RODI specialist

[bkoo29]

Hello everyone,

I have been buying saltwater from LFS for about 8 yrs now. I can to a realization that I could be saving alot money by switching to Giego. jk With this recession, I took a hard look at my finances and decide to get a RODI unit and start mixing saltwater myself. Did the math and top notch saltwater per gallon comes up to like 30 to 40 cents. Mind you, I pay like .75 for instant ocean and 1.10 for tropic marine pro plus tax. Here is the dilemma, My wife and I want to get a RODI unit that we can use for drinking and also for the aquarium. My wife heard that aquarium RODI unit filters out alot more chemicals and particles which is essential for the human body. Now if I go with the drinking water RODI system, it will not filter out everything that is harmful to the reef system. Tell me that there is a RODI system out there that is reef/human friendly.... I don't have the money to buy both systems. My budget is like 300-350 and want New system, unless used is in excellent condition. Any advice will be appreciate. thx in advance. :top:

 

[Adrock]

well you mainly get all your minerals and trace elements in what you eat and drink, not just the water you drink...juices fruits meats vegi's so you should be fine with the RODI unit you need for your reef. i drink rodi @ work all the time

 

[pmoradi2002]

http://www.purewaterclub.com/

Reef Drinking RO DI Reverse Osmosis Water #ROH-6BT-2W
[ROH-6BT-2W] $131.00

 

[Aquarium In Motion 1]

you can install a valve before the di cartirage that is good for drinking. As for the cost of mixing your own it comes out a little bit higher. For instance a bucket of D&D salt is $69.95 and makes 180 gallons, it comes out to be .39 cents a gallon. Now factor in the cost of your water bill. It rougly takes 2 1/2 - 3 gallons of tap water to make good RO/DI. I now in Corona they are raising the cost of water here, so thats rougly another
.02 a gallon. Now the cost of a unit is roughly say $140 and can make about 1500 gallons thats .09 per gallon. Based on how big of a unit you big you need to replace the membrane once a year and the cartridges 2 a year. Membranes are roughly $65 and to replace the cartiridges is about $40.

if I factored it all correctly you are looking at .50 cents a gallon. Not bad still. Now comes buying the mixing barrels, power heads, heater, and hose for the mixing station. you need to make sure to mix the saltmix atleast 24hr to properly airate and mix it.

Just my .02 cents to paying the .79 cents is worth it. alot less headaches

 

[Wes]

that's .50 for D&D salt-very pricey stuff. IO can cost 1/2 that, which drops your .39 in half... also, that .09 would be a one-time purchase, and drop for each time you replace membranes... figure long term maybe 1/2 that if you do it right and buy in bulk. Also, you need to factor in that your RODI is likely to be 0tds and you're getting into substantial benefits over trusting your LFS's water. I have tested RO water from LFSs before to have up to 1ppm phosphate. How many people spend enormous amounts of $ fighting algae? subtract the price of GFO/reactor, a smaller CUC and having a prettier tank...

as to drinking water, you'll be happy just like someone else mentioned installing a valve right before the DI stage. Oh, then you can factor in not buying expensive bottled water(how much does THAT cost a gallon?)...

 

[Wes]

also, for RODI, Bulk reef supply seems to have the best prices on the RODI I would really trust to continually produce good quality RODI long term. I'd research purewaterclub.com more before buying their stuff.

 

[jlt23]

I bought a three way ball valve from Spectrapure for my MaxCAP system to make drinking water.

 

[Devilutionz]

If I use RO water to mix my salt, do I need to add water conditioner to remove chlorine/chloramine, etc.?? Or just RO water & salt?
Thanks
Dylan

 

[reef_doug]

You can drink RO, just most people prefer not to dring the DI portion. A ball valve installed after the membrane by before the DI is cheap.

The most reasonable and quality unit out there is Bulkreefsupply.com for around $159. Top notch unit is the SpectraPure MaxCap around $350.

You'll need TDS testers, either a couple inline or one handheld model which is around $25.

------
No need to add a water conditioner when using RO, the chlorine/chloramines have already been removed from a properly running system. You should use DI after the RO to remove any residual amonia from the chloramines and bring your TDS to 0. There are DI add on packages for $60 for single stage or $90 for dual.

