firestorm Posted March 27, 2008 Report Share Posted March 27, 2008 (edited) I have been doing my research on reverse osmosis units, but the thing is I don't want to pay a complete fortune and have no clue what brands would be best to get. I was thinking of just doing partial RO water to partial tap water for my tank. Does anyone know of a good place to purchase one of good quality and not too badly priced? I will be using it on my 90 gallon tank, I might be buying wild caught discus and would really like to match their water conditions as much as possible to ensure they have a long and healthy life. Oh and I forgot to ask, if I were to buy distilled water for now and add a little of that to the water changes until I get the RO, would that be fine? Or would it be better to do plenty of small water changes until I get it? Edited March 27, 2008 by firestorm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
werner Posted March 27, 2008 Report Share Posted March 27, 2008 Got a couple of them (RO/DI)- one for drinking, one for fish stuff. Both from this eBay seller: Aqua-Safe. There are lots of different brands out there, but they're all basically the same thing, so you don't need to spend $400 on a "fancy" unit. A couple other members here have bought from this guy too. The aquarium one that I have is set up to automatically fill a 45 gal plastic drum so there's lots of water when I need it for water changes/top offs. It also doubles as an emergency water supply (good excuse to talk the spouse into getting one.) Yes, you can buy RO or distilled water from the grocery store. It's not really cost effective for the long term, and you have to carry those big jugs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corrosionjerry Posted March 27, 2008 Report Share Posted March 27, 2008 I have been doing my research on reverse osmosis units, but the thing is I don't want to pay a complete fortune and have no clue what brands would be best to get. I was thinking of just doing partial RO water to partial tap water for my tank. Does anyone know of a good place to purchase one of good quality and not too badly priced? I will be using it on my 90 gallon tank, I might be buying wild caught discus and would really like to match their water conditions as much as possible to ensure they have a long and healthy life.Oh and I forgot to ask, if I were to buy distilled water for now and add a little of that to the water changes until I get the RO, would that be fine? Or would it be better to do plenty of small water changes until I get it? Take Werners advice and buy the one on E-Bay... I purchased two of them on her advice and I am more then pleased.... They are a way cheaper then anything else you can purchase.... and the supplier is in good old Canada. You will wind up spending a fortune if you buy water by the 5 gallon bottles in stores over time... This way you can use it for your aquarium and for home drinking... its easy to set up and maintain//// Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firestorm Posted March 27, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2008 Thanks guys, I will be sure to check out ebay then. It looks very difficult though to clean them and stuff, is it really as difficult as I have been reading? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firestorm Posted March 27, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2008 Is this a good unit for the price? http://cgi.ebay.ca/5-STAGE-REVERSE-OSMOSIS...1QQcmdZViewItem Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corrosionjerry Posted March 27, 2008 Report Share Posted March 27, 2008 Is this a good unit for the price?http://cgi.ebay.ca/5-STAGE-REVERSE-OSMOSIS...1QQcmdZViewItem go with the seller that Werner linked you to..... they back up their products and they ship out of Canada get the refills.... they are easy to change out and if you need help with how to hook it up or whatever there are several of us that have these now and we can help you out with your questions.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firestorm Posted March 27, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2008 Yeah I didn't see any items from that seller on ebay this time, but I will check into them and see if they might have anything, thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firestorm Posted March 27, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2008 (edited) Ok I found some from that seller, now I want your help in purchasing the best one for my needs. I don't necessarily need it for drinking, only for my aquariums. So which one would you suggest would be the best one for this? Here are the 4 I was looking at. And aside from those, what other equipment will I need to purchase as well? http://cgi.ebay.ca/AQUA-SAFE-HOME-II-100-G...1742.m153.l1262 http://cgi.ebay.ca/AQUA-SAFE-AQUARIUM-II-R...1742.m153.l1262 http://cgi.ebay.ca/AQUA-SAFE-MAXIMUS-II-RE...1742.m153.l1262 http://cgi.ebay.ca/AQUASAFE-MAXIMUS-COMBO-...1742.m153.l1262 I really appreciate all the help you guys can give me since I am totally clueless about these. Thanks :thumbs: Edited March 27, 2008 by firestorm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
