Reverse Osmosis System Basics - EP 1: Reverse Osmosis Systems and Your Reef Tank

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for Reverse Osmosis System Basics - EP 1: Reverse Osmosis Systems and Your Reef Tank

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Suzanne Atkinson - 6 years ago

Super, thank you for the video!

Daniel Vázquez Guevara - 6 years ago

Very helpful information. I just got my 6-stage BRS RODI unit!

Lauren Kesecker - 7 years ago

My apartment already has a GE Smartwater RO filter installed under the sink. Do you know how these compare to the ones that are sold at BRS? Would it be safe to use for my saltwater aquarium? What is a good test kit to use for a saltwater tank? I have recently been taking my water to petco to have it tested with little strips but that doesn't seem to be too effective. What testing methods do you recommend?

David Cliff - 6 years ago

Buy a TDS meter and check for yourself, TDS should read zero or very close to it. They are $15 on Amazon

BulkReefSupplyCom - 7 years ago

Depending on what's in your specific water source, sometimes RO only water can be alright for a saltwater tank, but there may still be some residual TDS after filtration that would be a good idea to remove. Personally, I would look at adding a stage of DI resin after the RO membrane to really get 0-TDS water that you can trust with your tank. However, you will not want to use the DI water for drinking, but it's pretty easy to install a valve to divert the water to your drinking reservoir or through the DI Resin.

Also, for much more accurate testing results than what strips can provide, I would recommend the cost effective Salifert brand test kits! They are very accurate and don't break the wallet for the important parameters you want to test for! :-)

dtip4life 8472 - 7 years ago

Will RO/DI be helpful in a fresh water aquarium? Will it have a impact on the Ph? The Ph in my water is often at 7.6 or higher. This makes it tough for me to keep neon tetras and other under 7.0 Ph water fish.

Ted D - 6 years ago

Absolutely, it will be beneficial. I am sure you know this by now, since you posted 5 months ago, but another might find my response helpful. Tap water, while high in minerals, is generally high in PH and alkaline as well in most cases. And most freshwater hobbyists tend to keep South American fish which appreciate a softer, more acidic water. Keeping freshwater shrimp is becoming highly popular these days, and to keep and breed the Caridina species like Crystal Red Shrimp (CRS), you MUST use R/O water. Keeping general and carbonate hardness down to the barest minimums is a requisite for these invertebrates. And also your standard community tropical fish, not known for breeding in captivity, might lay a pile eggs out of no where one day once you switch to R/O. In the saltwater hobby, R/O is used much in the same way, but to keep exacting measurements of "high this", and "low that". R/O is like a clean canvas you paint your water quality picture on. In tropical freshwater systems, everything is "lows" for the most part, and this allows you to feed planted tanks with supplements, and not stress your pets/livestock.

BulkReefSupplyCom - 7 years ago

I have heard of many freshwater aquarists using RO water for their tanks! I would recommend browsing any freshwater hobbyist forums or Facebook pages to see what others are using for their filtered water. :-)

Eduardo Bonilla - 7 years ago

Can you use distilled water to make salt water?

Daniel H Jeffery - 7 years ago

It's also likely there is copper somewhere during the distillation process. Whether or not any copper ends up in the water I don't know, but it would be bad for inverts/corals if it did.

BulkReefSupplyCom - 7 years ago

I'm sure there are some reefers who use it to make saltwater, however you may want to check the TDS in distilled water. It is possible to still have TDS after distillation. I would browse the reef houbbyist forums like Reef2Reef.com and ReefCentral.com to see if/how others are using it for their reefs. :-)

Erik Bradley - 7 years ago

You state that humans shouldn't drink DI water, why is that?

