RO/DI System

[Jason265]

I'am in the process of aquiring a thousand gallon tank this will be my first salt water and was thinking of getting an RO/DI water system to ensure highwater quality. Is there anything I should be looking for in an RO/DI system? Whats better? What should I be looking for in an RO/DI system?

[organism]

What I look for is at least 3 stages of sediment/carbon filters, 1 ro membrane filter, and 1 di canister/filter with removable media.

[Misled]

First, welcome to Reef Central. That's a pretty big tank to start with, but if you go with any of the sponsors in the link above, you'll be fine. Russ at BRS will probably show up. He's always around to help after your purchase if you need him.

[__SKINNY__]

Welcome,wow thats a pretty large starter tank.my first one was a 55long but it's all good i would go with no less then a 3 stage ro/di.
Good luck,hope you will be makeing a build thread with lots of pic's and step by step's so others can help.I would for sure tag along with the thread.
Dave

[Mike31154]

A few things to look into first. These will help you decide what's required. Check the TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) of your source water. Inexpensive handheld TDS meters are available to do this. Also get a pressure guage and find out what your water pressure is. Anything under 60 psi will not be very efficient and you may need a booster pump unless you have a PRV (Pressure Regulating Valve) in your home's plumbing system that you can adjust. Finally, try to get a water quality report from whoever your provider is. Generally they will have a web site with that information. This will also tell you if they use chlorine or chloramine to disinfect the water. If they use chloramine, you will likely need more than one carbon stage before the RO membrane.

[jlyles]

Check out Bulk Reef Supply, they have some good educational videos on RODI systems.

[Viking Dr]

I have owned my own water treatment business for 25 years. Most reverse Osmosis and De-ionizers will do you a good job. There are only a few companies that make the membranes, and fewer that make the DI resins, all are good. Just make sure you get a system where you don't have to change the housing with the membrane. I have seen those in fish stores and they make it 2x more costly to change the membrane. One big mistake fish hobbyists make when buying a RO is, not knowing what the source of your water is. Yes TDS Total Dissolved Solids is important, but the biggest problem with the TDS reading is two components, the calcium and magnesium. Yes the stuff you want to add later on, you want out before it goes into the RO. Nothing makes a RO run poorly than those two minerals. They will clog your RO faster than a buzzard on a gut wagon! They will effect the quality of the water almost instantly. Opening up the pores in the membrane and let other trace elements through the RO that would otherwise be trapped. Do yourself a big favor and get a water softener for your home or a portable one before the RO. The amount of money you will save on your membranes will far out weight the amount you spend on a water softener. As well as removing calcium and magnesium, it removes iron and a few others unwanted minerals as well and it is regenerative resin, unlike the membranes. What the fish stores don't tell you is that the water going into the RO must be below a hardness level of 10 Grains or 171ppm. Until you can achieve this level before it enters the RO, you will be spending a lot more on membranes with poorer quality water at the point of use.

Just my two cents.

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[Buckeye Hydro]

Originally Posted by Misled

First, welcome to Reef Central. That's a pretty big tank to start with, but if you go with any of the sponsors in the link above, you'll be fine. Russ at BRS will probably show up. He's always around to help after your purchase if you need him.

You mean BFS - Buckeye Field Supply! Not that other place!

[Misled]

My Bad!!! But I did know you'd be here to correct me!!!!

[Buckeye Hydro]

Originally Posted by Jason265

I'am in the process of aquiring a thousand gallon tank this will be my first salt water and was thinking of getting an RO/DI water system to ensure highwater quality. Is there anything I should be looking for in an RO/DI system? Whats better? What should I be looking for in an RO/DI system?

Here are some things to look for in a good system for this hobby:

No more than 4 stages (sediment, carbon, RO, DI) unless you have specific water quality issues you want to address
Standard-sized prefilters, membrane, and DI cartridge
Brand name, high-rejection membrane
Specifications provided for each stage
Pressure gauge after the prefilters and before the membrane
Thermometer
TDS meter (handheld or in-line)
DI bypass
Vertical DI stage
Refillable DI cartridge
Aluminum bracket
Quick connect fittings
No water from pressurized storage container delivered to DI
Flush valve
Clear housings
High-quality instructions written in clear English
Customer support before, during, and after your purchase
A vendor involved in your hobby


In your case, you may want to look at a light commercial system (larger than 150 gpd), or make sure you have a storage reservoir large enough to hold enough water for a water change.

If you go with a light commercial system, there are ways to save money there that we'd be happy to talk with you about if the time comes. We just installed a 300 gpd RODI system for a local public aquarium and trained them up in short order. There are ways to make these systems not much more complicated than a residential scale RODI.

With this being your first tank, and with you starting off with such a large system, GO SLOW! Read, research, and read some more before you invest heavily in livestock. Water chemistry is much easier to maintain in a large system, but if you make a mistake, or if you rush things, the potential cost of the mistake could very high.

Russ