DJay Posted April 19, 2011 Report Share Posted April 19, 2011 I was fortunate enough to recently pick up at a R/O unit a great price (O.K. free :thumbs: ). I was told the membranes etc. weren't very old and only had run around 100 gallons through it etc. Although I've kept fish for decades and now currently keep primarily dart frogs, I've never used R/O water before. So I guess the question is, how do you use it? Do you use the water straight, as is? Do you reconstitute it (add anything afterwords)? Its my understanding that its great for soft water fish (potentially low pH too) which is great because I mainly want to keep S. American/African characins, barbs an dwarf cichlids which come from these conditions (in general). Lastly, would there be any danger to my dart frogs in misting their vivariums with the water? I know it would probably be appreciated by my orchids and other plants but could it harm the frogs in any way (particularly with long term use)? Oh yeah, how about with my shrimp? The unit is a 3 chamber one, brand name Aqua FX (if that makes any difference) Anyone with experience and or insights would be appreciated. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hackerberry Posted April 19, 2011 Report Share Posted April 19, 2011 Hello, I use R/O water for my tanks, orchids and carnivorous plants. The unit softens the water and remove fione particulate matter. TDS (Total Dissolve Solids) should be less than 10 percent. The only thing is that PH level is always around 7 %. Installation is straight forward, one end connects to the water source and the other is the output. You should have a storage tank and a faucet or you can use a large storage tank with a float valve method. Hope this helps. hb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GRIMM Posted April 19, 2011 Report Share Posted April 19, 2011 Hey Duncan, RO water is prime. I have been using it for almost a year with my darts. No deposites on glass or plants. I bought two 5 gallon RO jugs from canadian tire, and I now use them as storage containers so I dont have to hook the unit up to the tap very frequently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morphine Posted April 19, 2011 Report Share Posted April 19, 2011 Hey I'm looking into keeping PDF's do you guys have a link to your Vivariums? and Setup information, also where did you purcahse your PDF's in Edmonton??? Please PM! sorry for the Thread Hijack, Good Luck with the RO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Posted April 20, 2011 Report Share Posted April 20, 2011 (edited) Depending on what you need it for you should be reconditioning the RO water. I personally use it to water down Calgary's hard tap water for my shrimp. Hello, I use R/O water for my tanks, orchids and carnivorous plants. The unit softens the water and remove fione particulate matter. TDS (Total Dissolve Solids) should be less than 10 percent. The only thing is that PH level is always around 7 %. Installation is straight forward, one end connects to the water source and the other is the output. You should have a storage tank and a faucet or you can use a large storage tank with a float valve method. Hope this helps. hb I believe TDS should be in ppm (parts per million) and it should be 0 coming out of a fully functioning RO/DI system. I have a TDS meter built into my RO/DI system so I know when I need to change out my membrane. My biggest tip is don't leave the house while you're filling up a bucket.......you could come home to a dripping ceiling like I did. Ron Edited April 20, 2011 by Ron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
werner Posted April 20, 2011 Report Share Posted April 20, 2011 Basically, RO(DI) water has nothing in it. If you're using it for your fish water, you do need to add back minerals/salts so you don't cause the fish to experience osmotic stress (or die). The easiest way is to mix it with tap water. Some good info here. For replacing evaporated water or misting, it can be used straight. I believe TDS should be in ppm (parts per million) and it should be 0 coming out of a fully functioning RO/DI system. Ideally it will be 0, but actual rejection rates will vary depending on your system and source water. My biggest tip is don't leave the house while you're filling up a bucket.......you could come home to a dripping ceiling like I did. And don't forget to turn it off when you go to bed... you could wake up to wet carpet like I did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted April 20, 2011 Report Share Posted April 20, 2011 With Ron & Cate's stories, I can't wait to get mine set up - probably the only way I haven't flooded part of the house! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJay Posted April 20, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2011 Thanks for all of the great responses everyone. I'm looking forward to seeing the results in my vivariums and aquariums. I've heard more than one flood story now with these units, clearly something to watch out for! Can I use the waste water for anything? Although I'm not into African cichlids (at least not the lake varieties) which I've heard you can use it for, I was wondering if I could use it to water plants outdoors? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJay Posted April 20, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2011 Hey I'm looking into keeping PDF's do you guys have a link to your Vivariums? and Setup information, also where did you purcahse your PDF's in Edmonton??? Please PM! sorry for the Thread Hijack, Good Luck with the RO Hey Morphine, check out Canadart.org for a look at a bunch of great vivs (GRIMM, who posted in this thread, has an amazing viv build video series going on right now too!) as well as all the answers to the questions you may have about PDFs. As for where to get them, most of my breeding stock I have gotten from out East, but now I breed a few species myself. I just dropped off some Dendrobates azureus at a LFS a few days ago. More on the way! If you have any specific questions after you search Canadart give me a PM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
werner Posted April 20, 2011 Report Share Posted April 20, 2011 The whole flood thing happens because they trickle so slowly. You go off and do other things while the container is filling... and forget all about it. Sure, the waste water is fine for plants. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted April 20, 2011 Report Share Posted April 20, 2011 The unit I just got is supposed to be "Zero Waste". I haven't hooked it up yet, but apparently you hook the waste side up to the hot water tank - you could use it for pretty much any grey water use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GRIMM Posted April 20, 2011 Report Share Posted April 20, 2011 Hey I'm looking into keeping PDF's do you guys have a link to your Vivariums? and Setup information, also where did you purcahse your PDF's in Edmonton??? Please PM! sorry for the Thread Hijack, Good Luck with the RO As Duncan said I got a big build under construction at the moment. Here is the newest video. http://www.youtube.com/user/jgrimmier?feature=mhum (thanks for the plug Duncan ) Hey I'm looking into keeping PDF's do you guys have a link to your Vivariums? and Setup information, also where did you purcahse your PDF's in Edmonton??? Please PM! sorry for the Thread Hijack, Good Luck with the RO Hey Morphine, check out Canadart.org for a look at a bunch of great vivs (GRIMM, who posted in this thread, has an amazing viv build video series going on right now too!) as well as all the answers to the questions you may have about PDFs. As for where to get them, most of my breeding stock I have gotten from out East, but now I breed a few species myself. I just dropped off some Dendrobates azureus at a LFS a few days ago. More on the way! If you have any specific questions after you search Canadart give me a PM. People seem to have problems flooding....I let my unit run all day and all night, only difference is I make sure my fill bucket is sitting in the sink. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Posted April 21, 2011 Report Share Posted April 21, 2011 I installed my check valve which should enable my auto shut off unit to prevent future floods, I'll let you guys know if it works out for me. Ron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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