 

[Rukis]

You can get a 5 stage RO/DI filter that has 2 different outputs, one straight from the RO membrane and then one from the DI chamber so that you can hook up the RO only output to a drinking source and the DI output straight to your mixing barrel or Auto Top Off system straight to your tank. The DI is the cleanest water, but tastes like poop cuz all the minerals etc.. are removed, it is drinkable but not the best taste. I run the Vertex Aquaristic Deluxe Puratek RO/DI 100GPD unit and I love it! Has a built in computer processor that automates a backflush for 15 seconds after every use to prolong the membrane use, has a built in TDS meter on the DI output, and has a booster pump so I get 1.5gal CLEAN water to 1gal waste!!! I checked it by putting the waste line in a 5gal bucket and the RO/DI in a 5 gal and ran the system, man was I impressed. This unit will run you about $300 but it's worth it. Comes with a .5 micron not 1 or 5 micron sediment filter to help trap the smallest particals to keep your membrane lasting as long as possible, and a color changing DI resin to tell you when your filter is used up, Here's a link to the actual unit I have: http://www.vertexaquaristik.com/products/waterPurifyingSytems/ro-diSystems/deluxePuratek100.php
Hope this helps, and Age Of Aquariums is when I bought the unit, check em out!

 

[Rukis]

If I use RO water to mix my salt, do I need to add water conditioner to remove chlorine/chloramine, etc.?? Or just RO water & salt?
Thanks
Dylan

Nope, just RO water and salt! That's it, maybe a pH buffer for reef set ups? Up to you....

 

[cthetoy]

If I use RO water to mix my salt, do I need to add water conditioner to remove chlorine/chloramine, etc.?? Or just RO water & salt?
Thanks
Dylan

The carbon in the RO will remove the chlorine however if you have chloramine then you have to purchase a special prefilter to remove chloramine. Check with your water company first to see if they use chloramine as some cities do use it and some cities dont

 

[MadMax]

Whoops, sorry I didnt see this thread earlier
Did you purchase your RO/DI unit yet? I'd be happy to help with consultation

Here is a thread I created on RC along time ago:
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=619925

Feel free to give me a ring or shoot me an e-mail with any questions:

Kevin Adams
(714) 530-1094
quidproquo820@aol.com

 

[jessesoto33]

I found this RO/DI unit on Ebay for $91 free shipping, Brand spicken new!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110422543350&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

 

[MadMax]

Beware of the RO/DI units from E-bay.....

They have cans of Steakhouse-LIKE Chili for 10 cents a can at the .99 cent store, but that doesn't mean I care to consume it.

"you get what you pay for" should be taken literally, especially when it comes to the quality of your family's drinking water.


One small example, taken from their own web site:

"This DI resin may not generate 0 ppm water, if you need 0 ppm, please check our 0 ppm item"

Interpretation:
"Your can of Pepzi may not be 100% contaminant free, if you need a 100% contaminent free soda, buy a real Pepsi, not Pepzi" :laugh:



but then again, Jesse's got more than double the casino cash that I do, so I'll shut up while I'm ahead! LOL

 

[Rukis]

"you get what you pay for" should be taken literally, especially when it comes to the quality of your family's drinking water.

I totally agree! In this case for sure, the cheaper RO/DI systems use crap filters, they don't last as long and they dont use quality materials. The cheaper unit use 1 and 5 micron filters vs. .5microns. I would rather AS much dirt be trapped as possible, wouldn't you? Do your research, but don't cut corners when it comes to keeping optimal water quality.

 

[MadMax]

yea, and I'm not trying to slam Jesse in any way, shape, or form....

Heck, half of my garage tools are from "Harbor Freight Tools" (sob) but uh, drinking water? Nahhhhh, I'd fork out a few more bucks on that one if I were you.


(overheard in Kevin's garage)
"Whadya mean where's my finger?.....its right there next to the blade guar.....WHE THE....!!!"

 

[bkoo29]

Whoops, sorry I didnt see this thread earlier
Did you purchase your RO/DI unit yet? I'd be happy to help with consultation

Here is a thread I created on RC along time ago:
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=619925

Feel free to give me a ring or shoot me an e-mail with any questions:

Kevin Adams
(714) 530-1094
quidproquo820@aol.com

First of all thx u for your informative response. Checked out the link and it was very useful. I love your masterbed water fountain. It is close to paradise for me. never need to go downstairs or the the fridge. :marchmellow::marchmellow: I need to save up the dough, but i now have a good idea what to buy and how to set it up. thx

 

[jessesoto33]

Thanks for the info guys, didn't know. I was going to buy one, but not now, water quality is very important to me!