Civlor Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 (edited) How do you get your aquarium water? I really don't want to haul water from the LFS every week for water changes. RO/DI filters seem to be the tool of choice, but there's a price factor, plus what do I do with the "waste" water? There are some cheaper RO only or DI only systems, but am I wasting money not getting both operations? I have a 70 gallon tank and sump I'm about to fill sometime this week. My instinct is to get the RO/DI, some salt, a powerhead, a heater and start a'brewin. Any thoughts would be appreciated. If this has been posted before, my apologies. Thanks, Ben Edited July 12, 2009 by Civlor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dustint21 Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 Love my RO/DI! http://www.melevsreef.com/rodi.html http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/RO/DI-Filters-&-Systems-RO/DI-Systems/c9_10/p603/Economy-4-stage-RO/DI-unit/product_info.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 Love my RO/DI! http://www.melevsreef.com/rodi.html http://www.bulkreefs...oduct_info.html I'm going to ask the same question as Ben as I already have one of these units.....I hooked it up to the garden hose spiggot outside...I have an RO/DI tube that gives me 5 gallons in about an hour, with approx 25 gallons of waste water spewing from the other tube!! I let the waste water empty into a pail and then every 15 minutes or so I have to go outside and dump it into my flowerbed....any suggestions as I figure it is just easier to tip on down to RCA and for $1 a jug, I'm done ;-) Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+dapettit Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 First thing Robin and I did was do the math. We figured it was cheaper to make our own water than buy it. As far as waste water, we first let it empty into the washer and use to wash cloths. With new washer I had to get another 55 gallon plastic drum and allow the wast water to collect there. I have a mag 5 in the barrel w/ a PVC contraption I built. I now just hook up the water hose and pump into the fornt yard/flower bed. Another reefer runs a line outside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+dapettit Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 I forgot this is the one we decided on: WaterGeneral Reverse Osmosis+DI Water System Dave- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caferacermike Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 My worthless $0.02 on the subject. In essence it actually is cheaper to buy your water from the shop then to really mess with RO/DI unless you are using hundreds of gallons a week. I found that when I was buying water I would need 5g a week for top off and once a month I would need an additional 20g for water changes. All in all that was 40g or about $10 a month. However I used to buy so much coral and fish that most shops would allow me to get the water for free to keep me coming back and taking my real money. If you do the math a good RO/DI unit runs about $200. At $10 a month for water you can easily run for almost 2 years for about the price of an RO unit. But keep in mind that about every 6 months you need to replace about $12 in prefilters, and about once a year (or even more often) you need about $20 in DI resin. You can get about 2 years from 1 RO membrane. So that is an additional $32 a year in filters. My guess is that it would have taken me close to 3 years to "break even". This does not include the $250 I spent on my water storage container. But when I bought my 400g tank I figured I finally needed an RO/DI unit so I bought a 300GPD unit. I really like the convenience factor of having the water ready in the garage at a moments notice. I also like that I no longer need to fill up 4 jugs on Friday for a water change on Saturday and then refill them on Sunday for top off purposes. About the waste water, oh well. I ran about 100' of tubing out of my garage and into my yard. My waste water actually waters my grass and Sago palm. If I was really concerned I'd put a barrel or 2 on pedestals in the yard as my "rain catchers", filling them with my waste water and run hoses out of those when needed. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 OK ben...there ya go!! Dave and Mike...thank you for the advice...you are so right, at least for my predicament...my washer and dryer are on the 2nd floor in a closet made just for the 2 appliances or I would so do the 55 drum. I guess I have an RO/DI unit for sale then...anyone interested?? ;-) Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caferacermike Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 Just clicked on the link to the "Water General". Just a tip but those DI canisters are worthless. Very little, if any, water is forced through the resin in that configuration. Instead the water just skims right over the top of the resin. At the very least remove them, buy some extra tubing, and mount them vertically so that the water must be forced from the bottom up. That will help. When replacing the resin make sure to pack it into the canister as tightly as possible to prevent the water from forming channels incorporating the path of least resistance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhart032 Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 Well for 7 months i carted water from the LFS i finaly bought an RO last week. and just to convience factor is great.. i dont have to constantly worry about getting water and then theirs the "oh Darn i for my containers" so you buy a couple more.. i just started mixing my own salt this week and im already loving it.. btw my waste water in going down the drain =X never thought of washing clothes with it, but isnt that the water that has all the crap in it? wouldnt it have 2xs the crap in it then normal? