I Am NOT Pleased...

[EmilyXLC]

Walmart on Madison Boulevard, you are stupid.

Walmart on 72, you are stupid, too.

Walmart on Sparkman Drive, you might be even stupider.



I have always used the RO water available at the Culligan water filter machines in Walmarts. I have lost my big, expensive blue Culligan jugs during my millions of moves, so I needed to purchase new ones. Surprise, surprise! Guess who only carries the one & two gallon jugs. That's right. Every Walmart in the state of Alabama, apparently. I mean, not that I was looking forward to paying nearly $13.00 for each 5 gallon jug & making about a hundred trips to & from the store, but... what a waste of my time. I think at this point I'd just be better off buying my own RO filter. Unfortunately I wasn't looking into dropping $150.00 just to fill a 46 gallon tank, but...

Anyone have any advice? Help a sista out!

 

[Loki]

Go to home depot. They have the 5 gallon jugs there. Well at least they do here....

 

[EmilyXLC]

Are they cheaper or still ridiculously priced at $13 a pop?

 

[EpicWin]

Get an ro unit. U will save money. I promise

 

[EmilyXLC]

Does anyone have a particular one they'd suggest?

 

[Loki]

Are they cheaper or still ridiculously priced at $13 a pop?

I believe they are $12 because they come filled. Their water is $6 of it so if you can talk someone into only paying for the jug it should be less.

 

[Loki]

I have a typhoon III from Air water ice. I like it. I have built my one from BRS just for fun to see how much it would be and I was surprised how cheap it was.

 

[reefknight]

Air, Water & Ice makes great units. I replaced my aging and failing Purely H2O unit. (To be fair it was 5yrs+ old) It was cheaper to buy a new unit than new canisters and filters. When it was new it was a great unit as well. BRS makes a nice unit, friend of mine has one and likes it.

Save yourself the hassle, buy a unit.

 

[CRW Reefer]

Why not get 5 gallon buckets from hd for $2.50 each?

 

[Loki]

Why not get 5 gallon buckets from hd for $2.50 each?

Then the three dollar lid. I would agree but the jugs are easier to carry and no one will look at you funny .

 

[Fatman]

Check out SpectraPure, they have some refurbs with new membranes and filters at 119 and it comes with a pressure gauge. I couldn't tell mine from a new one. Been chugging along since January. Top-offs, water changes and filling new tanks take a lot of water. Much cheaper to buy one than to pay for water and pay for gas to get it. At 50 cents a gallon, mine was paid for in two months. At the same time I bought a handheld TDS meter that has been super for checking my water quality. I plumbed mine directly to the sink and the waste water to the drain pipe. I have a bypass for the first gallon to pass the membrane and a by pass at the drain to flush the membrane when I'm done making water. Get it, you'll like having one.

 

[ritter6788]

Get a good RO/DI and don't look back. Best investment you can make for your tank and it will pay for itself in no time.

 

[Nanoreefbro]

I'd recommend getting an RO unit as well.. I bought mine from Filter guyz.. It works great..

The Filter Guys

 

[mcarroll]

I have always used the RO water available at the Culligan water filter machines in Walmarts. I have lost my big, expensive blue Culligan jugs during my millions of moves, so I needed to purchase new ones. Surprise, surprise! Guess who only carries the one & two gallon jugs. That's right. Every Walmart in the state of Alabama, apparently. I mean, not that I was looking forward to paying nearly $13.00 for each 5 gallon jug & making about a hundred trips to & from the store, but... what a waste of my time. I think at this point I'd just be better off buying my own RO filter. Unfortunately I wasn't looking into dropping $150.00 just to fill a 46 gallon tank, but...

Anyone have any advice? Help a sista out!

Are they cheaper or still ridiculously priced at $13 a pop?

