First RO/DI filter questions

zachjohnson65

zachjohnson65

AC Members
Mar 31, 2007
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Staunton, VA
I will be able to start my 1st marine tank in the next 3 months. I will be using a Red Sea Max 130D 37 gallon all in one with upgraded skimmer, LED lights. I have questions about a proper RO/DI filter. What GPD should i go with? I would also like the least amount of waste water. Are there units that are more portable then others? Any suggestions would be great.
 
I'm new to these too but I'll link you my thread. Don't worry too much about gallons per day. Usually if you go higher than 75 your water ends up not being filtered as well (unless you're spending a large amount of money). Here's the thread..

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?264720-Good-RO-DI-system

In that thread look at the post that is right above the last. Notice the one I recommend has a 0.5 micron filter whereas most others you see are at 1 micron (lower is better)

Here's another option. A build your own unit

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/store/build-your-own-ro-system.html

Your basic setup will be a low micron sediment filter, low micron carbon filter of some sort, a DI canister of some sort, and a 75 gallon per day membrane (notice It has a 98% rejection as opposed to 96%. The lower the percentage the higher TDS you'll have in your water). Make see to get a TDS meter. Without it you won't be able to keep track of how clean your water is.
 
thanks for the suggestions, the videos did help me realize where other companies go cheap on connectors and media.
 
zachjohnson65 said:
I will be able to start my 1st marine tank in the next 3 months. I will be using a Red Sea Max 130D 37 gallon all in one with upgraded skimmer, LED lights. I have questions about a proper RO/DI filter. What GPD should i go with? I would also like the least amount of waste water. Are there units that are more portable then others? Any suggestions would be great.
Click to expand...

I recommend 75 gpd models almost exclusively because of their efficiency. For the intial unit, there are a few places in addition to BulkReefSupply you can check out. I highly recommend Buckeye Field Supply for any replacement filters/cartridges, though. They have pleated sediment cartridges that go as low as 0.2 microns, which last a surprisingly long time--but are a bit expensive. I choose to spring for the 0.35 micron pleated filters as a good compromise. Their DI resins also surpass the quality of those offered by BRS. Buckeye offers semiconductor-grade resins as opposed to nuclear grade.

Spectrapure, on the other hand, is probably the go-to place for absolute quality and verified efficiencies, but you'll pay a bit more of a premium for it.

As far as micron sizes go, I agree to go as small as possible, at least on the sediment filters. This will dramatically prolong membrane life and efficiency. My Dow Filmtek membrane is going on 5 years and still outputs 98-99% pure water.
 
Thanks for the heads up about where to buy replacements. Glad I saw that
 
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