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+dapettit Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 Both myself and reef_pug use that unit. I have no problems with water quality. I have been using it for over a yeat. Dave- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caferacermike Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 Your clothes will never notice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muddybluewater Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 I use a ro/di from purewaterclub.com. It cost like $125 with the 4g presure tank and drinking water faucet for the kitchen sink. It is a 6 stage filter with 100g per day ro. The only problem with this unit is that most of the pre installed fittings had small leaks that I fixed myself. I thought that the low price was worth the effort to fix. I just use a 1/2" line that fits over the spout to fill either 1g or 5g jugs to do water changes and top off. Not only do you have to consider the cost of the water but the gas and time lost going to and from your LFS to get water. This was one of the best investments I have made for my tank in a long time and we don't have to buy bottled water to drink we just use the unit. TDS readings are consistently 000-001. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Eckreef Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 Love my RO/DI! http://www.melevsreef.com/rodi.html http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/RO/DI-Filters-&-Systems-RO/DI-Systems/c9_10/p603/Economy-4-stage-RO/DI-unit/product_info.html dustin21 Which unit did you get? The one from Melevsreef or from bulkreefsupply? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Civlor Posted July 13, 2009 Author Share Posted July 13, 2009 Thank you all for your replies. Seems nearly unanimous. Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muddybluewater Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 Well for 7 months i carted water from the LFS i finaly bought an RO last week. and just to convience factor is great.. i dont have to constantly worry about getting water and then theirs the "oh Darn i for my containers" so you buy a couple more.. i just started mixing my own salt this week and im already loving it.. btw my waste water in going down the drain =X never thought of washing clothes with it, but isnt that the water that has all the crap in it? wouldnt it have 2xs the crap in it then normal? Washing clothes with the water would be a great use of the waste water. especially if you then use the gray water to water your yard afterwards. For the amount of "crap" in the water, My TDS readings are 225 on my tap water, if you double that to 450 that is still acceptable drinking water in fact TDS must be at 1000mg/L before the EPA considers it unfit for human consumption. Just something to think about. TDS (Total Dissolved Solids): Total dissolved solids (TDS) comprise inorganic (principally calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, bicarbonates, chlorides and sulfates) and organic matter that is dissolved in water. TDS in drinking-water originate from natural sources, sewage, urban run-off, industrial wastewater, chemicals used in the water treatment process, and the nature of the piping or hardware used to convey the water, i.e., the plumbing. An elevated total dissolved solids (TDS) concentration is not necessarily a health hazard. The TDS concentration is a secondary EPA drinking water standard and therefore is regulated because it is more of an aesthetic rather than a health hazard. Acceptable result: < 500 mg/L (A reading above 1000 mg/L is considered by the EPA to be unfit for human consumption). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dustint21 Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 dustin21 Which unit did you get? The one from Melevsreef or from bulkreefsupply? LOL! I dont have either. I have just heard good things about both and they have decent prices. I bought a used one from another reefer that needs to be upgraded SOON! Dustin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chark Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 I ordered an RO/DI from Bulkreef Supply. I works well and I have a dual TDS meter and it comes out 0. It is fast and knowing the quality of the water is reassuring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Civlor Posted July 13, 2009 Author Share Posted July 13, 2009 Not to get off topic, but.... Speaking of TDS meters, will the cheap ones do the job? I found a few on ebay for around $10. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhart032 Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 Wow thread jacker.. lol j/k most of them are accurate what brand? i have a hand held and it works good.. i got it from bulkyreef Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Civlor Posted July 13, 2009 Author Share Posted July 13, 2009 (edited) I found the HM Digital TDS Meter 3 for sale on Ebay for 12.99+SH and the same item on Bulk Reef Supply for $19.99+SH. I am a little apprehensive about the Ebay one, for $7 more I can have a little peace of mind. There was one more for 9.99, but no company was listed, so pass. Ben Edited July 13, 2009 by Civlor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+ACampbell Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 Why is everything bold? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Civlor Posted July 13, 2009 Author Share Posted July 13, 2009 (edited) That's how I roll. Or when I tried to paste a link that was in bold, some of the formatting stuck. Not sure why everyone else is bold too. Edited July 13, 2009 by Civlor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+dapettit Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 Here again ismy 2 cents. I would get 2 dual in-line TDS meters. On for the source water one at the out put of the the last filter. One at the output of your membrane and one at the output of your DI resin. This will help determine when it is time to change out filters, membrane and DI resin. dual in-line TDS meter Dave- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+dapettit Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 Hey Mike, I see your point. Could I get a clear refillable DI cartridge and put it inline after my membrane? Yeah I know I hijacked the theard too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Civlor Posted July 13, 2009 Author Share Posted July 13, 2009 (edited) My intent was to get expert advice on water, so I don't think any of this is too off topic. I just ordered a RODI from bulkreefsupply.com, should have it in a few days. It has a dual TDS meter, thanks to all who suggested that. Again, thanks for all the awesome information. I need all the help I can get, lol. Edited July 13, 2009 by Civlor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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