Aquatic Life RO/DI Buddie System

[RhiD08]

Hi there! I’m new to this forum and I have just ordered a fluval evo 13.5 gallon all in one aquarium. I have not been able to find anywhere that sells RO/DI water but I did come across the aquatic life RO/DI buddie system! I just wanted to know if anyone here has used it before and recommends it? The only drawback to it that I’ve read about is the time it takes to filter the water which I believe won’t be a huge deal seeing as my aquarium is small and won’t be needing all that much water and it is quite affordable and portable!
Thank you in advance for any help or advice!

 

[Spare time]

I have used it. I recently switched to a BRS one as it is easier to open the DI cartridge and I like that the parts last longer.

If you get the RO buddie, you NEED a flush valve to avoid burning through DI resin like crazy. You will also want a pressure gauge, tds meter, anc eventually chlorine strips.

 

[redfishbluefish]

A number of folks use the RO Buddie, and it works just fine. My only complaint is that it doesn't use conventional size replacement cartridges. You can only use their replacement cartridges. The original cost of the unit is low, but replacement cartridges is relatively high when compared to conventional sized cartridges.

 

[Mike Kearns]

I started up my fluval evo 13.5 with the ro buddie. It is more than enough for nano tanks. It isn't really any slower than any other base rodi system. It depends on your water pressure, ro membrane, water temperature etc. I ended up getting the add on pump with some gift cards I had and it made a big difference as to amount of waste to filtered water.

 

[LadyMac]

It’s what I use. It works for me but I’d love to eventually upgrade I’d imagine with such a small setup it would be fine.

 

[RhiD08]

I have used it. I recently switched to a BRS one as it is easier to open the DI cartridge and I like that the parts last longer.

If you get the RO buddie, you NEED a flush valve to avoid burning through DI resin like crazy. You will also want a pressure gauge, tds meter, anc eventually chlorine strips.

Thank you so much for the advice! Is there any flush valve in particular that you would recommend?

 

[Spare time]

Thank you so much for the advice! Is there any flush valve in particular that you would recommend?

I think any of them will do. I am not sure if there is a big difference between types.

 

[jarviz]

I have used it. I recently switched to a BRS one as it is easier to open the DI cartridge and I like that the parts last longer.

If you get the RO buddie, you NEED a flush valve to avoid burning through DI resin like crazy. You will also want a pressure gauge, tds meter, anc eventually chlorine strips.

can someone please expand on this? what would a flush valve do?

 

[RhiD08]

can someone please expand on this? what would a flush valve do?

From my understanding, flush valves prolong the life of the membrane by allowing the water to bypass the flow restrictor and flush your membrane of any build up! Basically, they just clean the membrane so it lasts longer and performs better!

 

[Spare time]

can someone please expand on this? what would a flush valve do?

So a flush valve keeps the membrane lasting longer by getting rid of mienral build up and what not (I forget the exact things but RhiD08 said it well). I forgot to add that you also want a DI resin bypass valve. When you turn on an RO (flushing or not), the first water that goes through has extremely high TDS which can burn through the DI resin fast.