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RO/DI water

Hey, I am thinking about getting an RO/DI water unit as I am getting algae blooms with the tap water on my new nano cube 24 DX. Can anyone vouch for any specific models around $100. Also, what kind of maintenance do they require and how much are the replacement pieces on average? Any other information on what to get would be awesome. Thanks in advance.
 
N

njstillwell

Guest
If you are looking to buy an RO/DI unit for 100 bucks new atleast your not going to find a RO/DI unit.Your just going to get a RO unit.If you are looking for a RO/DI unit that is new go to Air Water and Ice they have great prices on a 5 stage RO/DI unit 75 gpd.Which really good for 140 bucks.Gets you all the filters and plumbing for the unit not a bad deal and the replacement filers are cheap. plus they send you reminders that its getting close to changing out your filter media.I have this system and it works great.
 

JohnS_323

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
Check out the Water General units sold by FilterDirect on eBay. You can get 110gpd RO/DI unit for somewhere around $140 including shipping. It's a pretty solid unit. We've been using it for a long time now.

As far as replacement parts, typically all you need to replace are the filter cartridges. How often they need to be changed is dependent on the quality of water coming in to the unit. Our incoming TDS is very low so our filters last a long time. Others have to change them more frequently.
 
JohnS_323 said:
Check out the Water General units sold by FilterDirect on eBay. You can get 110gpd RO/DI unit for somewhere around $140 including shipping. It's a pretty solid unit. We've been using it for a long time now.

As far as replacement parts, typically all you need to replace are the filter cartridges. How often they need to be changed is dependent on the quality of water coming in to the unit. Our incoming TDS is very low so our filters last a long time. Others have to change them more frequently.

+1

If you are going to stick to nanos, the Might Mite with DI is an awesome unit and is $125 shipped. If you are planning on a bigger tank in the not too distant future I would save up for the Typhoon 3 or FilterDirect RO unit because you can't go wrong with either one.

In the mean time, check your grocery store or walmart for distilled water to use. (Just not the Culligan)
 

mnat

Officer Emeritus
Staff member
Moderator
Not sure where you are located, but most LFS sell RO water. We buy ours for 50 cents a gallon at tropiquarium and might be a good holdover until you get the unit. We will get an RO/DI unit later on but for our nanos the price is right.
 

TanksNStuff

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
I bought mine from TB Aquatics, who is also a NJRC sponsor I believe and you may get a discount(?), and for around $145 got a 75 GPD with dual TDS meter (highly recommended so you know when you need to change filters.)

Here's a Link

First of all, they are based in NJ, so the shipping is fast and you will have local service if needed. Second of all, it has a lifetime guarantee. And lastly, you can specify which connection type you will want (I opted for the hose connection since I installed it in my garage instead of the tap connection that you hook up to the water line under the sink... but they also have a faucet connection that hooks to your spigot, if you don't mind the tubing in view or if you are just using it temporarily.)

With a nano, you won't be needing a whole lot of water on-hand, so I wouldn't go over 75 gpd flowrates. The higher flowrates cost more and don't always filter as well as the slower ones from what I understand.

Hope that helps.
 
I have a Air Water Ice. The one I have Typhoon 3 was $170.00 or so but check if they have less costly units Remember a lifetime warranty is only good if the company is in business and this is all AWI does and they do it well
 
I purchased a generic unit from ebay, 6 stage for about $70
It works very well and TDS reads 0. (so long as the water is stored in a container that is designed for water storage.
 

rodclement

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
got mine last week from TB Aquatics, no complains here, also had some issues with shipping and they handled it all like pro's! Recomended!!!

Rod
 

TanksNStuff

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
As far as storage of ro/di water, I use a 32g "Brute" trash can and keep a powerhead and heater running in it. I thought spending $30 for a storage bin was ridiculous, but I must say it has made my ro/di and salt mixing easy to deal with. The Brutes are "food grade" and are great for storing your water safely.

My biggest issue is keeping an eye on the waste water line. I usually start out filling my 5g water jugs and then start filling up a cheap 40g trash can with wheels. I use the jugs to water the plants, etc. and then just roll the big trash can down the driveway and dump it. It's wasteful, but I don't have any other option right now. Note that the wastewater line flows about 1.5 - 2 times as fast as the ro/di clean water does, so the waste container will fill up much faster than the Brute.

I remember reading how some people piped some pvc along the walls and outside the garage or house that they just stuck the drain tube into so they didn't have to worry about the waste water. I might end up doing something like that, and just fill up my 5g jugs and then let the rest run thru the pvc. As of right now, if my 40g trash can overflows, I get a nice little stream running down the center of my garage that sometimes finds its way to the boxes and stuff stored against the wall. The GF isn't very happy when that happens. :eek:

Anyway, if you are planning on getting a Ro/Di, make sure you also plan your storage and wastewater solutions.
 
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