Small RO/DI unit required...suggestions?

[zosterae311]

Hello rdo I am tired of lugging distilled water around for my 20H reef and 5 gallon dwarf seahorse tank, so I think I am ready to purchase an ro/di unit. I am unfamiliar with these units overall, as I have never owned or used one before. I am not looking to spend a lot of money, nor do I have a lot to put towards the purchase of one, so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. If anyone knows of any small units that are pocket friendly, please let me know. I would like to purchase a large one, as I will be upgrading my tank someday, but for now I need a basic unit. My weekly water requirement between changes and top-offs is a mere 10-15 gallons.....

Thanks guys.

 

[mooner]

Hi Z,

Go here:

http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?V ... =3&rows=50

and look at what this seller has. I have one of his tankless models and it is incredible for the money. For just over $110 (and that includes shipping) I have a 6 stage model with a 4 year supply of extra filters that has produced perfect water (0 ppm with Hanna meter) since the day I hooked it up. I have been using it for 6 months now and I am still on my first set of filters and still at 0 ppm.

My tap water is pretty bad (200-300 ppm with high phosphates) and my tank is in very good shape with perfect parameters.

The owner "Ed" is a great guy and he believes in customer support. you can email him pre and post sale. He will respond to you directly.

You can't go wrong. If you have problems with the link just go to ebay.com and do a search on the user "aquasafecanada" and check out his store. Also of note is his customer satisfaction rating: 1800+ buyers and 100% positive feedback!

Good luck.

 

[Len]

In my opinion, most RO/DI units are very much the same, so I wouldn't fear using a cheaper one such as the one Mooner showed you. Just make sure the membrane is TFC and you're golden. Buying from a reputable dealer such as Reefs.org sponsors has the advantage of customer service and readily available and accessible replacement parts. Then again, a lot of the parts between different manufactueres are already interchangable.

If I was a RO/DI "novice," I'd buy from one of the dealers for the aforementioned reasons. It just makes problem-solving and servicing/maintanence a whole lot simpler. Any of their ~$100 models will serve you well and won't hurt your pockets too much In the long run, you save far more then this compared to buying distilled water.

 

[zosterae311]

Thanks a lot, guys I appreciate the advice....

That "reef" system looks great, mooner....I'm assuming that is the one you have. I don't need the tank and all that jazz, so I guess that is the one to go for. 110 aint so bad!

 

[reefann]

You can also check out www.airwaterice.com
I have been happy with my unit from them
If you do buy one from them ask for padding on the bottom of the box. Mine got to my house, UPS smashed the bottom of my box in. Luckily no damage, but if I were ordering again I would ask for more styro to be used
_________________
Honda GB500

 

[fishfanatic2]

for super cheap "RO", the Tap Water Filter from Aquarium Pharmeuticals isnt that bad. Its not top notch, but it could work.

 

[reefworm]

Agree with reefann. I'm using the Typhoon and it's performing very well. TDS read 0 after letting the first hour's production go down the drain. Hugh the "water guru" is very responsive and helpful.

-rw