tidalsculpin Posted November 2, 2006 Share Posted November 2, 2006 I have had two store professionals tell me that RO is not necessary in Eugene because of the incredibly clean McKenzie watershed. I use store bought R.O., but am considering an RO system. Are there some Eugenians who have tried EWEB water de-chlored in a reef with good results? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyles Posted November 2, 2006 Share Posted November 2, 2006 WITH A 6-Stage 100 GPD RO/DI RUNNING $125 Its hard to justify the risk. I would prefer to start with 100% pure water. AND the big kicker here is, even if its clean today... what about tomorrow? You never know when addative and other things are put in if you dont work for the water company. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R-3 Posted November 2, 2006 Share Posted November 2, 2006 It is probably "okay" for most reef setups. But I wouldnt do it. If you wanna have no water issues ever from tap water than use a RO/DI. Are all these "professional" stores in Eugene setup with or without RO/DI water? Just wondering. Later Ryan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldbrownies Posted November 2, 2006 Share Posted November 2, 2006 its just like here in portland, its OKAY 6 months of the year (spring/winter), but for the other 6 its the worst thing you could think of... (summer/fall) because in the summer and fall the nitrates and organics go through the roof Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reefgeek84 Posted November 2, 2006 Share Posted November 2, 2006 You should not have an RO unit!!!!! there are still phosphates in the water, and they build over the months and will catch up with you. Yes, like Nyles said, 125 bucks is money well spent and one of the best things you can do for your tank. When RO units were a kidney to buy them...you could not justify it, but 125 bucks is nothing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mbeef61 Posted November 2, 2006 Share Posted November 2, 2006 lol so you shouldnt have an ro because they are the best thing you can do for your tank/.....im confused Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reefgeek84 Posted November 2, 2006 Share Posted November 2, 2006 lol so you shouldnt have an ro because they are the best thing you can do for your tank/.....im confused No, when they were 400 dollars it was a huge chunk of change and most people could justify not having one, because they did not have the cash...but now they are only 125 shipped, 98% of people can afford that and should. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siskiou Posted November 2, 2006 Share Posted November 2, 2006 Are you buying your RO water at a LFS? I did for years, and finally found out that their water was actually worse than the tap water here in Eugene, and they didn't even have an RO unit (they just ran their water through a carbon filter). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impur Posted November 2, 2006 Share Posted November 2, 2006 My tapwater has a TDS of 23ppm. Thats actually REALLY good compared to most places. But there are other things you have to consider. My pipes are all brand new PVC. If you have copper pipes, or galvenized pipe those will corrode over time. Where does the corrosion go? Right into the water that passes thru them. In the end, a RO/DI unit is a really good purchase IMO. I bought one of the cheapo ones off ebay and have only had to change the DI resin once. I paid $129 shipped. I'm glad I did regardless of how good the water is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tidalsculpin Posted November 3, 2006 Author Share Posted November 3, 2006 Glad I asked. We have new PVC pipes at the school. I guess RO is what I should do. I buy RO from LS and they do have a real RO system. They gave me a tour of it. It is the real thing. I just don't like hauling water and paying for it. Sounds like I should just jump on the RO bandwagon. 129 bucks gets a single membrane right? What is good and what is crap on ebay? I know the Kent systems are credible. What is not garbage for 130 bucks? Also, out of interest to Impur- EWEB water is 23 ppm on your TDS monitor. Is that consistent impur? Do Eugene nitrates go up and down like PDX tap water? As the Portlanders mention. This is good to know for the freshwater tanks in my classroom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reefgeek84 Posted November 3, 2006 Share Posted November 3, 2006 for the most part, ro units are ro units...as long as it it ro/di, then you will be fine. Anything on ebay is fine, I bought a dual di i=unit with extra filters for like 130 shipped... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyles Posted November 3, 2006 Share Posted November 3, 2006 I agree to a point, the different manufactures use different media and membraines... I researched for sometime before I settled on aquasafesystems I can get 6 years of filters including extra membrane for less than $100 on a 6 stage unit ITs comes out to like 32 filters and the membraine.... crazy! Regardless they have been friendly when I call and never had a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impur Posted November 3, 2006 Share Posted November 3, 2006 I have not tested the nitrates or other things in the water, strictly the TDS, so i can't comment on that part. The unit I bought is by Filter Direct on ebay. Its a 6 stage unit, ~75gpd, with a 3gal storage tank, all necessary fittings to hook up to your faucet or plumb inline. Also came with a drinking faucet. The one thing about my unit i do not like is the smaller sized DI chamber. Its smaller than some of the more expensive systems, but that can easily be remedied. But i bought a bag of replacement DI resin from the same guy and its good for 3 refills and only cost me $16 shipped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy Posted November 3, 2006 Share Posted November 3, 2006 The RO/DI unit topic is a great one for starting flame wars on places like RC (laugh) On one side, you have those saying the cheap eBay units are just as good as the premiere brands (air-water-ice and buck-eye, for example) and anyone who spends $200 when they could get the same thing for $100 