Hi Folks, i joined this forum in 2012 but shortly fell away from hobby but now im back and need some advice. Iv decided to buy an ro filter as my water is hard here in my part of the world. Just looking at some online and there are some that are £40 right up to £300 to £400. I am on a budget so cheaper the better but also dont want to buy something that isnt up to scratch. can anybody recommend a good brand? or price range for decent system without breaking the bank. Thanks folks
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BUYING FIRST RO FILTER HELP.
- Thread starter mugsy
- Start date
MichaelJ
Member
How much water do you need to produce say on a weekly basis?
I am using the Aquatic Life RO Buddie system. It would set you back around $80 (£60 or so). I use the 100 GPD version with the addition of the DI stage (4 stages) Been working well for me for the last 3 years or so. I currently change 35% water in each of my two 150L tanks every two weeks, with pure remineralized RO water. It takes about 8 hours to produce the 100 L that I need.
Cheers,
Michael
I am using the Aquatic Life RO Buddie system. It would set you back around $80 (£60 or so). I use the 100 GPD version with the addition of the DI stage (4 stages) Been working well for me for the last 3 years or so. I currently change 35% water in each of my two 150L tanks every two weeks, with pure remineralized RO water. It takes about 8 hours to produce the 100 L that I need.
Cheers,
Michael
dino21
Member
Hi,
Yes there are lots out there, but look at places like ROman and Oscmotics , to name just a couple, who specialise in RO have been around for a good few years.
Two things you need to know, how much water you need to produce ? probably a 50 gallon per day unit will suit ? and what is your mains water pressure ? if too low you may need a booster pump.
There sites contain a lot of typcal info for anyone looking a buying a RO system, for marine systems many use the extra DI resin pods, though perhaps not needed so much for planted tanks .
RO-Man.com | Reverse Osmosis and Water Filtration Systems
Yes there are lots out there, but look at places like ROman and Oscmotics , to name just a couple, who specialise in RO have been around for a good few years.
Two things you need to know, how much water you need to produce ? probably a 50 gallon per day unit will suit ? and what is your mains water pressure ? if too low you may need a booster pump.
There sites contain a lot of typcal info for anyone looking a buying a RO system, for marine systems many use the extra DI resin pods, though perhaps not needed so much for planted tanks .
RO-Man.com | Reverse Osmosis and Water Filtration Systems
MichaelJ
Member
With RO you definitely need a TDS meter. It's really the only way you can determine when you need to change the cartridges / membrane, and make sure you get the remineralization right. Don't get bogged down on specific numbers though, the key is to get it consistent.
Cheers,
Michael
Thanks Michael. i know i will have to add something to the purified ro water when doing water changes to bring certain levals up.iv watched that many different youtube vids my head is spinning😵 so could you tell me in as simple a way as possible-what do i add to ro water before adding to tank during water changes?
MichaelJ
Member
We can help you with that.
I assume you're setting up a planted soft water aquarium.
Are you planning to use only remineralized RO water or are you going to mix it with tap water?
if your mixing it with tap water we would need to see a water report from your city.
What species of fish / invertebrates are you planning to keep?
Are you going to inject CO2 ?
Cheers,
Michael
Last edited:
seedoubleyou
Member
Do you not have a spotless water near you? It’s insanely cheap and you’re not wasting anything by using them.
Don't let them hear you saying that 😉
I plan on using ro water only. Its half hour each way to fish store and i struggle to get the time to go between work,family life,kids etc so i thought to just do it myself.
I will be injecting c02. A small shoal of some kind of tetras and some shrimp and snails. Its mainly about the plants and scape.
Iv only got a small 57 ltr tank to ease me back into the hobby. That will be upgraded in not to distant future though. Wife just doesnt know it yet😶
I will be injecting c02. A small shoal of some kind of tetras and some shrimp and snails. Its mainly about the plants and scape.
Iv only got a small 57 ltr tank to ease me back into the hobby. That will be upgraded in not to distant future though. Wife just doesnt know it yet😶
Hi all,
cheers Darrel
Could you use rain-water? <"If it's yellow, let it mellow and RO is the devil">
cheers Darrel
dino21
Member
You can get RO inline TDS meters etc, but one of those hand held HM TDS meters at around £15 should be more than enought for your needs.
Once you have your RO system up and running and having run it for a few hours to settle it in, measure your tap water then the product water. RO is not 100% effective, typically 95 - 98% so you may see a value of less than 10 ppm in the product water.
If you have a very high value then you may need a DI pod to clear the remainder, though for freshwater probably not needed as things like Shrimps need a degree of water hardness, check/search other forum posts on this subject.
To treat your RO water you need a product like this, though again do search the forum for similar posts about 'cutting' the ro water with tap water to maintain a reasonable degress of hardness.
Osmose ReMineral+ - Dennerle (EN)
Once you have your RO system up and running and having run it for a few hours to settle it in, measure your tap water then the product water. RO is not 100% effective, typically 95 - 98% so you may see a value of less than 10 ppm in the product water.
