I have been recently getting a massive cyano bloom. I have been upping everything in my tank, from light, skimmer, and circulation. But these are only to slow down the cyano. I need to kill the cyano so I want an RO or a DI to stop the nutrient intake of my tank. I have gotton away without one of these for too long and I need to bite the bullet. I have a small tank so I was thinking a a bare bones RO. It's cheap and good enough for me. For a DI, either the kent marine one, or the tap water filter. My question is, is DI good enough? Or should I just bite the bullet even more and get the RO. I have a sink downstairs about 20 feet from my finished basement, so I am good on an extra faucet and stuff, and the water pressure on that sink is the strongest in the house. Thanks.
RO vs. DI
- Thread starter Enzo
- Start date
My friend, light can help boost your bloom, you know.
How about doing a wee bit more research first, eh? (Although going with RO/DI--yeah, bite that bullet, won't hurt at ALL.)
Go see our library here http://www.reefs.org/library then go to http://www.wetwebmedia.com and look up cyan FAQ's and articles.
How about doing a wee bit more research first, eh? (Although going with RO/DI--yeah, bite that bullet, won't hurt at ALL.)
Go see our library here http://www.reefs.org/library then go to http://www.wetwebmedia.com and look up cyan FAQ's and articles.
Yes, generally after being "prepped" by reverse osmosis, DI cartridges/resins will last 700-1000 gallons before they need replacing. This will, of course, depend on how good your municipal water is to being with. But as a post-stage filter to R/O, DI is a very affordable and worthwhile addition. DI used as a stand-alone purifier is impractically expensive, so it's rarely done.
hi.
Don't know about water in Ohio, but here in So. Cal., a $20 DI cartidge will give you about 20 gal of water without RO. Not a good idea for sure.
FWIW, I usually suggest to get a RO first. And if DI is needed, you can always add the DI after the RO later.
Don't know about water in Ohio, but here in So. Cal., a $20 DI cartidge will give you about 20 gal of water without RO. Not a good idea for sure.
FWIW, I usually suggest to get a RO first. And if DI is needed, you can always add the DI after the RO later.
Enzo":3j4u8l4m said:
DI water can actually be more pure than RO...
That said, if you have enough water pressure for the RO unit to function correctly (and depending on what's in your tap water) an RO unit can provide water that is pure enough for use in a reef tank at a much lower cost per gallon than DI.
Another possible alternative is to recharge DI cartridges yourself to keep costs down.
RO/DI units are very popular because it's sortof a happy medium - cheaper than DI (per gallon) but just as pure. A bit more pure than RO-only, but a little more expensive per gallon. Requires higher initial invest though...
HTH
It's possible to recharge DI cartridges with household chemicals. I've never done it, but if you do an internet search and some searches on the boards there should be plenty of information...
For a good deal on an RO or RO/DI unit check out:
http://www.airwaterice.com/
http://www.aquaticreefsystems.com/
For a good deal on an RO or RO/DI unit check out:
http://www.airwaterice.com/
http://www.aquaticreefsystems.com/
The nutrients in tap water are usally phosphate and ammonia. Most city supplies deal with nitrates. The RO alone will do a very good job with phosphate, but the ammonia now added in most municipal supplies requires DI to remove it.
Discus people are having a heck of a time, due to the large demands for water.
If you do not have chloramine disinfection yet, you probably will soon.
Trying to recharge DI is a little bit over most peoples abilty, just because of the chemicals used and the disposal problems due to these chemicals. The potential damage to pipes and the $$ fines will far exceed any savings you could achive.
Commercail DI regeneration plants have a hard time as it is.
Discus people are having a heck of a time, due to the large demands for water.
If you do not have chloramine disinfection yet, you probably will soon.
Trying to recharge DI is a little bit over most peoples abilty, just because of the chemicals used and the disposal problems due to these chemicals. The potential damage to pipes and the $$ fines will far exceed any savings you could achive.
Commercail DI regeneration plants have a hard time as it is.
Of course some people know how to mix acids and bases with out creating an explosion, and they may check to see if the pH of the water is in safe ranges not to damage plumbing. And these people would know about the skin and eye damage that will happen if these chemicals are mishandled. Never mind the vapors in a small bathroom.
But there are others!
It is not for everyone, not even close.
Marianne
But there are others!
It is not for everyone, not even close.
Marianne
I am with Marianne on this one. I have looked into recharging a DI unit and I have a fair background in chemistry because of my biology degree. The problem is you are dealing with some strong acids and bases. You better have protective garments and gogles, because you are dealing with some potentially dangerous chemicals.
Save your eyesight and just buy a new DI cartridge for $20. Trust me, it will be money well spent.
Save your eyesight and just buy a new DI cartridge for $20. Trust me, it will be money well spent.
Enzo":m1sqego2 said:
$299?!?!
Whoah, I got a RO/DI off of ebay for $120... it makes 75 GPD compared to the 10~or so GPD that a Kenmore can make.
And yes, mine has a DI (unlike the Kenmore).
If you want to save on $$$, look one up on ebay. They are great investments not only for you aquarium, but the water tastes great, too! :wink:
Just my 2 cents.
I have a Kati-Ani unit, which is a seperate resin, two-stage, rechargable deionizer. It operates very much like the Tap Water Filter from Aquarium Pharmacueticals, except the resins are kept in two individuals chambers for easy recharging. On the other hand, the recharging chemicals are rather nasty; Lye (strong base) and Muriatic Acid. The acid you can buy at a hardware store. It is used for etching concrete. The lye I buy at the grocery store, Red Devil Lye used for unclogging drains. I will agree that it is not for everyone. Goggles, gloves, long sleeved shirts, etc. should be worn, but it is really not that bad if you are comfortbale working with harsh chemicals. I have been using this system for years and have been very pleased with its inital price, performance, and cost per gallon.
StevenPro":t94naxgh said:
Steven, if you don't mind me asking what would be a ballpark figure for replacing the resin in the two units? And how many gallons of treatment do you get before the media needs to be recharged or replaced?
I wanted to get an affordable DI unit - I hate wasting so much water with RO and the Kati/Ani is about the only one I've seen that's afordable.
hi.
You can get resin in bulk cheaply from many companies.
The amount of water it can process before needing replacement depends on the input water. A ball park figure will be one to 20 gal per oz of resin.
Large amount of water is needed for the recharging process, so if you don't want to waste water and use RO, you will be "wasting" water when recharging the resin.
I use the output (brine) from my RO for watering my lawn and garden, so there is no waste of water.
You can get resin in bulk cheaply from many companies.
The amount of water it can process before needing replacement depends on the input water. A ball park figure will be one to 20 gal per oz of resin.
Large amount of water is needed for the recharging process, so if you don't want to waste water and use RO, you will be "wasting" water when recharging the resin.
I use the output (brine) from my RO for watering my lawn and garden, so there is no waste of water.
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