First - and I mean this in a nice way - this is a good example of being too cheap. This isn't the cheapest hobby in the world, but if you let $13 come between you and the best tool for the job for a tool that you are going to have to use over and over again, for many years, you are being too cheap - learn how to budget and save a little. ;-)

Second, those jugs (you're talking about water cooler jubs, right?) royally suck and aren't worth the recycling fee I could get for them. They're hard to fill, hard to empty due to the tiny opening. They're also harder to carry than most other solutions and don't usually have a lid that will screw on securely. If you don't already have a compliment of regular 5 gallon buckets, pony up and get a few - get water tight lids for at least some of them. Buckets are infinitely useful for carrying or storing liquids, equipment, sand, mixing saltwater - anything.

Third, if your mission is exclusively to carry water and you're already considering something in the $13 range, I would order some of these from US Plastic: 2" Opening 5 Gallon Carboy With Molded Drain | U.S. Plastic Corp. They have a super nice molded in handle, a spigot that you can connect 1/2" tubing if you desire, a larger 2" opening that makes filling much easier plus two 1" vent caps for smooth emptying. For your size tank I'd get at least two (enough water for a 20% water change), but four might be nice.

As far as getting an RODI unit....I really like Air, Water & Ice's flow restrictor/flush valve combo. I would also trust BRS, AquaFX and Spectrapure to name a few other top-flight assembly houses.

For a 46 gallon tank, I'd say getting a home filter is a toss-up. Anything bigger than that and you're just carrying too much water IMO - get a filter. If you can swing the ~$150 plus a storage vat (AquaFX has a really nice 40 gallon vat with a float valve preinstalled) you will definitely appreciate the convenience. Just don't skimp - get one with a TDS meter, or at least get a hand-held meter. A pressure gauge is a worth while extra as well.

Let us know what you decide!

-Matt

 

[Pappy]

I will have a mighty might from air water and ice available soon for $75. It needs new filters though. I put an add on di cartridge too.

 

[Tomoko Schum]

I like BRS systems. Here's a link to BRS's RO systems.

 

[JSB]

Get an ro unit. U will save money. I promise

Assuming you need one 5-gallon containers ( $6 ), and you do a 10% water change each week ($6), and you drive an Accord that gets 28 miles to the gallon and gas is $3.50 a gallon, and you live 7 miles from WalMart where you buy said water, the best bet is to by the RO/DI unit.

container 1 x $6 = $6
water 52 x $6 = $312
gas 52 (trips) x 7 (miles) = 364 ( total miles) / 28 (mpg) = 13 (gallons of gas) * $3.50 (price of gas) = $45.5
Total (1 year) = $363.50

Assuming you have reasonable water, and given your tank size and a 10% weekly water change schedule, the resin will last you 6 months and the filters a year.
With the Economy BRS unit, your first year of water making will cost you $130 (for the complete unit) and $12 for a second change of resin, less than half of the the cost of buying water. The second year will cost you $22 (for new filters) and $24 ( two resin changes) for a total of $46 dollars. More than $300 dollars cheaper that store bought. At some point you will need to replace the membrane, but even that is only around $20.

Obviously, there are a lot of variables there that would affect the value assessment, but I just use this as an example. Were it me, and it was recently, I went with the Economy BRS unit, and have no complaints. I did go back later and upgrade it with a TDS meter so that I could stretch the resin further, but that is not a necessity.

 

[EmilyXLC]

First - and I mean this in a nice way - this is a good example of being too cheap. This isn't the cheapest hobby in the world, but if you let $13 come between you and the best tool for the job for a tool that you are going to have to use over and over again, for many years, you are being too cheap - learn how to budget and save a little. ;-)

Second, those jugs (you're talking about water cooler jubs, right?) royally suck and aren't worth the recycling fee I could get for them. They're hard to fill, hard to empty due to the tiny opening. They're also harder to carry than most other solutions and don't usually have a lid that will screw on securely. If you don't already have a compliment of regular 5 gallon buckets, pony up and get a few - get water tight lids for at least some of them. Buckets are infinitely useful for carrying or storing liquids, equipment, sand, mixing saltwater - anything.

