[adviner]

I seem to be asking allot of questions, but this hobby is expensive so i want to get it right or as close as possible b/c i already made one mistake and put a tap water in my tank instead of distilled or ro water. So i was at home depot and saw a GE RO for $59.00. It had the the 3 filters. Are these adequate for marine tanks?

Thanks

[pyromaniac398]

Eric- Check out the filter guys. They make great ro/di units and pretty reasonable prices.

The Filter Guys

[Ross87]

I guess if you wanted to check it out, your best bet would to be to buy the unit and test the water yourself, thought you may be taking a chance.

In this hobby, price is no match to quality...... Then again, same goes for alot of things.

[IceMan]

Originally Posted by pyromaniac398

Eric- Check out the filter guys. They make great ro/di units and pretty reasonable prices.

The Filter Guys

they do have good prices! wish i had found them before i bought mine.

[pyromaniac398]

Lol I don't know how many times I've said that!

[adviner]

I think i've learned now to ask before i jump. Thats why i like this forum. You guys are so friendly and willing to help out. I really appreciate it.

One other question, are DI a must or necessary?

[Taras1]

It depends on your local water. RO removes most of the "unwanted" elements from your water. The DI is like "buffing" the water to a higher gloss. The heart of the system is the Reverse Osmosis Membrane, which selectively "pushes" water molecules throught the membrane, leaving the other larger molecules behind. Your Prefilter/Carbon Block/Sediment Filter primarily remove the chlorine, "biggest" stuff and particulate matter to prevent damage to the membrane.

I believe that the filters, 1 & 5 micron used in the "household" units are pretty much the same as you get from the "aquarium" quality brands. I'd be careful about the carbon blocks. Some carbon (even the activated carbon) contains significant amounts of phosphates so you might have to be careful.

[adviner]

At the filter guys their are several systems. Is their one that is acceptable? They range in price and units. I dont want to go crazy on my 55 gallon tank. But i dont want to regret it either. It starts at $124.00 with the basic units i need but their are others with more stages on it. Also how often do the cartridges need changing?

[Taras1]

IMHO, the 4 stage units - prefilter, carbon block, filter and RO membrane @ 50 gal/day is a good starting system. You can add the DI unit later if you want to.

Depending on how much water you use, filters and the membrane should be changed out every 6 - 12 mos. Your unit will tell you based on the actual amount of water you produce.

[adviner]

Are the filters itself what makes the difference? I'm wondering b/c i can get the RO unit allot cheaper at Home Depot but just by the filters insert instead of the ones the Home Depot (GE) units use? If so the question to ask is if they are all the same size?

[Taras1]

It's actually the type of RO membrane that makes all the difference. It gets really technical regarding the material the membrane is composed of, the necessary pressures to push the water through the barrier, osmotic pressures, etc. etc. etc. I'd stick with something that is designed for aquarium use. The cannisters for the filters are a standard size.

There are two things that one should not skimp on your protein skimmer and RO/DI unit. It really does make a difference.