RO system for 150 gallon

[Fish from Philly]

Hey everyone,
The water from my tap is pretty hard so I'm considering getting RO system. Was wondering what the proper RO system size would be for a 150 gallon low tech planted discus tank. Can you suggest brand and/or size? Thanks!

Tank is 72" X 18" X 30" and is lightly planted with vals, crypts, anubias
Temp will be 84-86 (I understand this makes a difference for sizing RO)

[Bart V]

Try Water General Here:

http://www.reverseosmosis.com/categories/Filters-%26-Membranes/Water-General/

They also have an e-bay store.

The size you need is all about how often you want to change your water and how much you can store.

[DiscusLoverJeff]

It all depends on how much water you plan on changing and how often. You can get a 75 gal per day unit, or a 150 gal per day. It will also depend on how many and size of your aging barrels.

You can go to:

http://thefilterguys.biz/

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/

I have bought from both places and they have great products and customer service.

[Fish from Philly]

I plan to get adult discus so that I can do 1 to 2 water changes per week. The plants are pretty low maintenance and I have eco complete under the sand so I think they will be OK even if I have to do more WC.

I guess 75 gallon would be 50% of the tank so that would be the minimum size to get?

[John_Nicholson]

First why do you need an RO? Discus can live fine in harder water as long as it is clean and stable. Second if you need an RO I have found that H20 Splash often has the lowest prices. Their website is a little challenging but worth the time to figure out.

-john

[Fish from Philly]

I would not want to get it if I don't need to, afterall I just bought light from BuildMyLED...

I researched that discus do not appreciate hard water and the guy at lfs says it was necessary to get RO. I understand wild discus would have tougher time acclimating to hard water but thought even tank breed need soft water too. Not that I trust what salesmen tell me but he has been good and others online agree.

I used buckets to change water for over a year and finally spilled enough water to get the Python. Can I use that to change discus tank water? Many suggest aging the water (which lends itself to RO system) or adding water very slowly...

Can I get away with not aging water and just changing with python once to twice a week?

Total livestock:
20 cardinals
20 rummys
10 emperors
10 sterbai
6-12 discus
BN pleco
headstander

[John_Nicholson]

Aging the water is normally preferred. Some people get by without it. I do not know your local water so my suggestion would be to age it.

-john

[DonMD]

Many people successfully keep discus in ph 8.5 water. How hard is your water? You might want to measure the hardness before spending on an RO unit. Just a suggestion.