BulkReefSupplyCom - 7 years ago

+Erik Bradley Basically, since the water is "de-ionized" it's going to seek ionic balance after it enters into the body. This could come in the form of bonding with minerals and electrolytes and over a long enough timeline, may cause health concerns. Although I'm sure there's much more to it than that, it's better to be safe and drink the RO water which is known to be safe for long term consumption. :-)

boomie vang - 7 years ago

you know I been thinking about those waste water going out so much . I wounder would it be a good idea to rerun the line back into the main water line and back into the reverse osmosis and get 100% water and 0% waste water

BulkReefSupplyCom - 7 years ago

Hmmmm...... Waste water is made up of everything an RO membrane could not remove, which can be quite a bit. Trying to force that water back through the system would just continue to circulate back through the system. Since the waste has to go somewhere, I imagine that you would start to see high TDS come through your product water.

Expert Aquatic - 7 years ago

Can you please please please please send me a rodi unit I am in a very low budget please can you send me a rodi unit please

What Now - 6 years ago

Expert Aquatic Lol Rekt

John Sheehan - 7 years ago

I know these systems are used a lot in saltwater setups - but how useful are they for planted freshwater tanks? My village water supply is VERY hard with a Ph out of the tap at 8.0 - let it sit and it peaks out at 8.4.... I know my plants need some of the minerals/nutrients found in my water supply - so what would I do, just add some tap water or are there supplements I could add?

Jason D - 7 years ago

Many freshwater setups will do just fine with hard (or even very hard) water, freshwater tanks can usually be divided into hard, soft, acidic and basic based on plants and marine life. RODI becomes important when you want to run a soft tank, but your tap water is too hard, or unpredictable: with RODI you have ultimate control, just strip everything out, and add conditioners to make it exactly what you want. For many freshwater tanks, you've got options, so you can build the tank around your water instead of the other way around.

10. comment for Reverse Osmosis System Basics - EP 1: Reverse Osmosis Systems and Your Reef Tank

shiva kumar - 7 years ago

can i use purified ro uv drinking water sold in grocery store.?

BulkReefSupplyCom - 7 years ago

Yes, but it may not be as pure as deionized water. Plenty of people have run tanks successfully like that though :)

Jeff K - 7 years ago

How do you know if well water requires RO-DI?

BulkReefSupplyCom - 7 years ago

Your best bet is to send it out to get tested, but in most cases when it comes to aquariums you will want an RO/DI system.

Brian Pacheco - 8 years ago

Does anyone know of any home reverse osmosis system that will take ocean water (35,000ppm salinity) and convert it to drinking water?

BulkReefSupplyCom - 8 years ago

Not off the top of my head unfortunately, but I would probably look towards the RV/boating industry.

Brian Pacheco - 8 years ago

+BulkReefSupplyCom Do you know of any boost pumps that would work well for this? I know you can find entire portable units online but they're quite expensive. I just want a few gallons of drinking water for the week.

BulkReefSupplyCom - 8 years ago

At 50 PSI or greater the Dow Filmtec membranes will remove up to 99% from the water. The problem is with feeding seawater it is difficult to reach high enough pressures to feed the membrane.

Conrad Tafferner - 8 years ago

I'm totally new to RODI systems. What are your thoughts and recommendations for a 65 gallon salt tank, currently FOWLER?

Merri Smith - 7 years ago

Conrad Tafferner

BulkReefSupplyCom - 8 years ago

Honestly, the recommendation varies based on your tap water. In most cases, like if you are on a well or your city only uses chlorine in the water, then you will be just fine with the 4 stage unit. If your city uses chloramines, or if you just want the best filtration, I'd go with a 6 stage :)

Macias - 8 years ago

Hello
Aquafilter makes 300GPD RO membrane and dedicated flow restrictor 1200mlm for it. That gives ro to waste ratio of 1,5. Is that ok? What do You think?

BulkReefSupplyCom - 8 years ago

Sounds like a pretty slick setup. It will depend on your water source, but that is likely ok.

John Munoz - 8 years ago

can i do with out the di and go with ro system for salt watter tank no corals will be in tank im doing

BulkReefSupplyCom - 8 years ago

That's likely ok, but it will depend on your source water. For best results I'd recommend adding a DI canister, but on a fish only setup it's not a necessity.

