How important is RO water in a FOWLR as far as the LR is concerned? Is it really worth it for me to get a RO filter in this type of system?
RO water in a FOWLR
- Thread starter johnangelo
- Start date
Most city / county health departments will test your water for free or a relatively small fee. That would be the best place to start, as they can provide a detailed report about what is in your water as well as the levels of those chemicals. You could do a simple TDS test just by borrowing a TDS meter from someone that has one, but that really says nothing about what is actually in the water itself causing the TDS. Things that make up TDS can be as harmless as carbonates or as problematic as copper (all depending on where you live, where your water source water comes from, and the type of plumbing in your home).
Just to add to that, I use city water (in the US) and I was able to pick up a full scientific report on the water quality in my particular area of town. Some parts of the 9 page report also delt with people who keep fish tanks in particular and so that is why I went with an RO unit.
Over all, depending on the size of your tank and how much water you need, I am willing to bet you can get a good RO unit for less than some people might thing. Not knowing where you are from, it would be hard to say exactly, but in my area, I found that the LFS near me actually had much cheaper units than at a Home Depot or hardware store. For example, an 11 gallon per day unit at Home Depot in my county cost almost 150 US dollars. A 25 gallon per day unit at an LFS that has the biggest saltwater selection near me was less that 125 US dollars.
The real costs would come if and when you have to pay for a water bill. I just moved into my new house, and have had my SW tank (90 gallons) set up for 5 months. I got the first water bill from my city last week, which covered the first three and a half months I lived here, and it was only just over 100 US dollars. This is pretty cheap considering I change water in my tank every other week and have kids and do too much laundry and take too many showers! :sad: The point being that RO water, or making it, produces a lot more waste than 'good' water and so it can cost alot as far as paying for city water is concerned.
Over all, depending on the size of your tank and how much water you need, I am willing to bet you can get a good RO unit for less than some people might thing. Not knowing where you are from, it would be hard to say exactly, but in my area, I found that the LFS near me actually had much cheaper units than at a Home Depot or hardware store. For example, an 11 gallon per day unit at Home Depot in my county cost almost 150 US dollars. A 25 gallon per day unit at an LFS that has the biggest saltwater selection near me was less that 125 US dollars.
The real costs would come if and when you have to pay for a water bill. I just moved into my new house, and have had my SW tank (90 gallons) set up for 5 months. I got the first water bill from my city last week, which covered the first three and a half months I lived here, and it was only just over 100 US dollars. This is pretty cheap considering I change water in my tank every other week and have kids and do too much laundry and take too many showers! :sad: The point being that RO water, or making it, produces a lot more waste than 'good' water and so it can cost alot as far as paying for city water is concerned.