Ro Buddie RO/DI System

Afrashz · Feb 28, 2019

Hey guys,

Getting ready to set up my new 75 gallon. For my bio cube I’ve just been buying water from my LFS but now that I’m upgrading I’d like to start making my own water. I was wondering if anybody has any reviews/experiences with the “RO Buddie” from aquatic life. It’s around 80/90 bucks around stores near me so it seems like a good economic option if it performs well. Also was wondering how quickly in general it produces clean water. Thanks!

Brad Miller · Feb 28, 2019

Don't go cheap with rodi...
Go to brs and get one that will save you money by not having to buy mixed media...with brs ones you change the media you deplete the most of and they work very well

JasonK84 · Feb 28, 2019

Afrashz said:
Hey guys,

Getting ready to set up my new 75 gallon. For my bio cube I’ve just been buying water from my LFS but now that I’m upgrading I’d like to start making my own water. I was wondering if anybody has any reviews/experiences with the “RO Buddie” from aquatic life. It’s around 80/90 bucks around stores near me so it seems like a good economic option if it performs well. Also was wondering how quickly in general it produces clean water. Thanks!

It is slow but it has worked well (30 to 40 gallons per day depending on temp). The filter cartridges are proprietary and can add up when replacing. With a large enough storage system it will easily do what you need for your 75 gallon. Other systems may be cheaper per gallon once the initial cost of the system is covered but mine has worked well for me. I just finished my mixing station so I keep around 80 gallons on the ready.

Duffer · Feb 28, 2019

I also have it and agree with Jasonk.. it does the job and works pretty good. The di additional filter is pretty good as the media gets used and loses its factor it changes color..

Overall I’m happy

Afrashz · Feb 28, 2019

So does the setup come with all the supply’s or do I need to buy extra stuff off the bat

JasonK84 · Feb 28, 2019

Afrashz said:
So does the setup come with all the supply’s or do I need to buy extra stuff off the bat

If you get the RO Buddie it will not have the 4th stage DI cartridge and will need to be added. When I bought mine I got it from Amazon as an RO Buddie + DI

The DI cartridge is from $19+ depending where you get it from. I’ve found with a TDS meter it actually produces “0” TDS water even after all the blue resin turns yellow. A cheap TDS pen will save you some money there using the cartridge until you test above “0” TDS. The DI resin is the most expensive to replace so use it up completely to save the most money.

dugthefish · Feb 28, 2019

I'm happy with mine. Definitely add the DI stage.

40breederzach · Feb 28, 2019

Ive had one for 6 months and have made over 300 gallons in water and the di resin is still 1/3 good. It does take a long time to make water. In my opinion I would spend a little extra and get faster water production and less waste water. For my 40 breeder it works nice but if had anything bigger i would get one from BRS their build quality is great and price is better.

Afrashz · Feb 28, 2019

JasonK84 said:
It is slow but it has worked well (30 to 40 gallons per day depending on temp). The filter cartridges are proprietary and can add up when replacing. With a large enough storage system it will easily do what you need for your 75 gallon. Other systems may be cheaper per gallon once the initial cost of the system is covered but mine has worked well for me. I just finished my mixing station so I keep around 80 gallons on the ready.

So I gotta ask, do you even own an aquarium or is the RO buddy used to stock up those jugs in the back for your fallout shelter

John tanzi · Feb 28, 2019

I agree, it seemed to work well but slow... Media was easy to replace . I decided to update my water to a medical grade RO. Makes about 16 gallons an hour of ultra pure water. Having a larger system (220) it didn't work with my timeframes.
For your system you should be fine. I do have 2 additional RO'S available should someone need/want one...they weren't cheap but well worth it. Not sure if I can say that or not here but...message me for info...

Afrashz said:
Hey guys,

Getting ready to set up my new 75 gallon. For my bio cube I’ve just been buying water from my LFS but now that I’m upgrading I’d like to start making my own water. I was wondering if anybody has any reviews/experiences with the “RO Buddie” from aquatic life. It’s around 80/90 bucks around stores near me so it seems like a good economic option if it performs well. Also was wondering how quickly in general it produces clean water. Thanks!