Freddie Breine - 8 years ago

Hello, I was planning to install a RO system and feeding a fresh water drip system directly, with a .5 gallon per hour flow rate. My question: will the low flow rate be a problem for the RO filters? Will it affect the efficiency or life time of the RO system? Thanks!

BulkReefSupplyCom - 8 years ago

Any time!

Freddie Breine - 8 years ago

That makes sense.. Thanks!

BulkReefSupplyCom - 8 years ago

Unfortunately the backpressure created by reducing the flow out of the system will cause the system to greatly under perform. Instead what I would recommend doing is periodically filling a large vessel with your RO system, and then using a small pump to feed the .5 gallon per hour flow rate that you need from the vessel.

AndrewsAmazing REEF - 8 years ago

Do u have to replace those filters inside the tubes

420reefer - 8 years ago

when using the saddle valve, can you still get at least 50psi? the hole on the saddle looks very small.

420reefer - 8 years ago

thanks.

BulkReefSupplyCom - 8 years ago

+Kawwwman Yup! When I was using a saddle valve at my old place I didn't have an issue. :)

Mike Jerome - 8 years ago

How does RO water compare to the Kold Steril filtered water?

BulkReefSupplyCom - 8 years ago

+Mike Jerome Honestly, I would say RO/DI is the better choice. I think this comes down to a case of "what's good enough", where your source water and opinion dictate how well the system appears to run for you. With RO/DI you are more than likely going to be able to make 0 TDS water, setting the building blocks where a successful reef. The Kold Steril is an older technology that hasn't gained much popularity or traction as well so I would be a little hesitant to choose go that route.

20. comment for Reverse Osmosis System Basics - EP 1: Reverse Osmosis Systems and Your Reef Tank

Javier Duenas - 9 years ago

Thanks for presenting a balanced, objective analysis of the risks while not completely demonizing tap water.

BulkReefSupplyCom - 9 years ago

+Javier Duenas Thanks Javier! We've seen some success with tap water as well so we can't entirely discredit it. That said, RODI is still my fav.

wrmaldonado - 9 years ago

I purchased the 4 stage plus model some time ago, and I absolutely love it. But I have a question. I purchased the model that comes with the TDS meter. I know that the "out" measures the water after the DI resin, what does the "in" measure? After the sediment and carbon blocks? Or after the RO membrane? The system already came assembled, so I didn't do it myself. Any info would be great! Thanks and this system rocks!

BulkReefSupplyCom - 9 years ago

+wrmaldonado The "IN" reading will read the water exiting the RO membrane, before it goes into the DI. This helps you get a feel for the performance of your membrane :)

The Behar - 9 years ago

Distilled water?

BulkReefSupplyCom - 9 years ago

+The Behar Distilled water can certainly be used as well, however often times condensers in distilleries utilize copper which you generally want to keep far away from a reef. With that being said it can be done.

Don Tooley - 9 years ago

I was trying to see why you wouldn't drink RODI water being that it is pure in all?

BulkReefSupplyCom - 9 years ago

+Don Tooley No problem! Have a great day!

Don Tooley - 9 years ago

Thanks for the feed back. I love the videos keep them coming.

BulkReefSupplyCom - 9 years ago

+Don Tooley Yup, DI water is indeed very pure. This however is it's downside when it comes to drinking water. Now I'm no nutritionist, but the common thought is that the water is stripped of electrolytes and beneficial minerals when it passes through the DI resin. With prolonged consumption the DI water can cause some issues with your cells osmotic balance. Luckily, it's super easy to "T" off of your RO before your DI to collect RO water for drinking. :)

Supa Tanks - 10 years ago

Good info:3 will definitely help me narrow down my search, since i'm in the market for one

BulkReefSupplyCom - 10 years ago

+Supa Tanks Awesome! Glad we could help :)

kenneth rutledge - 10 years ago

was wondering if I could ask you a couple questions regarding ro

bill clark - 9 years ago

+kenneth rutledge i'd imagine you have it figured out by now, but what i would do in your situation is set up an RO and barrel, and hook up an "auto top-off" (ATO) between the system's sump and RO barrel. this will keep your sump topped off with RO water. i plan on doing this with my RO and reef system soon.

