How often do you change your filters? How can you tell that it is time to change the sediment, carbon, resin and membrane canisters?
Reverse Osmosis Filters
- Thread starter Crispino Ramos
- Start date
Thanks for posting this information. I just ordered a TDS meter from Greenleaf Aquariums, it's on the way. How much TDS meter reading warrants a membrane replacement?
we used these a lot for our saltwater setups,
and the rule was always when the water pressure gets
low or starts to slow down, its time for a change.
From talking to guys in my reef club, a good RO system should be putting out 0 TDS if you have reasonable tap water. Membranes get replaced when that creeps up to 2-3 TDS. I haven't had mine long enough to replace it yet.
Has anyone used one of these with a high pressure pump pulling from a tee fitting on the output of a canister filter and putting it back in the tank?
Would this work, for nitrate filtration to reduce the frequency of water changes?
Or can you only use this to eliminate everything from tap water.
Would this work, for nitrate filtration to reduce the frequency of water changes?
Or can you only use this to eliminate everything from tap water.
CWO4GUNNER
USN/USCG 1974-2004 Weps
Our community water is 800 TDS Cal/Mag. The local RO dealer I buy my water from for $.025 a gallon explained that almost all commercial RO has anywhere between 5 to 40 TDS. His system is a high pressure system about 600 PSI. But first the water has to go though an ion exchanger exchanging Cal/Mag for salt becasue high TDS salt is much easier to process through an RO system then high TDS Cal/Mag. Anyway the membrane last for months and produces 500 gallons per hour the back flushes all the salt out of the membrane again under high pressure and starts a new cycle. I believe he said the system cost him about $12000 and th membrane about $1200.
The RO man told me that there was no way I could afford to make RO for what I pay for it comercially. But then again I only use about 25 gallons every 2 weeks for dehydration replacement only. for water changes my fish put up with 800 TDS Cal/Mag ion exchanged into 800 TDS Potassium using a water softener which I only use or recharge on water change day, and the fish seem to do great with it compared to Cal/mag which kills them.
Im waiting for a whole house affordable RO system that is 10 year durable high pressure back flushing system that has low filter replacement cost or turn over.
The RO man told me that there was no way I could afford to make RO for what I pay for it comercially. But then again I only use about 25 gallons every 2 weeks for dehydration replacement only. for water changes my fish put up with 800 TDS Cal/Mag ion exchanged into 800 TDS Potassium using a water softener which I only use or recharge on water change day, and the fish seem to do great with it compared to Cal/mag which kills them.
Im waiting for a whole house affordable RO system that is 10 year durable high pressure back flushing system that has low filter replacement cost or turn over.
You wouldn't want to be using an RO unit to filter your tank directly. When you use RO water in a tank, it needs to be reconstituted with something - most people I've seen either use Kent RO-Right, or just mix it half and half with tap water. If you were just slowly filling your tank with straight RO water, the osmotic pressure gradient would eventually kill all your fish.
Thanks sploke, I should have thought of that.
It would have the same effect on the fish that Gram-negative bacteria experience in our bodies after their cell walls have been destroyed by penicillin.
Bacteria have a much higher saline content than our bodies do, with no more cell wall, osmosis overfills them with water and they pop.
I'm convinced and I won't be doing this.
It would have the same effect on the fish that Gram-negative bacteria experience in our bodies after their cell walls have been destroyed by penicillin.
Bacteria have a much higher saline content than our bodies do, with no more cell wall, osmosis overfills them with water and they pop.
I'm convinced and I won't be doing this.