phosphates and nitrates, RO v DI

[ernieming]

Hi,

I'm pretty new to saltwater reef tanks but slowly trying to improve conditions of my aquarium.

Been using nitrate remover which works ok minimising to almost trace level of nitrates in the water before I mix the salt in.

However a query as to use of deioniser.

will household deioniser actually remove nitrates and phosphates and silicates ?

RO units seem very expensive for my budget at the moment, thinking of using Deioniser however, but want to know if its any good at removing those chemicals and what benefits there are.

my tap water is real high in nitrates.

 

[Anonymous]

>... nitrate remover ...
What is that? Any link that explains how it works?

>...household deioniser
It is usually refer to as softener, which replace hard ion (Ca) with soft ion (Na), but do no much to phosphate or silicate.

Deionization is cheap for short term use, but it does not last long unless the water is very low in dissolved ions. The cost of cartidge replace can often be more costly than a RO unit after a few hundred gallons.

 

[Mouse51180]

I am on a bit of a budget aswell and would like a full RO\DI system, but for right now I found this at Petsmart and at most of the LFS. It is a water filter made by Aquarium Pharmaceuticals that hooks up to your kitchen or bathroom sink.

http://www.petsmart.com/global/prod...older_id=2534374302026306&bmUID=1091043605123

Its not as good as a RO\DI system, but better then trying to remember if you put your Nitrate remove in or if you jsut doubled your Phosphate remove chemcials.

I have had a bit more alge then I would like to have had so I dont think that it take ALL the phosphates out of the tap water, but takes enough out to keep my fish very happy and the alge from getting completly out of control. Filter I think cost $30-$40 and replacment filters last for about 250-300gallon and only $20-$25 to replace...so its a nice short term filter if the budget is tight.

 

[Anonymous]

Maybe in Charlotte the water is good, and you can get the cartidge to last a 200 gal plus, but here in SoCal, you be lucky if you can use it for any more than 50 gal.

 

[Dcast]

I started with one of those also, did not get even close to what you think you might get, the RO/DI was far cheaper in the long run, cartridges last longer.....you can get a bare bone RO or RO/DI for not to more more money.....I got mine from www.aquaticreefsystems.com, well worth it in the long run....your tank will thank you..

Dcast