RO/DI System Recommendation

[Mcdy]

Good evening,

I am looking at purchasing a RODI system so I can stop going to the fish store to fill up buckets but not sure which one to purchase:

55-gallon fish tank--> with intention of going bigger in the future (not near)

5-gallon water changes twice a week

I guess the real question is the filtration process real slow? Should I go for 75-gpd, 100-gpd or more?

Any advice is appreciated!

Thanks,

Wes

 

[Brad Miller]

I have a 55 gallon and use the BRS 7 stage water saver rodi unit because rodi is so important for my reef tank water quality.
If I was going to spend any money at all, I wanted the best bang for my buck.
I have hard water from a municipal supply, which I then soften before the rodi unit.

It really depends if your on a well or city water and if the water from your tap has high TDS (Total dissolved solids) and Chlorine / Chloramine in it.
Test your water first, then you can choose the right stage and setup for your unit.

Testing the water from your faucet is the only way to know what kind of rodi you will need to do the Job right, otherwise it’s just a guess and you will have to upgrade later on when it doesn’t perform as you expected it to.

 

[Mcdy]

Brad,

Thanks for your reply. I will get a water test tomorrow from Lowe's and see what the readings are. Will you be available to help after I get the sample?

Thanks,

Wes

 

[Brad Miller]

Absolutely !

 

[kpl_creations]

We just bought the BRS 75gpd system with the tank and faucet ( Better half wanted filtered drinking water at the sink ). Shipping was fast and they even credited me the difference after they emailed me a 10% off coupon.
Takes a little less than 1hr to fill the 5gal tank up.

Build quality seems really nice. The meter is showing 140ppm from the city, 3 after the filters, and then 16 after the alkaline/mineral add on.

 

[JoshH]

I'll go with my usual Spectrapure recommendation. Lots of solid options out there but Spectrapure is by far my favourite.

I'll also add, don't bother stepping into a dual membrane setup until you know your water pressure, these systems absolutely need the best water pressure out there to perform properly and even then it's a bit of a stretch (I run a dual Spectrapure 90GPD setup for 180 GPD and my household pressure into the first membrane is 85, into the second membrane is only 45PSI which is pushing the lower limits). Unless you want to buy a booster pump right out of the gate without knowing, IMO anyway they aren't worth it. You can ALWAYS upgrade with an add on kit down the road once you know your household water pressure or you feel the investment of a booster pump is well worth it.

 

[dragon99]

Testing your tap water to find out if you need to deal with chloramines or just normal chlorine is a good idea, but if you want to be covered either way, go with a 5-stage unit (dual carbon block). Right now I don't think you can find a better deal than BRS since they are on sale.

BRS 5 Stage Reverse Osmosis Deionization Systems

Bulk Reef Supply - Saltwater Aquarium Supplies for Reef Tanks

www.bulkreefsupply.com

If you are worried about how fast it makes water, get the water saver upgrade (150gpd). But unless your water pressure is low a 75gpd unit is just fine for that size tank.

 

[chowberg]

I have the BRS with 150 gpd upgrade with no complaints. I do recommend the 150 gpd upgrade because of how much faster it fills it up and produces less waste. I have low water pressure so I did get the booster pump because the upgrade requires higher pressure to take advantage. That vibrated a lot making audible noise until I plumbed it after the Pre-Filters (before membrane).

 

[Mcdy]

Testing your tap water to find out if you need to deal with chloramines or just normal chlorine is a good idea, but if you want to be covered either way, go with a 5-stage unit (dual carbon block). Right now I don't think you can find a better deal than BRS since they are on sale.

BRS 5 Stage Reverse Osmosis Deionization Systems

Bulk Reef Supply - Saltwater Aquarium Supplies for Reef Tanks

www.bulkreefsupply.com

If you are worried about how fast it makes water, get the water saver upgrade (150gpd). But unless your water pressure is low a 75gpd unit is just fine for that size tank.

Dragon99,

Thanks for taking the time to reply--I am always one to go with the best but I am not one for it taking all day to fill a 5 gallon bucket up. Your insight really helps.

 

[Mcdy]

Absolutely !

I purchased a high dollar water test kit and tested all the parameters. The parameters are perfect with everything showing 0 ppm to include copper, pesticides and one other thing--I don't feel like walking upstairs right now. LOL--drinking an IPA and feeling the buzz. You think the 5-stage 75gpd will be alright?

 

[Don Lidtke]

I am running the BRS 6 Stage Universal Plus RO/DI System - 150 GPD with a 1/4" Aquatec 8800 Booster Pump Kit. Makes plenty of 0 TDS water.

 

[Brad Miller]

What’s the psig of you water in the house ?
If it lower than, say...55, you may want to get a booster pump as this will increase the efficiency of the rodi unit.

What is your tds from the test ?

What is the amount of total chlorine from the test ?

How fast do you want to make rodi water ?

You should also get a bypass valve and flush so your membranes last longer.

Do you have a water softener ?

These questions and others determine what kind of rodi unit you will want to get.

 

[cromag27 Verified Sponsor]

spectrapure maxcap 5 stage

and read this:

https://octoaquatics.com/rodi-101/

 

[Camaro Show Corals]

7 stage no matter what. I had a 4 stage unit that did fine until my water company changed some stuff and I did a regular water change and I lost 5 Thousand dollars worth of high end sps and a few zoas. I can't stress enough having the purest water after this. Remember you get what you pay for in this hobby. 7 stage hands down no matter how clean your tap water is.