Third, if your mission is exclusively to carry water and you're already considering something in the $13 range, I would order some of these from US Plastic: 2" Opening 5 Gallon Carboy With Molded Drain | U.S. Plastic Corp. They have a super nice molded in handle, a spigot that you can connect 1/2" tubing if you desire, a larger 2" opening that makes filling much easier plus two 1" vent caps for smooth emptying. For your size tank I'd get at least two (enough water for a 20% water change), but four might be nice.

As far as getting an RODI unit....I really like Air, Water & Ice's flow restrictor/flush valve combo. I would also trust BRS, AquaFX and Spectrapure to name a few other top-flight assembly houses.

For a 46 gallon tank, I'd say getting a home filter is a toss-up. Anything bigger than that and you're just carrying too much water IMO - get a filter. If you can swing the ~$150 plus a storage vat (AquaFX has a really nice 40 gallon vat with a float valve preinstalled) you will definitely appreciate the convenience. Just don't skimp - get one with a TDS meter, or at least get a hand-held meter. A pressure gauge is a worth while extra as well.

Let us know what you decide!

-Matt

I am not being cheap at all. I am being reasonable. Don't you think $13 is a bit steep for a 5 gallon plastic jug when I'm going to need at LEAST 5 of them? By that time I've nearly paid for half of an RO unit. I realize how expensive the hobby is. I am trying to stretch my dollar, not skimp out & be cheap. It isn't a matter of me not knowing how to 'budget & save a little'. I am trying to figure out which would benefit me most in the long run when factoring time vs money spent.

I have a 3 month old baby at home that I have to consider, so just because I'm not openly throwing money absent-mindedly at the hobby doesn't mean I am 'being cheap'. That is one of the last things I would ever consider myself being. There's a difference between being 'cheap' & making a well-informed decision based on which will pay for itself quicker so that I can have more money for other things. If I were being 'cheap' I would just put conditioned tap water in my tank.



I am probably going to splurge & get an RO unit. I have always wanted one & maybe the difficulty I'm having on finding proper jugs is a good excuse to get one. It may take a little while to pay for itself on a 46 gallon, but it sure would be nice to not have to lug big heavy water jugs around & having to make multiple trips to & from the store. Besides, if all goes according to plan, there will be another aquarium added this time next year, so it would definitely pay for itself by then.

Thanks for your input.

 

[HookedonSalt]

I am not being cheap at all. I am being reasonable. Don't you think $13 is a bit steep for a 5 gallon plastic jug when I'm going to need at LEAST 5 of them? By that time I've nearly paid for half of an RO unit. I realize how expensive the hobby is. I am trying to stretch my dollar, not skimp out & be cheap. It isn't a matter of me not knowing how to 'budget & save a little'. I am trying to figure out which would benefit me most in the long run when factoring time vs money spent.

I have a 3 month old baby at home that I have to consider, so just because I'm not openly throwing money absent-mindedly at the hobby doesn't mean I am 'being cheap'. That is one of the last things I would ever consider myself being. There's a difference between being 'cheap' & making a well-informed decision based on which will pay for itself quicker so that I can have more money for other things. If I were being 'cheap' I would just put conditioned tap water in my tank.



I am probably going to splurge & get an RO unit. I have always wanted one & maybe the difficulty I'm having on finding proper jugs is a good excuse to get one. It may take a little while to pay for itself on a 46 gallon, but it sure would be nice to not have to lug big heavy water jugs around & having to make multiple trips to & from the store. Besides, if all goes according to plan, there will be another aquarium added this time next year, so it would definitely pay for itself by then.

Thanks for your input.

+1 I find alternate methods for this hobby so that I can save even more for my tank... I help people on my lff with computer issues they give me a frag

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

 

[EmilyXLC]

HookonSalt, that is a brilliant idea! I wish there was something I was good at that I could trade for frags.

WILL BAKE COOKIES FOR FRAGS. WILL SERVE BEER FOR FRAGS. WILL WASH CAR FOR FRAGS.



On a more serious note, has anyone had any experience with the Coralife RO systems?