Why use RO/DI in Reef Tanks? EP: 1 Aquarium Reverse Osmosis

[Dougie085]

What about using the ZeroWater containers? They have 5 stage filters and come with a TDS meter and after filtration read 0 TDS or at the most fluctuates just slightly between 1 and 0? I live in an apartment so I'm not sure how realistic it is for me to put in an RS/DI system.

[applebookable]

Is there any way to tell if your water is 100% safe for a reef tank?

[BulkReefSupplyCom]

@applebookable There is really no way to know that type of thing for 100% sure. We can spend a lot of time and effort trying to find out but for most reefers it is just easier to filter your water yourself with and RO/DI system. High quality water really is the beginning and end of reef keeping,.

[applebookable]

what about if you don't have city water and your water goes through a water softener could you use it in your tank?

[BulkReefSupplyCom]

@applebookable Possible but unless you know what is in your ground water it is impossible to say. For instance if you live next to a farm area you could have a lot of broken down fertilizers and pesticides in your water. A water softener is made to remove hardness components like calcium, iron and magnesium.

[evman333]

When I got my unit they plugged the tds meter in backwards. Took me forever to figure out what was wrong. Very frustrating.

[BulkReefSupplyCom]

@evman333 I am very sorry to hear that. No one wants to waste time figuring stuff like that out. While I have not heard of this issue before I will bring it up to the production team because once is one time too many. Thanks for the heads up.

[JAYBMWM3]

great info

[jpwhite00892]

I prefer just using a deionization filter alone because you don't have waste water and you don't need to run it at a high pressure or specific tempature.

[BulkReefSupplyCom]

@jpwhite00892 This can work well. Just as a heads up for anyone who reads this, keep in mind that DI resin only removes things with a electrical charge. For instance phosphate has a weak electrical charge and hard to remove with most mixed bed resins. Phosphate also isn’t going to register on a TDS meter. For most people DI only will also cost a lot more over the long run. I am not sure of the production of Resin is a greener process than waste water.

[BulkReefSupplyCom]

@calirapqueen I Love BBQ's and it does show : )

[MonkinOut]

Solid start to the series. Be sure to mention the drinking water add on kit (that's what sold my wife on the idea of getting our own RO/DI system). It was a WIN for the family and a WIN for the tank (a perfect situation to be in). 

[ReefMimic]

As a suggestion mind showing a more advanced installation using a booster pump, auto flush valve, and how its installed/placement, after market ro/di accessories, membrane water saver upgrade,programing the digital meter mentioning estimated lifespans for individual filters phases to help as a reference for when its time to replace filters and reset the digi meter. Etc... ty!

[colombiano81]

Great video! (as usual, like the rest of your videos) I purchased my BRS 5stage RODI about 3 years ago. I have changed the filters about 4 times in the 3 years. The way I gauge that it's time to change my filters is as soon as I reach a TDS reading of about 3-5 (sometimes 10, but I don't go passed 10!) My question is: how do I know when it's time to change my membrane? I believe the one I have is 75gpd, and I've been contemplating on adding an additional membrane to save water and boost my dail

[SaltCritters]

Our well water only has 50 tds from the tap

[BulkReefSupplyCom]

@SaltCritters It is nice to start off with relatively clean water but keep in mind that a TDS meter will not detect any uncharged compounds including pesticides and their byproducts that get into the ground water. They also won’t detect unionized forms of silica or ammonia or large partials like iron oxide that are too large to measure with most TDS meters. This in no way means you can’t have success using your well water just the peace of mind is worth the added effort for a lot of reefers.

[SaltCritters]

@BulkReefSupplyCom its all good. We have your 300GPD system feeding al of our tanks ;)

[SaltCritters]

@BulkReefSupplyCom its all good.  We have your 300GPD system feeding al of our saltCritterscom tanks ;)

[BulkReefSupplyCom]

@SaltCritters That's Fantastic : )

[MrReefaddict]

BRS RO/DI from day one. Love it.

[BulkReefSupplyCom]

@MrReefaddict Glad it is working well for you. I will be sure to tell the production team your kind words : )

[JUNAID187]

Its not really worth the hassle or money unless you live in a place with bad water. I live in yorkshire and there's little difference between our tap water and RO water.

[BulkReefSupplyCom]

@JUNAID187 US City or UK ? If the UK google the yorkshirewater site. under your water services -> drinking water -> water quality -> information on keeping fish. They imply that some areas might be using chloramines rather than chlorine. Chloramines are undesirable in aquariums because it is a much more stable disinfectant and breaks down into ammonia. They also imply the phosphate levels in the water might be too high for fish. I might call their customer helpline and ask about the chloramines

[JUNAID187]

@BulkReefSupplyCom

I checked a few years ago and my city had the second lowest tds in England for its water (it was like <25 tds.)

The only incentive I have for RO units is the risk of copper leeching into the water and killing all my inverts.

[BulkReefSupplyCom]

@JUNAID187 25 TDS water from your city is stellar, consider yourself lucky : ) I have only run into that a couple times before and I am pretty sure one of them had some form of city wide RO. Even with low TDS it is still wise to check with the city and see if they are disinfecting with chlorine or chloramines since chloramines are so bad for aquariums, particularly reef tanks. Sounds like you have done your due diligence with your water supply and probably already checked that out.

[azflying]

Very informative video! Thanks.

[BulkReefSupplyCom]

@azflying Glad to be of service. I really look forward to the rest of this series I think we will be able to cover some pretty interesting topics.

[mkaywilson]

Thanks for the video. I wouldn't attempt to have a reef set-up without RO/DI.

[adjusterfrank]

Great explanation of why to use RO/DI water. I look forward to the installation video. Nice shoulder toss. lol

[BulkReefSupplyCom]

@adjusterfrank Thanks, the shoulder toss just felt right at the time : )

[carygiovanni]

Excellent video !! Good work. 👍

[nyinfamous2k2]

Great vid, I love my BRS 5 stage RO/DI unit, looking forward to the video that explains how to change out the canisters media. Id like to have all the materials and the know how to change them out before its time for my first change. thanks

[BulkReefSupplyCom]

@nyinfamous2k2 Ya, it should be pretty helpful for a lot of people. There isn’t a lot of clear information out there on exactly when to change your filters.