3 live sand questions
- Thread starter Flowerkid
- Start date
ill will be cheaper in the long run to get a RO/DI machine because you will or should be doing water changes ever other week or so.. so the amount you will be buying from the store will probably end up costing more in the long run.. no its not distilled water.. it shouldn't be bottled on a shelf there will be a machine that despences (sp?) it.. yea its only .25 a gallon.. hope that helps a lil
Okay, help me out here on the machine. Which brand? Which model?
Reverse Osmosis (RO) & Reverse Osmosis/Deionization System - Marine Depot - Marine and Reef Aquarium Super Store
Thunder
Reverse Osmosis (RO) & Reverse Osmosis/Deionization System - Marine Depot - Marine and Reef Aquarium Super Store
Thunder
i don't have a machine as of right now b/c i don't have my tank set up yet lol.. just have been doing alot of research! when i buy 1 i would go at least w/ a 3 or 4 stage set up.. try checkin out ebay for better prices! only thing about that is before you bid as them how long its been since their last filter change as you will need to replace them as time goes.. sorry i can't help you more
Thunder~
as far as which unit you can just look around on the marine depot because most of them are quality units (kent is a reliable brand among others)
the Ro unit is not hooked up directly to your tank filter but a faucet or the plumbing of a sink where it has access to your tap water, it purifies it and drips the purified water into a reservoir for later use.
Some stores do sell RO water as Jim said (some lfs, hardwear stores, etc) but it will also be more cost efficent to purchase a RO unit if your funds permit.
if you see a unit your like post it up and we can see if it is a quliaty one (which pretty much all are on marine depot)
as far as which unit you can just look around on the marine depot because most of them are quality units (kent is a reliable brand among others)
the Ro unit is not hooked up directly to your tank filter but a faucet or the plumbing of a sink where it has access to your tap water, it purifies it and drips the purified water into a reservoir for later use.
Some stores do sell RO water as Jim said (some lfs, hardwear stores, etc) but it will also be more cost efficent to purchase a RO unit if your funds permit.
if you see a unit your like post it up and we can see if it is a quliaty one (which pretty much all are on marine depot)
no u hook up the machine to a faucet that you don't use b/c they only make a small amount a day like 55gal. if im not mistaken.. 1 end hooks up to your faucet and the other u put in a empty barrel/container and turn the water on it will run threw the filters and drip out the other end.. hope that helps a little.. they are not all expensive you could pick a used one up for less than 100 im pretty sure...
Kent Marine Deluxe Hi-S Maxxima 35 GPD System - Marine Depot - Marine and Reef Aquarium Super Store
Kent Marine Deluxe Hi-S Maxxima 60 GPD System - Marine Depot - Marine and Reef Aquarium Super Store
These two looks good to me. I am guessing that I would probably go with the 35, because my tank is about 30. Or should I go for the 60?
It would be quite some time for me to get this. I have to pay nearly 200 buxs to renew my servers for the next 2 years, but I am working now, so I could get lucky.
Thunder
Don't buy a RO unit from a LFS. Even an online one is going to over charge you for one. Your local hardware store or ebay will be far cheaper.
This is the one I use. eBay: New 6 stage 100 GPD Reverse Osmosis RO+DI Water Filters (item 120011073092 end time Jul-26-06 13:20:24 PDT)
It does indeed do 100 gallons a day. This unit has been working just fine for me since xmas.
What confuses you about the water flow? The unit can be hooked to the plumbing under your sink or (since you live in an apt you may not want to put holes in the apt plumbing) you can do like I did and purchase an adapter (from the company you buy it from) that will allow you to hook it up to the faucet. There are 2 lines that come off of the unit. One will slowly dispense the purified water, the other one is for waste water and should be allowed to drain into your sink.
Honestly, you keep FW fish. Unless your water is in the extreme range of hardness and PH there isn't any reason for you to mess with it.
The people in this thread are talking about RO water being needed for SW tanks. FW tanks do just fine on tap, even with silicates and phosphates in it. We have many more options for adding fish to our tanks to eat the dreaded diatom algae they are talking about.
With all that said if you want to use RO water that is fine too. Just keep in mind that the RO unit will strip the water of almost all of the trace minerals and electrolytes that the fish need to remain healthy. SW people don't have any issues with this because the salt they mix into the RO water adds them back. People with FW tanks that use RO need to purchase these trace minerals and add them back to the water before a water change. Or use a small amount of tap water for the same purpose. The last option kinda defeats the purpose of the RO to remove the silicates and phosphates if you do that.
This is the one I use. eBay: New 6 stage 100 GPD Reverse Osmosis RO+DI Water Filters (item 120011073092 end time Jul-26-06 13:20:24 PDT)
It does indeed do 100 gallons a day. This unit has been working just fine for me since xmas.
What confuses you about the water flow? The unit can be hooked to the plumbing under your sink or (since you live in an apt you may not want to put holes in the apt plumbing) you can do like I did and purchase an adapter (from the company you buy it from) that will allow you to hook it up to the faucet. There are 2 lines that come off of the unit. One will slowly dispense the purified water, the other one is for waste water and should be allowed to drain into your sink.
Honestly, you keep FW fish. Unless your water is in the extreme range of hardness and PH there isn't any reason for you to mess with it.
The people in this thread are talking about RO water being needed for SW tanks. FW tanks do just fine on tap, even with silicates and phosphates in it. We have many more options for adding fish to our tanks to eat the dreaded diatom algae they are talking about.
With all that said if you want to use RO water that is fine too. Just keep in mind that the RO unit will strip the water of almost all of the trace minerals and electrolytes that the fish need to remain healthy. SW people don't have any issues with this because the salt they mix into the RO water adds them back. People with FW tanks that use RO need to purchase these trace minerals and add them back to the water before a water change. Or use a small amount of tap water for the same purpose. The last option kinda defeats the purpose of the RO to remove the silicates and phosphates if you do that.
If I were you I would buy my RO water from your LFS. One ony LFS sell cold steralized water for $0.25 per gallon. I also purchase a RO unit at the begining and soon came to realize that not all RO unit are as efficient in removing all the minerals. Ofcource the efficiency of your RO unit also depend on the water quality where you live. Maintenance of your RO unit can also be costly.
You don't need to be an expert chemistry geru to understand how to get rid of diatomic algae. All your have to know is that PO4 is their food source and taking that factor out of the equation will get rid of all youir diatom or "brown algae".
Rohn
PS If anyone IS interested in the learning more about about diatoms, silicate and phosphate, I will gladly provide links. I don't mean to act as an expert but I would like everyone to know the accurate facts.
You don't need to be an expert chemistry geru to understand how to get rid of diatomic algae. All your have to know is that PO4 is their food source and taking that factor out of the equation will get rid of all youir diatom or "brown algae".
Rohn
PS If anyone IS interested in the learning more about about diatoms, silicate and phosphate, I will gladly provide links. I don't mean to act as an expert but I would like everyone to know the accurate facts.
Yeah, the primary reason that I wanted the RO unit, is to provide pure water for the fishies, but now I read that the unit does remove some things that the fishies would need. Another reason is that pure water = no alage. I do not have alage yet, but I know it will come some day. I guess that tap water should be fine. I saw people saying on this forum that the brown alage are caused by lack of light. If thats true, then why do WalMart easily get brown alage in their tanks, since the lights are all on 24/7/365. I've always thought that the brown alage are due to excess light.
Thunder
Thunder