kenneth rutledge - 10 years ago

But yes basically incorporate the ro into the sump during injection of the tap water into system

kenneth rutledge - 10 years ago

I am new with sumping and ro usage.

kenneth rutledge - 10 years ago

I may be hooking the tank up direct to my water line. sorry I wasn't clear. and have it empty to my sump the then be pumped into tank after the ro filtration. If you'd like I can get pictures

BulkReefSupplyCom - 10 years ago

+kj piff Do you mean hook up an RO system to your sump?

kenneth rutledge - 10 years ago

Well I am about to start a 125 fresh water tank. planted. and I was wondering how can I sump a ro system. is that doable? if not I have follow up questions. that's for the fast response. keep up with the vids. very helpful man

BulkReefSupplyCom - 10 years ago

+kj piff sure, go ahead

kenneth rutledge - 10 years ago

Thanks man. really enjoyed the vid.

tacomahnster - 10 years ago

RO/DI systems can pay for themselves if you figure in the cost of bottled water you buy every year for drinking.

polyacanthus - 10 years ago

Each stage helps lengthen the lifespan of the following stages... Can you explain why you use 5um sediment, 5um carbon, 0.6um carbon instead of say 5um sediment, 1um sediment, 0.6um carbon? TIA!

BulkReefSupplyCom - 10 years ago

+polyacanthus Carbon blocks actually do something to remove contaminants from your water and prepare the water for the membrane. A sediment filters purpose is just to remove large floating debris from the water to protect a carbon block but doesn't do anything to really improve the water quality. With 3 available stages it makes more sense to use 2 of those stages to actually improve the water quality.

polyacanthus - 10 years ago

Clear and concise, thanks.

30. comment for Reverse Osmosis System Basics - EP 1: Reverse Osmosis Systems and Your Reef Tank

John Owens - 11 years ago

tell me about it!! very hard to get stuff in Aust without paying for it with your left arm!

BulkReefSupplyCom - 11 years ago

really impossible to trouble shoot exchanging 500 characters here and the slowest avenue possible. Give us a call and they will solve your issues in minutes.

charley campbell - 11 years ago

I have a 5 stage BRS ro-di it worked well long time then got slow I changed filters then worked good for a while changed filters again and still slow I cant even keep up with evaporatioun now any suggestions? pressure is at 55

tfre3927 - 11 years ago

fair enough - I picked up a Vertex Puratek 100 GPD - should go ok

BulkReefSupplyCom - 11 years ago

2015 : (

BulkReefSupplyCom - 11 years ago

As much as I would like to see another sale, he can really just purchase filters and swap them out in his old system. There are a lot of advantages in our systems when buying new but don't often justify throwing an old one out unless you are having functional issues.

tfre3927 - 11 years ago

GUYS! You don't ship overseas?! You're killing me here.. Surely you can help out your Aussie fans - I'm keen to get one of your RO/DI systems.. like the look of the epic Spartan setups.. not sure yet

Dj Scott J - 11 years ago

Good stuff

Joseph Berthiaume - 11 years ago

Good one BRS. Very informative. I'm lucky enough to have decent city water which is low in TDS (45 ish) but high in TSS. So I change my sediment filter often-ish. A friend of mine though...he has well water and has to change his sediment filter uh, a lot. I'm trying to get him to switch to your RO/DI system because you have higher quality filters, and 2 carbon blocks :-)

BulkReefSupplyCom - 11 years ago

I do it for the groupies : )

BulkReefSupplyCom - 11 years ago

cost is relative, relative to buying water from the store, measured in time, gas and dollars, it is very inexpensive.

BulkReefSupplyCom - 11 years ago

Good to hear, I have always wanted a Fish only system but the corals always draw me in ....

