Is reverse osmosis water really necessary for a reef/SW tank? Those things are awfully expensive. Is there a less expensive alternative?
I'm not sure of my water quality.
I'm not sure of my water quality.
Is RO Really Necessary?
- Thread starter DeltaUguy
- Start date
Your first step is to call your water company and request the CONSUMER CONFIDENCE REPORT, which is a labratory analysis of your water supply... This will tell you how bad it is in most cases... Mine for example, has 10ppm nitrate, high phosphate and even some copper in it, not very good for a reef tank...
Is RO equired though? Yes and no... Yes, if you wanna do corals, clams or anything else that is overly sensitive to water conditions... No if you just wanna do fish, for the most part... I kept a sw FOWLR tank for about a year before I got my RO unit and I think I could still be doing it with no problems... I decided I wanted a reef and knew my water was not up to that task... I've since gone back to the FOWLR idea, cuz for me it's more about the fish than the corals, but I could do either...
I consider my RO to be a good investment, and I'm sure you will too... For a bargain, look to Reef Central's classifieds or even ebay...
Is RO equired though? Yes and no... Yes, if you wanna do corals, clams or anything else that is overly sensitive to water conditions... No if you just wanna do fish, for the most part... I kept a sw FOWLR tank for about a year before I got my RO unit and I think I could still be doing it with no problems... I decided I wanted a reef and knew my water was not up to that task... I've since gone back to the FOWLR idea, cuz for me it's more about the fish than the corals, but I could do either...
I consider my RO to be a good investment, and I'm sure you will too... For a bargain, look to Reef Central's classifieds or even ebay...
Used.......
As with most all equipment in this hobby its cheaper to buy used.
New RO units are $$$ but you should be able to find used ones for a good deal. I bought a Spectrapure RO/DI less than a year old for 100.00 from someone getting out of the hobby. Keep your eye out and one will come along for a good price and you will be in business.
As with most all equipment in this hobby its cheaper to buy used.
New RO units are $$$ but you should be able to find used ones for a good deal. I bought a Spectrapure RO/DI less than a year old for 100.00 from someone getting out of the hobby. Keep your eye out and one will come along for a good price and you will be in business.
I agree with Raven. 3-cartridge RO units can also be purchased at home depot for around $200 new. I got mine off of ebay for $160 and have had not complaints, it has a 75GPD rating and has been excellent so far. Some people with smaller "nano" tanks also use other methods of water purification, such as AP's Water purifier system (basically, this is just a manual ion exchange column), but this is a very slow, slow system, and the cartridge is exhausted after producing only about 50 gallons, and has to be replaced (for almost as much as the whole unit, since this is all it pretty much is made of). I personally think that's a waste of money if you have anything bigger than a 10gal nano that needs occasional water changes. Anything larger, and it makes more financial sense to just buy the whole RO at once; the replacement filters and membranes are not all that much and depending on your unit only need very occasional changes and maintenance. Lastly, there are people who use Brita filters for small tanks, but I haven't heard great comments about what these can take out.
I recently setup a 20 g nano.
I didnt think I would need that much water, and that for the next year or two at least it would be cheaper to buy jugs of ro water. I soon found out it was so not worht it. The gas, hassle, and everything. Now I use a 5 stage RO unit, and it is worth it.
Making sure you start with the right water goes a long way to helping ensure your reef tank runs smoothly. Its like the foundation of a building or something, you want to make sure you start with a good foundation.
I didnt think I would need that much water, and that for the next year or two at least it would be cheaper to buy jugs of ro water. I soon found out it was so not worht it. The gas, hassle, and everything. Now I use a 5 stage RO unit, and it is worth it.
Making sure you start with the right water goes a long way to helping ensure your reef tank runs smoothly. Its like the foundation of a building or something, you want to make sure you start with a good foundation.