Ro/di system

[jjh302]

So today I am ordering my water system from BRS. I was going to go with the 4 stage. I see they also sell a 5 stage. Is that extra stage worth lying the 30ish extra dollars for. It looks to be a .06 carbon block. Will the 4 stage still let me keep happy fish and corals?

 

[BigRedsReefs10]

What kind of water have you been using? This may be why your corals are angry

 

[jjh302]

Great value (Walmart brand) distilled water at 98 cents a gallon. All of my corals were doing very well until Sunday or Monday.

 

[Sniperhank]

Get a 5 stage. You can never go wrong with more filtration when making pure water. Try to get a TDS meter on it, so you'll know when it's time to change your filters.

Great value (Walmart brand) distilled water at 98 cents a gallon. All of my corals were doing very well until Sunday or Monday.

And I have been using this water for over a year on my mixed reef without issues due to manure seeping into my well water.

 

[jjh302]

Get a 5 stage. You can never go wrong with more filtration when making pure water. Try to get a TDS meter on it, so you'll know when it's time to change your filters.



And I have been using this water for over a year on my mixed reef without issues due to manure seeping into my well water.

Isn't all 0 TDS water the same?

 

[bribo12]

I have a 4 stage from bulkreefsupply and it works great.

 

[Sniperhank]

At 0 tds, yes. But filters clog and di resin wears out over time. An additional stage lengthens the time between new filters. This is why a tds meter is important.

 

[bribo12]

Yes I agree make sure to get either the + unit or add a Tds meter to your purchase.

 

[jjh302]

At 0 tds, yes. But filters clog and di resin wears out over time. An additional stage lengthens the time between new filters. This is why a tds meter is important.

Both of the 4 and 5 stage systems that I'm looking at come with dual TDS meters(pre and post) and an inline pressure gauge.

 

[dmolavi]

Do the 5 stage Plus if you haven't already bought it...

 

[jjh302]

Do the 5 stage Plus if you haven't already bought it...

I have not yet purchased. I wanted to hear more opinions. Is it worth the extra 40 bucks just for the TDS meter and pressure gauge? I already own a hm digital handheld TDS meter.

 

[dmolavi]

I think it is, and you get the extra stage of filtration (and less filter wear) with the 5 stage. The pressure gauge is nice so that you can see if you will need a booster pump, and it gives you an overall idea of how long it will take to make your water. i.e. I know that if I see 65PSI, it will take about 80 minutes to make my little bucket of water, but at 55PSI, it takes closer to 2 hrs...

Oh, and get the float valve

 

[jjh302]

Oh, and get the float valve

The float valve or the auto shut off kit? And what's the difference in the two?

 

[dmolavi]

The "plus" system already includes the auto shut off, the float valve makes it work...

 

[jjh302]

Awesome. ?

Any other suggestions on things I may need or would make life just a tad easier? I plan on letting it drain into my washing machine and use the waste water to wash clothes with.

 

[dmolavi]

A refractometer (not a hydrometer), good test kits (Hanna checkers and Salifert are good)...

What do you have already?

 

[Sniperhank]

A refractometer (not a hydrometer), good test kits (Hanna checkers and Salifert are good)...

What do you have already?

Milwaukee makes a MEAN digital refractometer. One of the best things I ever did was pick up on duty shifts to buy that and the calcium, alk, and phosphate hanna checkers.

 

[dmolavi]

Yeah, that's a sweet meter, all right, but a standard refractometer will suffice too.

But, for the love of FSM, don't use a hydrometer.

 

[jjh302]

I have the full gamma of API test kits. (Ph, nitrate, nitrite, ammonia, calcium, phos, and I bought either the kh or gh but Idr at the moment). I use a fluval hydrometer. I also have a hm digital TDS meter. I have a 92 gallon corner that is about 7-8 years old with a 20 gallon, 2 chamber, sump with a filter sock and live rock as the only media in it. There are two 150w metal halides with 20,000k bulbs in it(which are lord knows how old) and two t5ho with 460nm blue actinics (Red Sea) that I installed two weeks ago.

 

[jjh302]

I was told by others that the Hanna checkers are for freshwater only??