is (nutty) On the other, you have those who swear by the premiere brands and insist the cheap ones are... well.. cheap. They say the eBay units ship with low-quality membranes (off- or no- brand), or that the DI is poorly designed (horizontal rather than vertical, or using loose DI resin instead of a cartridge). I don't know who's right but I suspect that, as with most things, the truth is in the middle: that the cheap eBay units *are* lower quality, but are probably more than good enough for most reef aquarium uses. Some people just prefer to buy a higher quality product, and some people prefer to save a few bucks -- it's when they get together the feathers start flying (clap) EDIT: One thing is definite though, the premire brands do seem to give far better support than the eBay guys. If you think you might ever need help from the company, go with a premiere brand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyles Posted November 3, 2006 Share Posted November 3, 2006 I can tell you both myself and Miles have non-reef aquatics brand (or you call cheap) RO/DI and both register 0 TDS. Hard to beat that... After 6 months of use mine went to 0.01 TDS.... Still very nice and I didnt have to have my "Good" Unit thats probably bought from the ebay manufactur sold to a ditributor, sold to a Aquatic Online or LFS store and then sold to me. Im fine with giving money to my LFS store but when it has to change hands 3 times with markup it gets crazy... they all have similar designs, I don't think your getting anything better, just peace of mind. I ts similar to the super glue topic, you can buy a small tube of glue at LFS store for $2 or you can get the same exact stuff in the same quantity at the dollar store for 33 cents each. Its marketing, and a LFS has to mark up more to stay in business and again.. Its piece of mind. In my business you can buy my products online as well but I can mark mine up higher and sell them all day by building a relationship and the customer always knows what hes getting (i.e. Service, quality, relationship, local presence). I think thats key. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyles Posted November 3, 2006 Share Posted November 3, 2006 I still beleive the better units probably have an edge, but I don't think its worth 3-5 time more for an EQUIVELENT output and stage unit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impur Posted November 3, 2006 Share Posted November 3, 2006 I still beleive the better units probably have an edge' date=' but I don't think its worth 3-5 time more for an EQUIVELENT output and stage unit.[/quote'] Yah i agree. I'd rather save $100-$200 bucks and have to replace the DI resin once a year at ~$6 a replacement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyles Posted November 3, 2006 Share Posted November 3, 2006 Ya, my major reason for going this route is with the fact I can replace my filters every year plus my membrain for 5 years and still won't spend $210 including the price of the unit. I was a tad off on price... This is if I was to order with unit. So no extra shipping. Otherwise it was $24 extra Replacements for your Maximus or Aquarium 6 stage RO/DI unit ITEM QTY PRICE SUM Case of 21 RO Filters 1 $54.50 4 Bags of Resin 1 $39.50 Shipping, Handling & Insurance 1 $0 Total USD $94.00 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impur Posted November 3, 2006 Share Posted November 3, 2006 Nice. Any idea on the GPD of those membranes? I'm gonna need one after i'm done filling up my 75. I'm still getting 0 TDS but its been 2y 6m since i bought the unit and i'd like to replace the membrane. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyles Posted November 3, 2006 Share Posted November 3, 2006 Menbrain was 100 GPD I beleive it was $35... They said to replace at 3 year mark but its was depending on use.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyles Posted November 3, 2006 Share Posted November 3, 2006 http://www.aquasafecanada.com/2006catalogue.html But I purchased off ebay since they sell whole systems cheaper there. And I guess thats 6 years of filters not 5. Opps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vanz Posted November 3, 2006 Share Posted November 3, 2006 http://www.aquasafecanada.com/2006catalogue.html But I purchased off ebay since they sell whole systems cheaper there. And I guess thats 6 years of filters not 5. Opps. Thanks! Those are awesome prices...and you say it's cheaper on ebay?? (can't access ebay right now) wow. I need to pick one up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyles Posted November 3, 2006 Share Posted November 3, 2006 Here is an example... but you only save $5... but I would prefer to buy on ebay just so they try and get good feedback, there feed is at 99.9% Looks like they are shipping from USA now and not canada... For $199 you can get a TDS, PSI meter, 6-stage, 6 years of filters and all the other stuff... CRAZY! http://cgi.ebay.com/AQUA-SAFE-MAXIMUS-MAX-REVERSE-OSMOSIS-WATER-FILTER_W0QQitemZ150054408221QQihZ005QQcategoryZ20684QQcmdZViewItem Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronjunior Posted November 3, 2006 Share Posted November 3, 2006 http://www.aquasafecanada.com/2006catalogue.html But I purchased off ebay since they sell whole systems cheaper there. And I guess thats 6 years of filters not 5. Opps. Wouldn't it be cheaper to buy off their website due to pricing being in Canadian $? Wonder if their $199 setup on Ebay seems OK for beads/filters? Can you use any other brand inserts, or are all these different brands propiatary? Also, can you push enough through these to do a water change, or do you have to sit and wait a day for a garbage can to fill up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyles Posted November 3, 2006 Share Posted November 3, 2006 you would need something like I sell at work to do instant fill, we sell 5000 GPD filters. But you will have to give me your new car in exchange, and that will be a downpayment. Do the research and do it however you like. I pre make my water in a commercial rubbermaid tub. A 100 GPD is 4 GPH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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