Getting A RO/DI Water System For Reef Tank

[Fishman144]

I have been doing so much research in the past week on starting my first Saltwater tank. Heres my question Everyone is saying that you absolutely have to have a Ro/DI system in order in have a Saltwater tank. I know some wouldn't recommend using distilled water but I might have to because I cant afford to get a RO/DI system right now. For one I dont have anywhere to put it in my house, for two my mom is renting so we cant just mess with the water lines or what ever its called (Plus our landlord is kinda strict on curtain stuff and that would be an issue) The only problem we are having right now on starting the tank, is the WATER. Everyone says no for tap water, distilled water isnt recommend but could work, and RO/DI water is what we need but we cant put it anywhere or set one up. SO what should I do? Theres gotta be something. I would be setting up a 20 gallon high tank if that helps....

What about a RO Buddie System? Its small and and maybe right for me to go

 

[reeferfoxx]

RO/DI is a must. RO Buddie is entry level. If you go with RO Buddie, you'll have to get a TDS meter and maybe a pressure gauge to make sure your water pressure is where it needs to be.

 

[DLHDesign]

Do you have a local fish store (LFS) nearby? If so; do they sell RO/DI water (and/or saltwater)? A lot of LFS do this for just such situations as yours. It's not as convenient as having a system ready to go at any time, but once you're past the initial fill, you won't need to keep all that much on-hand - one or two 5gal buckets should be enough to support a 20gal tank for a week, I'd think. Obviously more is better - you never know when you'll need good water - but I would suggest not having anything less than 5gal on hand.

 

[Fishman144]

I do have a LFS that sells saltwater fish and freshwater fish, but he's very horrible with keeping up with things so I wouldn't even ask him. So with that being said my only local fish store is Petsmart

 

[reeferfoxx]

When I first started, I ignored many reviews of the RO buddie. I Spent the $60 for the 3 stage. Ended up buying the DI resin. Then I needed the TDS meter. 3 months later, It needed new filters. Aside from all that, the water always smelled and tasted bad. But, it was my first unit.

Bulk Reef Supply ran a sale and I purchased a 4 stage RO/DI and it came with the meter the gauge for $140. The entire thing lasted a year with without a filter change with 3 fish tanks. Two 20 gallons and a 30 gallon. No bad smells or flavors either.

 

[DLHDesign]

I do have a LFS that sells saltwater fish and freshwater fish, but he's very horrible with keeping up with things so I wouldn't even ask him. So with that being said my only local fish store is Petsmart

RO/DI water is pretty basic stuff. Unless they are not changing out their filters and resin, it's pretty hard to mess up...

Where are you located (generally) - perhaps there is a local club that you could talk to instead. Reef owners are a helpful group (see: this site), so it's not unbelievable that you could find someone nearby that has an RO/DI unit and would be willing to help you out with some water from time-to-time (though you might want to chip in for the filters/resin every so often if it becomes a normal thing).

 

[Fishman144]

So If I do have to break down and get a RO/DI System, how do I set it up? I dont have to do any plumbing or cutting pips or anything? If I could just huck it up to the sink that would be find. Also what if I want to just use my regular water for cooking for something how does this work? Sorry for all the questions I just want to be safe because this isnt a house we bought?

 

[corey01]

spectrapure has a pretty decent refurb system on sale for 112 @ 90gpd and it comes with a DI resin chamber
if you dont want to tap into pipes you can always get a garden hose adapter and just screw it into your utility sink as needed, *you said your renting a house right? most basements have one. and its normally threaded. or you could screw it in outside and put the drain in the yard and fill up a 5gal bucket at a time. if you really had to.
even @ 1$ a gallon for grocery store distilled water that cost will add up quickly.


http://spectrapure.com/image/cache/data/Products/FAU-SNP-600x600.png
http://spectrapure.com/image/cache/data/Products/GHA-4-JG-600x600.png

either of these might work for you

 

[Fishman144]

Im located NW Indiana

 

[Fishman144]

spectrapure has a pretty decent refurb system on sale for 112 @ 90gpd and it comes with a DI resin chamber
if you dont want to tap into pipes you can always get a garden hose adapter and just screw it into your utility sink as needed, *you said your renting a house right? most basements have one. and its normally threaded. or you could screw it in outside and put the drain in the yard and fill up a 5gal bucket at a time. if you really had to.
even @ 1$ a gallon for grocery store distilled water that cost will add up quickly.

I dont have a basement it just a 1 main floor. So there is only the kitchen and bathroom

 

[corey01]

I have heard of plenty of people using them on kitchen sinks. i linked above a kitchen faucet adapter, you simply unscrew the end of your kitchen faucet that holds the mesh screen filter and screw that in over top. and put the drain line in your sink. a bit laborious to unhook and put away every time you are done but doable. im not saying you must get one. but the thought of saving money and just buying fresh or saltwater sounds good now. in just a few months it adds up very quickly and before you know it youve spent more than if you were to just buy one in the beginning.

 

[DLHDesign]

if you dont want to tap into pipes you can always get a garden hose adapter and just screw it into your utility sink as needed

Yup; this. To make this happen, you would need a converter that would look something like this. There are a number of types and sizes of sink faucets, so don't get that one and expect it to work. Best bet is to take the nozzle off the sink you want to use (utility sinks work best, but even the kitchen sink should come apart - the nozzle is the piece that the water comes out of; it should unscrew - might take a bit of elbow grease to get off as they can sometimes get stuck on over the years...) and take that with you to the local hardware sore and find something that matches.
Once you've got the garden hose adapter on there, you can hook up a converter to go from that to whatever RO/DI tubing is included with whatever system you get and make what water you need. Once you have what you need, you can unhook the RO/DI system and leave the adapter in the faucet. If you ever need to restore the faucet, just unscrew the adapter and put the original back on and you're good to go (the nozzles are meant to be changed out as they get clogged up in time).


Sorry; I'm in CA, so can't help out with finding the local club. Might want to ask at your LFS if there are local clubs - they'll be a good resource to know about anyways.

 

[reeferfoxx]

The BRS 4 stage comes with faucet adapters. Like this..

 

[Waboss]

I rent as well, so I didn't want to mess with more permanent plumbing. I'm using a 5-stage RO/DI from Air Water Ice and have it on my kitchen sink. Just a simple adapter for the input and the waste water just has a line going down the drain. Works like a champ.

 

[Fishman144]

Thanks Everyone So Much For The Help and Tips!! I Just Got Done Watching Some Videos Made By George from CoralFish12G...He Cleared Everything Up For Me So yes RO/DI Water Wins!!!

 

[willthethrill]

[emoji3] [emoji13][emoji97][emoji225]let the games begin!