RO/DI system and salt recommendations

[A Toadstool Leather]

I have been getting water from my lfs but it seems as if the store will go out of business soon. I have a 30 gallon tank, and I do a 5 g water change per week. I also keep 5 g of top of water as well. What ro/di unit would be good to use for this volume of water? What are some good reef tank salts?

 

[Crabs McJones]

I have been getting water from my lfs but it seems as if the store will go out of business soon. I have a 30 gallon tank, and I do a 5 g water change per week. I also keep 5 g of top of water as well. What ro/di unit would be good to use for this volume of water? What are some good reef tank salts?

A 75 gallon per day ro unit from bulk reef supply would probably do you good. https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/5-stage-75gpd-value-ro-di-system-bulk-reef-supply.html
Or you can get a spectra remanufactured for relatively inexpensive. http://spectrapure.com/Refurbished-90-GPD-RODI-System

 

[chipmunkofdoom2]

A 75GPD system would be best. Even if you don't need that much water per day, 75GPD systems are widely available and Dow's 75 GPD membranes produce some pretty good rejection rates when compared to 100GPD or 50GPD membranes.

Instant Ocean is a good cheap option that many reefers have used with success for years (Jason Fox still uses plain Instant Ocean in all of his systems). Red Sea's salts work well also. More expensive stuff like Tropic Marin Pro Reef works too. Really any salt mix from a major manufacturer will work. Some reefers choose to use a salt that has Ca/Alk/Mg values close to what they want to keep in their aquariums, but this isn't strictly speaking necessary.

 

[DLHDesign]

One thing we won't really be able to help with is knowing which specific setup is right for you - not without knowing a bit more about the quality of your water. This can often be gotten from your water provider. If you let us know where you are at, we might also be able to take a "best guess" given what others have seen. Another option would be to check with the LFS what they suggest - it's likely that they have a pretty good handle on the water in your area.

Basically; if you have really bad water (lots of chemicals, really high TDS, etc.), then you may need a 6-stage instead of the 5-stage @crabs_mcjones linked to above. More than likely, you will not (and if you do, you can upgrade to if it needed).

In terms of salt, I've used all sorts with good results. I currently use the Red Sea blue bucket.

 

[heifinator]

I find my spectrapure unit to be higher quality then my BRS unit but not enough to justify the price difference. Just imo!.

 

[A Toadstool Leather]

One thing we won't really be able to help with is knowing which specific setup is right for you - not without knowing a bit more about the quality of your water. This can often be gotten from your water provider. If you let us know where you are at, we might also be able to take a "best guess" given what others have seen. Another option would be to check with the LFS what they suggest - it's likely that they have a pretty good handle on the water in your area.

Basically; if you have really bad water (lots of chemicals, really high TDS, etc.), then you may need a 6-stage instead of the 5-stage @crabs_mcjones linked to above. More than likely, you will not (and if you do, you can upgrade to if it needed).

In terms of salt, I've used all sorts with good results. I currently use the Red Sea blue bucket.

Im sure my water quality is not too bad. I will check with a tds meter when the time comes.