nother nube question

[Scoopy]

I guess Im gonna have to buy my tank piece by piece. The first thing Im going to get is a ro/di filter. I have been lookin on ebay, and can seem to get one for a decent price. What I questions I have are.... is a 110gpd enough for a 75 gal tank? (I know it will take a while to fill the tank, probably about 2 weeks) and what is the differnece between the di on some filters and the uv on others? I guess I dont really know the difference.

Thanks
Scoop

 

[tenshi]

From experience my 35gpd RO unit only produces enough water to keep up with water evaporation and not monthly water changes on my 75 gallon tank. So I have to go to my LFS once a month and pick up 10 to 20 gallons of RO water. I'd go with a 75gpd RO/DI system or above for a 75 gallon tank. The DI removes the impurities that the RO membrane didn't get and the UV kills live organisms that might be in your water like bacteria, viruses, and parasites. You don't need the UV and you should get the DI.

 

[Anonymous]

Getting the RO/DI first to fill your tank is really smart. Good for you for having patience.
It is a chunk o' change, though, you're right.

One other option is to check out your local grocery stores, or water suppliers. Most of those places have RO water. If you bring in some big containers, you can usually get them filled for 25 cents a gallon. That'd be much quicker than waiting around for your 75 to fill up. But you'd still have to lug around all that heavy water.

At 110 gpd, you'd fill up the 75 in less than a day, right?

After you have the thing filled, you're only going to need to make top off water and small amounts for water changes. 110 gpd is great for those tasks.

DI = de-ionizer. Pulls ions (and cations) ot of the water using a charged resin.
UV = ultraviolet. UV light is a great way to kill living organisms.
For our tank purposes, UV is not necessary to make water. The organisms would get trapped in the carbon block, the sediment filters, or the RO membrane.

RO = Reverse Osmosis. RO water is suitable to use. If you want really clean water, and to be sure you're not adding nutrients to your tank, get the DI as well.
Good luck.

 

[tenshi]

A 110 gpd unit doesn't produce 110 gallons of purrified water. It filters 110 gallons of water to get a few gallons of water I think. Maybe 10 at the most?

 

[fishfanatic2]

yeah, the rest is waste. Some of the high-end, high-cost units make very little waste(or so they say). :wink:

 

[cdeakle]

One other option is to check out your local grocery stores, or water suppliers. Most of those places have RO water. If you bring in some big containers, you can usually get them filled for 25 cents a gallon. That'd be much quicker than waiting around for your 75 to fill up. But you'd still have to lug around all that heavy water.

Have you ever tested there water with a TDS meter? Most of the "grocery Stores" I have gone to for water, along with a few LFS's, hvae had poor water quality. I would venture to say that there rarely changed out there filters as often as they should.

Make sure to buy a TDS meter along with your RO/DI filter. No reason to have a kick ass unit and no way to know the water is actually pure. A TDS meter measures the total amount of Total Disolved Solids. Your new tank water should be between 0-1 TDS.

I currently have a Kent Marine Maxxima Hi-S 35GPD RO/DI filter. This unit has served me well and is in my top 3 best purchases ever. I have a total water volume of 85 gallons and this unit makes more than enough water for me.

Its a good idea to get a new rubbermaid 35 gallon trash can and use that to store your new RO/DI water in. That way you can leave your filter running at night when your sleeping and in the morning you will have a new batch of water waiting for you 8)

 

[djbarnes88]

I don't neccesarily agree with everyone. I have a 75 GPD RO/DI that I bought from aquasafe canada on ebay and it makes about 30 Gallons of RO water in 24 hrs. I bought a 30 Gallon Rubbermaid trash can and I just let the water build in there. It seems to me like you should have your tank filled in 3 or 4 days tops. Mine unit came with 3 years worth of relacement filters and a TDS monitor. You are definitely doing the right thing by starting with the RO water. One thing I have found in this hobby is that patience is definitely a virtue.

 

[Arch01]

My 100 GPD gets me about 75 gallons a day. Your actual output will vary based on water temperature and water pressure. I think a 110 gpd will get you plenty of water for filling up and water changes.

Alex
_________________
Ferrari F430 Challenge

 

[Anonymous]

A 110 gpd system means it should produce 110 gallons of purified water in 24 hours if you have high enough water pressure.

 

[Johnsteph10]

I have a 110GPD model and it's been running now for about 6 or 7 hours today and has mostly filled a 30gallon trash can...
I know a large part of it depends on your water pressure (usually a MINIMUM of 40psi -- some apartments, building complexes, etc. may not get enough pressure...of course, that's just one variable. Our tapwater here is only about 50ppm per my TDS meter..not bad for tap!

John