RO water for wilds...

[lkleung007]

Hey Gang,

I am thinking about getting my first RO unit for my wilds and wanted some advice as to what I will need and what system to go with. I don't want anything real fancy...something basic to get the job done. I have seem 2 stage and 3 stage units but not sure if 3 stages are necessary. Also, is there a good source to get RO units from??

Thanks for any help,
Lester

[DiscusLoverJeff]

Hi Lester,

You can good inexpensive 5 stage units on eBay.

Just be careful introducing RO water. You want to do it gradually as your TDS will change.

[lkleung007]

Thanks Jeff...I'll certainly look into that.

[limige]

don't get too caught up in stages.
you have a prefilter carbon blocks and a membrane with deionizer as finisher

its cheap to replace the filters and carbon blocks, membranes last 3 yrs give or take and deionizer isn't expesive if you get a refillable setup.

they get you up front for the brackets and canisters but its cheap to maintain. you just really have to look at long term use. how much will you be needing it.

I would get at least a 3 stage and membrane. deionizer isn't necessary but helps if your up to it.

are you well or city water?

[Braydon00]

I bought mine from buckeye hydro a few months ago, ran me around $200 for the RODI 50GPD which is 5 stage (I got a good deal). I personally love it and it works great. Since I've had it the TDS coming out has been 0 for 3 months. Jeff is right on, you need to gradually add it so your wilds don't get too stressed. After they are acclimated I try and do a 50/50 ro tap mix with nothing added to the RO water. TDS is consistently between 140-170. Ebay also has some good systems for sale, you cant really go wrong.

[Second Hand Pat]

Do you guys really feel a DI unit is needed for wild discus? I personally have a two stage for mine and the RO product water is 5. Lester, I suggest you drop the TDS no more then 50 ppm per water change so please consider that in your percentages of RO to tap.

[Len]

I haven't needed R/O or DI for wilds to spawn. I've just used straight up tap. The first time they started spawning was AFTER I had been using R/O and went back to tap. After that they just kept going. My water from the tap runs 50 - 60 ppm.

[Altum Nut]

My water from the tap runs 50 - 60 ppm.

Len.... you lucky Dog:cool:

Many of us not that lucky.
I would agree that nothing fancy is needed. Your basic Sed. Carbon and membrane is good enough. Go with a unit where replacement filters are easy and not expensive to get. In addition....I would think the most common for us hobbyist is a 75gpd to 100gpd unit.
My unit is the Optima Automated RO DI System 75 gpd bought it from a friend but was never set-up for $100 with new filters but don’t use the DI chamber. http://www.purelyh2o.com/index.php?o..._id=76&lang=en
I look for deals on filters on e-bay

...Ralph

[lkleung007]

Wow...thanks for all the input!!

I do think that my Wilds will do better with softer water...my well water is extremely hard and I do want my Wilds to thrive...whether they spawn or not is okay with me.

I do have a couple of questions...
1) the water coming out of my well is a cold 50F...will this hurt the RO
2) the well water pressure can be quite low at times...will this hurt the RO
3) I plan on hooking up the RO after the two water conditioning tanks (one is an "acid neutralizer tank" and the other is a "water softener tank"...is this okay or should I bypass both the water conditioning tanks
4) lastly, in introducing RO water...I was going to just top the tank off with RO during a water change or should I premix in another barrel before adding it to the tank

Thanks, Lester

[Second Hand Pat]

Hi Lester,

Both 1 and 2 does not "hurt" the RO but it does slow down the production of your RO product water. A booster pump can help by increasing the water pressure going into the RO unit. I can not speak on the two tanks mentioned in 3. Perhaps Rick can chime in on this. On 4 I personally do not use pure RO in a WC. I prefer to add a bit of tap for minerals and a bit of buffering for the ph.

I suggest you research the effects of the "acid neutralizer tank" and "water softener tank" prior to using this as your source water. Lastly if you have not run an RO unit before you will need to plan on how you want to handle your RO waste water.

Pat

[lkleung007]

Thanks Pat for your input...in terms of introducing the RO water to the tank...during a water change I was planning on refilling with tap then topping off with RO...I will watch the hardness and ph with each water change...eventually getting the hardness down to a reasonable range.

[Second Hand Pat]

Lester, can you mix your water separate from the tank so you can see how the RO changes your water?

[brewmaster15]

Lester, been a LONGGGG TIMMMME since we talked about your water! can you post what your well water parameters are currently. I don't think you will need a DI, but I you really can pick up one that will meet your needs very cheap.. A few years back I picked up a 200 gal per day one on ebay for $110 .

A little confused by this..".3) I plan on hooking up the RO after the two water conditioning tanks (one is an "acid neutralizer tank" and the other is a "water softener tank"...is this okay or should I bypass both the water conditioning tanks" Does you house already have a water softener system? or are these things you plan on adding and then adding the RO unit after?

al

[lkleung007]

Hey Al...yes it has been a long time...may be about 15 years!!!! I moved into my current house a few years ago and wanted to get a few more wilds for my collection and started thinking about my well water. The well water is quite hard...pH about 7.8 and the hardness about 150-175. I would like to soften the water a bit but have never used RO.

In regards to my water supply...the well water comes in the house...passes through a sediment filter (30 microns) then it goes to an acid neutralizer tank then to my water softener tank before going to the fishroom (which is in my detached garage). The water conditioning tanks allow me to manually bypass the them with a switch...so what I typically do is when I am filling my barrels, I will manually bypass my acid neutralizer tank. Hope this make sense to you.

Thanks for your help as always,
Lester