BulkReefSupplyCom - 11 years ago

Glad to be of service : )

BulkReefSupplyCom - 11 years ago

Sweet thanks : )

BulkReefSupplyCom - 11 years ago

Some day we will be able to ramp up to two a week : )

BulkReefSupplyCom - 11 years ago

Il will share your kind words with the team : )

BulkReefSupplyCom - 11 years ago

not a bad option, I know a couple reefers who use that as well,

BulkReefSupplyCom - 11 years ago

Will do !

BulkReefSupplyCom - 11 years ago

well water doesn't have chlorine but it can have VOC's like pesticides and herbicides so I would use carbon blocks anyways

BulkReefSupplyCom - 11 years ago

It might be that you installed it wrong and feeding tap water into the DI ?

50. comment for Reverse Osmosis System Basics - EP 1: Reverse Osmosis Systems and Your Reef Tank

BulkReefSupplyCom - 11 years ago

Someday we will ship there but I don't think it will be in the next 12 months : (

BulkReefSupplyCom - 11 years ago

Some people say the water is unnaturally pure and will dissolve some portion of basically anything it comes in contact with. In this case the fear is it may remove calcium and other electrolytes from your body. All of this is somewhat debatable . I dont drink it because it would be a waste of money to be that pure from drinking alone

SaltCritters - 11 years ago

Great RO/DI units. Love our Spartan that we got a few years ago. Works great

4thGloryMonday - 11 years ago

u must play n a 80's rock band

4thGloryMonday - 11 years ago

inexpensive my butt

ManofSteele25 - 11 years ago

Love brs! Glad I found you guys...! Always informative and have helped me out a lot.

bamaborn81 - 11 years ago

Love BRS TV I learn a lot!!

E. - 11 years ago

Another Amazing and informative video. Keep it up guys!! Now what to do till next Friday? :)

Frankie La Capria - 11 years ago

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone at BRS. I ordered a RO/DI unit a couple of weeks ago. Upon opening the box I noticed a fitting was damaged. Your team was great in every way. I got a quick response & the matter was taken care professionally!! It's a good feeling doing buisiness with a company that appreciates their customer. I can't say enough about you guys. Top notch..... Oh yeah & keep the vids coming!!! Thanks again for everything

sea buzz - 11 years ago

i use and ONLY use distilled water. love the ideos by the way ;) keep up the good work!

Brad Patterson - 11 years ago

Once again another great video, very informative and easy to understand. You make Reefing a lot easier and enjoyable. Thank you

MarineTuck - 11 years ago

keep up the cool videos

vincewon - 11 years ago

I have well water. This is my setup well water line to 5mic sed,5mic carbon,1mic sed,1/2 or.5mic carbon,75gpd R/O membrane out on meter is 5 to 9 tds,then dual canister DI resin blue color changing ,out of DI is O. Is this over kill for well water?Should I concentrate on something else in place of the Carbon? Is Carbon as critical to well water as it is to City water? Thanks

Sums2483 - 11 years ago

I just installed a auto shutoff on my rodi. And its seems that the di resin has seperated. Is that a bad thing? Did install it improperly? I could only guess its from the pressure that know is on the rodi system

epicnas12342 - 11 years ago

I meant reefing btw great video man I wish I could get stuff from u but I live in the uk.

epicnas12342 - 11 years ago

I know this has nothing to do with reneging but why is it unhealthy to drink ultra pure water ?

BulkReefSupplyCom - 11 years ago

I always love your comments, they really hit home for what we are trying to do . Seeing things like this makes us all high five each other : )

BulkReefSupplyCom - 11 years ago

99% of them are all standard 10" canisters. Only ones i avoid are the ones with fish /labels or stickers. They are almost always super expensive and often low grade filters. High Grade US made certified filters are the best.

BulkReefSupplyCom - 11 years ago

I am planing on setting a new 70 (20x20x40) in my office soon and will show the whole process. More or less I am moving a 40- breeder into a larger tank made my reefsavy. Then this winter if all goes well we will show the process of installing a seven or eight foot tank up on the second floor of my house with a remote sump : )

BulkReefSupplyCom - 11 years ago

Thanks!