JasonK84 · Feb 28, 2019

Afrashz said:
So I gotta ask, do you even own an aquarium or is the RO buddy used to stock up those jugs in the back for your fallout shelter

JasonK84 · Feb 28, 2019

Afrashz said:
So I gotta ask, do you even own an aquarium or is the RO buddy used to stock up those jugs in the back for your fallout shelter

So, I use those jugs to fill my ATO reservoir cuz that’s easier than dragging out the long hose for a whole 4 gallons. My wife also uses the jugs to top off her indoor hydroponic gardens. I guess including those jugs I keep around 132 gallons of water on hand.

homer1475 · Mar 1, 2019

Hated my Ro buddie!

My TAP water is pretty clean(20TDS), but I could not get more then 100G out of a DI cartridge. And as mentioned, it's super slow at making water. It took roughly 3 to 4 hours to make 5 gallons. While this worked fine for my 30G biocube, when I upgraded to a bigger tank, that would just not work.

Also in the 2 years I used it, for the amount of money I spent on replacing cartridges, I could have bought a better unit from BRS and saved money on replacing cartridges. I make roughly 50G a week, and in the 2 years I've owned the BRS unit I've replaced the sediment and carbon cartridges once, and the DI twice. For the RO Buddie that was easily 4 or 5 cartridges of each times roughly 20$ a cartridge = 240$ in cartridges Vs. about 80$ in BRS refills.

Yes the units initial cost is more, but you will save a ton in the long run.

Duffer · Mar 1, 2019

Afrashz said:
So does the setup come with all the supply’s or do I need to buy extra stuff off the bat

It comes with everything,

Saltfishlover · Nov 16, 2019

I just bought one of these. I get zero TDS with tap water of 70 . I think the flow rate good seems like I can get 5 gals in hour and half. Maybe they changed a few things? I also have the di

Sebastiancrab · Apr 16, 2020

homer1475 said:
Hated my Ro buddie!

My TAP water is pretty clean(20TDS), but I could not get more then 100G out of a DI cartridge. And as mentioned, it's super slow at making water. It took roughly 3 to 4 hours to make 5 gallons. While this worked fine for my 30G biocube, when I upgraded to a bigger tank, that would just not work.

Also in the 2 years I used it, for the amount of money I spent on replacing cartridges, I could have bought a better unit from BRS and saved money on replacing cartridges. I make roughly 50G a week, and in the 2 years I've owned the BRS unit I've replaced the sediment and carbon cartridges once, and the DI twice. For the RO Buddie that was easily 4 or 5 cartridges of each times roughly 20$ a cartridge = 240$ in cartridges Vs. about 80$ in BRS refills.

Yes the units initial cost is more, but you will save a ton in the long run.

Hi Homer! So I was considering buying a Buddie and they told me their cartridges should process 400 gallons. Does BRS stand for Bulk Reef Supply? Their inventory is very low. What model did you buy?

homer1475 · Apr 17, 2020

I could not get anywhere near 400G with an RO buddie, 200 if I was lucky. They have changed them some since I owned one, but I would not be looking at anywhere near 400G gallons.

Yes BRS is Bulk Reef Supply, I got a great deal on their 4 stage water saver plus unit. Which it seems they no longer make as I could not find it on their website.

I would imagine with this pandemic going on, a lot of vendors have low stock of a lot of stuff.

hawk82 · Apr 17, 2020

I have one, it works well. 0 TDS when I check.

Geonet · Apr 17, 2020

I have an RO Buddie set up under my sink...just screwed it to the inside door.It produces water slow,But works for me on my 75 Gallon.I'm not a Pro though.I drilled a quarter inch hole just under the rim on Lowes bought buckets...the tube fits in perfect. I use the cast off water for other things. 3 Buckets are a must if you use one for partial water changes

...One for RO...another for for waste water..Geo

Sebastiancrab · Apr 17, 2020

hawk82 said:
I have one, it works well. 0 TDS when I check.

Hawk, thank you for the picture! Because I am also trying to figure out how I am going to set this thing up. It appears you just run it laying it out on the top of your counter hooked up to the faucet and a bucket? I hate to mount it underneath my kitchen sink because it will take room. The laundry room or garage will take a major expenditure in plumbing. Which model is this and how long do the cartridges last? I have a 29 gallon and want to buy the most economical thing even it is a bigger unit. This compares to spending a fortune on cartridges for the cheap printers vs buying a small LaserJet! What do you advise?