with it. It didn't work when I connected it the first time, the had connected the auto shutoff valve backwards. Once I put that on the right way it worked great

How many gallons of waste is there per good? If you have the 75gpd unit, approximately how long does it take to make every 5 gallons?

 

[melosu58]

I work for a water municipality and even though I consider it safe to drink I do not consider for my reef. Phosphates, nitrates, silicates, chlorine and flouride. Great things for drinking, swimming and watering the yard but not for our reef. JMO.

 

[melosu58]

How many gallons of waste is there per good? If you have the 75gpd unit, approximately how long does it take to make every 5 gallons?

It depends on the temp. In the summer my RO/DI unit will make 5 gallons in 4 or 5 hours but in the winter it takes about 8 or 9 hours. Warmer water goes through the membrane quicker than cold water. Mine is outside in my tool shed.

 

[ulfius]

It depends on the temp. In the summer my RO/DI unit will make 5 gallons in 4 or 5 hours but in the winter it takes about 8 or 9 hours. Warmer water goes through the membrane quicker than cold water. Mine is outside in my tool shed.

And what's the ratio of waste water to good?

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

The real problem with using tap water is consistency. You don't have it with tap water. You're at the total mercy of your local water department. The chemical makeup of your tap water will change over the course of the year, and there is nothing you can do about it. Even if your tap water tests perfect today, it could be filled with nitrates and phosphates the next. With RO/DI, your water is the same every single time - regardless of the water coming into the unit. This consistency is really what you're after when it comes to a reef.

The fact that you're eliminating phosphates, nitrates, chlorine, etc is a really good thing too... but for me, it's the fact that I know the water I start with is the same every single day.

 

[blasterx]

I connect the waste water to the drain so to be honest I have no idea what the ratio is. I live in GA so even in winter it's not THAT cold. I fix 5 gallons in around 4 hours I guess?

 

[melosu58]

I would say it`s about 3 to 1 bad. I run mine down a pvc into the yard and water the grass with it. I`ve heard of others running the waste water in their washing machine to recover the water. I know what others said abount not a must and I value their opinion but to me it is a must but that is solely just my opinion.

 

[blasterx]

I thought it came out as brine and so assumed the salt would kill my plants. If not you might have something good going, in the summer I spend a pretty penny watering my yard and garden

 

[CaptainAhab]

Brine? you're filtering fresh water not salt.

 

[HN1]

I thought it came out as brine and so assumed the salt would kill my plants. If not you might have something good going, in the summer I spend a pretty penny watering my yard and garden

It just comes out somewhere on the tap side of RO. Not pure, but still probably better than tap.

 

[mtlion]

I agree 48 PPM is not bad, my well has about 160, but I use RO to get it down to 0. You could condition your tap water with Prime, that would probably help

 

[thincat]

 

[thincat]

And what's the ratio of waste water to good?

My unit has a 99% rejection rating. I't's from Bulkreef also. No problems with it. My house pressure is ~60#'s

 

[InfernoST]

If it's suppose to produce 75 gallons in one day shouldn't it be producing about 3. something gallons in an hour?

 

[sw-addict]

I would try to use r/o if at all posible, get it from a fish store, buy a unit online or where I live there are 3 companys that sell units culligan, planet earth and the filter guys all sell much cheaper then the units with the fish pictures on them and they will replace filters test your water and take care of the units you can rent from them. I have a kent maxima 4stage 50gpd unit it produces 2 gal an hour, I have no idea about the waste its plumbed into the house, but every time its time to replace filters I regret not checking into the other options. They are worth having, fetching 40gallons a month from the lfs is a workout and hassle that gets old fast. I got mine to get rid of algae, slime and hair that went away and never came back after battling them for a few years with the tap water.