werner Posted March 27, 2008 Report Share Posted March 27, 2008 It looks very difficult though to clean them and stuff, is it really as difficult as I have been reading? Clean them? Occasionally they need to be back-flushed (turn a knob) and the filters need replacing every year or two. Pretty low maintenance really, once you have it installed. The auction you linked to is for reverse osmosis only. You can get a RO + DI system (even purer water) for the same $$ from the Aqua-Safe seller. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
werner Posted March 27, 2008 Report Share Posted March 27, 2008 You want either the AQUARIUM version or the MAXIMUS version. The AQUARIUM one doesn't have a tank, but you will probably want to fill up a large bucket anyways. The little tank that comes with the MAXIMUS only holds a few gallons- enough for drinking water, but not for large water changes. The water is only produced at a trickle, so you want a decent sized storage container. If you are going to use it with a float valve so it shuts down when your bucket is full, you need an automatic shutoff valve. This is included with the MAXIMUS, but not the AQUARIUM version. Otherwise you just turn it on/off manually or hook/unhook it when you need it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
werner Posted March 27, 2008 Report Share Posted March 27, 2008 Pics of mine. I have it hooked up to a garden tap instead of saddled directly onto a water line- easier to turn off and move if I need to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firestorm Posted March 28, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2008 (edited) Wow, thanks for the pics. And thank you so much for the info. It helps me out alot, cause I don't want to end up getting something that won't suit my needs. I don't want to hook it up directly to the main line, as I want to use it strictly for aquarium and reptiles. So is that also why you didn't hook it up to a main line? I will probably look into an automatic shutoff valve, knowing me i'll forget about it and cause a flood :rofl: And I can always change the holding container to a larger size from what they come with right? I was thinking of purchasing maybe a large garbage container. Oh and will I need to buy pressure valves or anything? Edited March 28, 2008 by firestorm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firestorm Posted March 28, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2008 So I think i'll bid on this item, what other supplies will I need other than an extra big storage tub? http://cgi.ebay.ca/AQUA-SAFE-MAXIMUS-II-RE...1742.m153.l1262 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
werner Posted March 28, 2008 Report Share Posted March 28, 2008 (edited) If you saddle these directly onto a water line, you can't take it off. I plan to take it with me if I ever move, so I had a water line with a tap installed. You could also get it with a faucet adapter and hook it to your sink. It does need a drain to dispose of the waste water too- mine just goes down the floor drain in my storage room. If you have a household water softener, it's more efficient to run it off the softened water. The storage barrel (food grade) came from Calgary Plastic Container Supply. It was originally used for Pepsi syrup, and the water in it has a very faint Pepsi smell/taste. It was about half the price of a new one though. The float valve is made by Kent Marine. It is entirely plastic and has developed a slow leak, so I'm on the lookout for one with metal fittings. You don't need any pressure valves, but if you are on a well system or have very low water pressure you will need a booster pump. Low pressure will result in much less efficient water production. The TDS meter is a nice thing to have- you can monitor your water purity and determine when it's time to change the filters. You can find these at Home Depot, etc. so you don't need to buy one on eBay. Edited March 28, 2008 by werner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corrosionjerry Posted March 28, 2008 Report Share Posted March 28, 2008 If you saddle these directly onto a water line, you can't take it off. I plan to take it with me if I ever move, so I had a water line with a tap installed. You could also get it with a faucet adapter and hook it to your sink. It does need a drain to dispose of the waste water too- mine just goes down the floor drain in my storage room. If you have a household water softener, it's more efficient to run it off the softened water.The storage barrel (food grade) came from Calgary Plastic Container Supply. It was originally used for Pepsi syrup, and the water in it has a very faint Pepsi smell/taste. It was about half the price of a new one though. The float valve is made by Kent Marine. It is entirely plastic and has developed a slow leak, so I'm on the lookout for one with metal fittings. You don't need any pressure valves, but if you are on a well system or have very low water pressure you will need a booster pump. Low pressure will result in much less efficient water production. The TDS meter is a nice thing to have- you can monitor your water purity and determine when it's time to change the filters. You can find these at Home Depot, etc. so you don't need to buy one on eBay. I never did put on the automatic shutoff... couldnt find one anywhere If you find a place to purchace one of those Werner could you let me know so I could get one sent to E town.... I have the same set up as Werner.... LOL... I coppied Hers ... The water faucet hookup adapter... you can get that from that seller.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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