BulkReefSupplyCom - 11 years ago

It will certainly be part of the over all strategy in fighting an ongoing algae outbreak : )

BulkReefSupplyCom - 11 years ago

I will make sure we fit that into the future episodes : )

BulkReefSupplyCom - 11 years ago

LOL , it is hard to avoid that section : )

TerraReef Aquariums - 11 years ago

Understand completely. Always best to be open, honest, and tell the complete story, but you should not feel bad emphasizing the best option when it is your own product. We always try to use the best products for our clients which doesn't always mean the most expensive. Have to say honestly when it comes to RODI systems BRS offers the best product at the best price.

BulkReefSupplyCom - 11 years ago

Thanks! Dave did a good job editing this one : )

BulkReefSupplyCom - 11 years ago

I personally hate being told what to do without knowing why so explaining this type of thing is fun for me : )

BulkReefSupplyCom - 11 years ago

Rule of thumb is change the filters every six months, the membrane every 3 years and the DI resin any time you are not getting zero TDS. We will be shooting a video soon on more advanced options related to this.

BulkReefSupplyCom - 11 years ago

Ya, true enough. I don't want to hard sell our products and make sure we represent all the options well but a solid RO/DI system at home is really the best option in pretty much every case.

BulkReefSupplyCom - 11 years ago

I should have clarified and said a good LFS that you trust : ) Sadly like every industry there are some shady or incompetent people running some businesses ....

BulkReefSupplyCom - 11 years ago

I have never heard of an issue like that. If you push the ring on the tube it should come out pretty easy. If you are pulling hard enough to stretch it out the release ring might not be pushed down all the way.

Matty T - 11 years ago

Are the replacement filter cartridges universal and will fit almost any RO/DI system?

joe eoj - 11 years ago

Show us a picture of your tank(s)

915Mang - 11 years ago

Great job!

BayAreaAquatics - 11 years ago

I've been using store bought RO water for the longest time ( not bad at 32 tds). I finally found a used unit ( free!) and all I had to do was replace the filters with brs filters and I have 0 tds on tap. Hopefully this will help get rid of my little hair algae outbreak

Edward Smith - 11 years ago

Love BRS!!!!! For the next video, could you address well systems? Specifically the use and setup of booster pumps and Co2 scrubbers to prevent DI burnout. Also, if the first three cartridges should be different for wells. Thanks!

FlipperWI Z - 11 years ago

Thanks for this topic. This is the next item on my "purchase" list - Now, only if I can avoid the coral section in the stores...

Scott From Rosco's Reef - 11 years ago

Another great video from BRS.

JamsF - 11 years ago

That was a perfect explanation as to why to get an RODI. Everyone says sure get one, but never explains like that why it's so important.thanks!

EWRothbot - 11 years ago

Great video! I have a 5 stage 75GPD system from you guys. I also recently ordered a replacement kit for the filter/carbon/DI resin. My TDS is measuring 001. I've heard anything above 0 is bad. At what point do you recommend replacing the filters (minus the RO membrane). I've been using it to make about 6g/week for about two years.

TerraReef Aquariums - 11 years ago

Another great video! One important note as an assumption made in this video. "At grocery stores you are at the mercy of how well the store takes care of the machine", but fish stores know the importance of maintaining there systems... This is an assumption. Many of the stores in our area sell "RO" water that has as high of a TDS as tap. Most just do not care to obtain low TDS, and some do not know the importance. If you want a healthy tank do what we do, buy a Bulk Reef Supply RODI!

TheJohnny220 - 11 years ago

Not true about the fish store water being the best they are often just places that flip product and livestock cutting cost any where they can. Hobbyists and retailers are sometimes totally opposite

About Reverse Osmosis System Basics - EP 1: Reverse Osmosis Systems and Your Reef Tank

The "Reverse Osmosis System Basics - EP 1: Reverse Osmosis Systems and Your Reef Tank" video is part of the reef tank, salt water category, which contains similar videos like this one.