If you have a very high value then you may need a DI pod to clear the remainder, though for freshwater probably not needed as things like Shrimps need a degree of water hardness, check/search other forum posts on this subject.
To treat your RO water you need a product like this, though again do search the forum for similar posts about 'cutting' the ro water with tap water to maintain a reasonable degress of hardness.
Osmose ReMineral+ - Dennerle (EN)
Remember test kits to test your RO water before use !!! This is one case where test kits are useful, as you shouldn't have test kit interfering ions present. This is necessary to check that the pre-filter/membrane hasn't failed.
You need to check for free ammonia and free chlorine in you RO water, before use.
If the water company decide to use chloramine in your water and your pre-filter is not a de-chlor type, or exhausted or flowing to fast then then you can end up with ammonia in your RO water (also given away by increased tds/conductivity).
Also if pre-filter is not a de-chlor type, or exhausted or flowing to fast then then you can end up with free chlorine in your RO water (also given away by increased tds/conductivity).
Local fish shop (mainly marine) showed me this on an "open evening" when they were showing how their water was prepped in the back of the shop. Yes they have had positive tests of their RO water, once where someone failed to take the poly bag off the replacement pre-filter, chlorine in water (and wrecked membrane !!) and another when pre-filter split letting unfiltered water through (and wrecked membrane !!). Both of these failures would have been fatal to fish.
You need to check for free ammonia and free chlorine in you RO water, before use.
If the water company decide to use chloramine in your water and your pre-filter is not a de-chlor type, or exhausted or flowing to fast then then you can end up with ammonia in your RO water (also given away by increased tds/conductivity).
Also if pre-filter is not a de-chlor type, or exhausted or flowing to fast then then you can end up with free chlorine in your RO water (also given away by increased tds/conductivity).
Local fish shop (mainly marine) showed me this on an "open evening" when they were showing how their water was prepped in the back of the shop. Yes they have had positive tests of their RO water, once where someone failed to take the poly bag off the replacement pre-filter, chlorine in water (and wrecked membrane !!) and another when pre-filter split letting unfiltered water through (and wrecked membrane !!). Both of these failures would have been fatal to fish.
_Maq_
Member
I believe tap water ought to be low in ammonia. And chlorine gets removed in activated carbon pre-filter.
dino21
Member
@ian_m post above reminded us about the RO carbon filter, though not often mentioned, after fitting the new carbon filter, do not run the ro system, but disconnect the output pipe from the carbon canister and direct into a bucket, then turn on the water supply slowly so that you flush the carbon filter for a couple of minutes so all the carbon dust is flushed out, if you do not do that the carbon dust will be passed into the RO membrane and reduce its effectiveness.
Some carbons are granulated with lots of dust , though many are carbon blocks , but they also contain a good bit of dust and still need flushing .
Also, getting a hand held TDS meter allows you to monitor the values in the actual tank and lets you know how quickly things are building up , or not.
Some carbons are granulated with lots of dust , though many are carbon blocks , but they also contain a good bit of dust and still need flushing .
Also, getting a hand held TDS meter allows you to monitor the values in the actual tank and lets you know how quickly things are building up , or not.
thats interesting-we do get a lot of rain here in Ireland. though we also dont pay for our tap water-something i will look into. Thanks
Thanks folks for all the info. Its a great help. iv ordered a new tds meter and test kit also. i will place ro system in garage beside sink. i have a garden hose i can run to it so il have a look for some sort of adapter for the end of the hose to fit the ro inlet line. only thing i have to get now is co2 system and im ready to rock.
i will attach links to my local water report and also to the ro unit i bought in case interested.🙂
www.osmotics.co.uk
i will attach links to my local water report and also to the ro unit i bought in case interested.🙂
Ultra-Pure 4 Stage 50 Gallon Per Day RODI System
Ultra-Pure 4 Stage 50 Gallon Per Day RODI System
www.osmotics.co.uk
Hi all,
It is one of the many hidden secrets of fish-keeping, that a lot of <"serious aquarists"> still <"use rain-water">.
I've got a bit of a <"jaundiced view"> of the sellers of aquarium "products" and there is no money to be made from people who use rain-water and re-mineralise it with a <"dash of hard tap water">.
cheers Darrel
I've used rain-water for all of my fish keeping career. Before we had easy access to RO. it was your only option if you wanted to keep soft water fish and had hard tap water.
It is one of the many hidden secrets of fish-keeping, that a lot of <"serious aquarists"> still <"use rain-water">.
I've got a bit of a <"jaundiced view"> of the sellers of aquarium "products" and there is no money to be made from people who use rain-water and re-mineralise it with a <"dash of hard tap water">.
cheers Darrel
Osmose remineral+ - this product seems as though not easy to get. Ebay selling but only take paypal and i dont have paypal.
I came across another called salty shrimp. Is this good?
Or should i just add some tap water to ro water to increase hardness.
Thanks
I came across another called salty shrimp. Is this good?
Or should i just add some tap water to ro water to increase hardness.
Thanks
