RODI

[Shrimplets]

Hi I'm looking to start up a sw tank in the next few months. My stock ideas are

-1 Watchman Goby
-1 Fire goby
-2 Clowns
-2 Scarlet Cleaner Shrimp
-1 Pistol Shrimp

Corals:
-Ricordea Florida
-Frogspawn
-Xenia

I've seen from a lot of places that I would need RODI water, so i assume its true. I'd love some introduction as to how rodi water works. As for nutrients Im thinking of using reef crystals instead of dosing. Anything is welcome thanks!

Also any equipment advice as well

 

[Deiblerj]

It’s not necessary but if you plan on staying on the hobby long, will pay for itself quickly!

What size tank are you thinking? LFS water can get expensive and you also don’t know how often they check for TDS, change their filters, clean their tanks, etc

 

[Shrimplets]

It’s not necessary but if you plan on staying on the hobby long, will pay for itself quickly!

What size tank are you thinking? LFS water can get expensive and you also don’t know how often they check for TDS, change their filters, clean their tanks, etc

A NUVO 40

 

[REEFer86]

Hi I'm looking to start up a sw tank in the next few months. My stock ideas are

-1 Watchman Goby
-1 Fire goby
-2 Clowns
-2 Scarlet Cleaner Shrimp
-1 Pistol Shrimp

Corals:
-Ricordea Florida
-Frogspawn
-Xenia

I've seen from a lot of places that I would need RODI water, so i assume its true. I'd love some introduction as to how rodi water works. As for nutrients Im thinking of using reef crystals instead of dosing. Anything is welcome thanks!

Also any equipment advice as well

Check out my thread!

 

[Deiblerj]

If you have the money now I would say go for it! But if you’re still in the market for other equipment and on a budget I would say it can wait and just use LFS water

 

[Shrimplets]

If you have the money now I would say go for it! But if you’re still in the market for other equipment and on a budget I would say it can wait and just use LFS water

I'd go for it ig. Nearest non chain lfs is 40 min round trip so

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

I believe that almost everyone will agree that the water you use in your tank needs to be void of all total dissolved solids (TDS). I would say that if you don't use RODI water than you're in for a big headache.

Depending on your needs you may not have to purchase a RODI unit, or you can simply get it from your local fish store. However in the long run it is wise to purchase one.

I recently have had great success with spectrapure, their units are top notch, well built and above all perform well for our hobby needs.

As you get your feet wet in the hobby you will learn that there are a lot of facets to it and from just keeping a reef tank you're going to develop many sub hobbies to support reefing, but if you're like most of us, you will enjoy it.

Good Luck!

 

[Deiblerj]

BRS has great units for a decent price. Make sure you read your water report and get the right stage RODI!

 

[Shrimplets]

I believe that almost everyone will agree that the water you use in your tank needs to be void of all total dissolved solids (TDS). I would say that if you don't use RODI water than you're in for a big headache.

Depending on your needs you may not have to purchase a RODI unit, or you can simply get it from your local fish store. However in the long run it is wise to purchase one.

I recently have had great success with spectrapure, their units are top notch, well built and above all perform well for our hobby needs.

As you get your feet wet in the hobby you will learn that there are a lot of facets to it and from just keeping a reef tank you're going to develop many sub hobbies to support reefing, but if you're like most of us, you will enjoy it.

Good Luck!

would you reccomend an ato?

 

[Deiblerj]

ATOs fall in the category of nice to haves. Not necessary, but if you have the extra cash they are nice to have!

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

would you reccomend an ato?

The alternative is topping off manually every day. I do this with my qt tank and there's some days I completely forget. I'm a proponent of automation. Last I looked my ato tops off an average of 18 times a day.

Of course that aids in salinity stability, completely not necessary at the beginning stages of a tank, but a must in the long run, especially if you're going to have corals or any other invertebrates.

 

[REEFer86]

I'd go for it ig. Nearest non chain lfs is 40 min round trip so

Convenience is everything! And to be able to
Make water at any moment is ideal! And like you said the trip to and from the LFS is not worth it. Its 40 minutes to go and 40 to come back. Was a no brainer for me.

 

[Shrimplets]

Convenience is everything! And to be able to
Make water at any moment is ideal! And like you said the trip to and from the LFS is not worth it. Its 40 minutes to go and 40 to come back. Was a no brainer for me.

yea i agree. 40 minutes round trip tho not 40 minutes each way. either way still a lot of driving

 

[Shrimplets]

The alternative is topping off manually every day. I do this with my qt tank and there's some days I completely forget. I'm a proponent of automation. Last I looked my ato tops off an average of 18 times a day.

Of course that aids in salinity stability, completely not necessary at the beginning stages of a tank, but a must in the long run, especially if you're going to have corals or any other invertebrates.

yea sounds like a good idea. so where do i put water into the rodi and how would i set it up so that salt water goes into the rodi, then out the other side as rodi or is that not how it works?

 

[Dub]

What is the consensus about using the RO kiosks that are popping up on every corner? In my area $1.00-1.25 for 5 gallons makes buying a RODI unit rather expensive. I might add that I have operated RO units from 100 gpd to 2,000gpd and the initial cost is not the end of your costs. I do acknowledge that just turning on a faucet is convenient.

 

[lpsouth1978]

yea sounds like a good idea. so where do i put water into the rodi and how would i set it up so that salt water goes into the rodi, then out the other side as rodi or is that not how it works?

An Rodi unit hooks up tou your home water supply. Usually under a sink or in a laundry room. Your water runs through the RODI unit and is filtered through the membrane and then goes through the DI resin. This should yield 0tds water. The water that is produced has to be stored in a container, usually a bucket or Brute trash can. This is also where you would mix your salt water once the water has gone through the RODI.

You do not run saltwater through the RODI as this would remove all of the salt and make it freshwater again.

 

[lpsouth1978]

What is the consensus about using the RO kiosks that are popping up on every corner? In my area $1.00-1.25 for 5 gallons makes buying a RODI unit rather expensive. I might add that I have operated RO units from 100 gpd to 2,000gpd and the initial cost is not the end of your costs. I do acknowledge that just turning on a faucet is convenient.

The trouble with the kiosks is that the water may or may not be 0 tds or even close to it. Unless you test the water before purchasing and/or using it and it is at or near 0 tds it should be good to use. My bet is that you would be lucky to find a kiosk that had a TDS less than 10 since they are not running the water through DI resin and likely do not maintain the unit as well as you would your own.

 

[REEFer86]

yea i agree. 40 minutes round trip tho not 40 minutes each way. either way still a lot of driving

No that’s my travel time! Lol sorry for not clarifying.

 

[Shrimplets]

An Rodi unit hooks up tou your home water supply. Usually under a sink or in a laundry room. Your water runs through the RODI unit and is filtered through the membrane and then goes through the DI resin. This should yield 0tds water. The water that is produced has to be stored in a container, usually a bucket or Brute trash can. This is also where you would mix your salt water once the water has gone through the RODI.

You do not run saltwater through the RODI as this would remove all of the salt and make it freshwater again.

Thanks! I'm thinking of getting an ato, but I don't wanna without an apex or something similar due to the fact that it can get stuck in the on position and I don't wanna risk that much water on my floor. What apex controller setup should I get? I've looked at the jr and o think the classic may be a better version for me even if the tank is just a 40g. I go on ski trips almost every weekend so an ato is practically a must

 

[Deiblerj]

Tunze ATO is really nice. Has a float switch as a secondary shutoff