R/O vs R/O D/I System

rob.holbrook · #1 12/14/2007, 12:22 PM

So my house has a culligan R/O system but it does not have a d/i add on on it.

so should I buy a d/i add on for my system ....

I found a system on thefilterguys.biz for 36 bucks....

could this be why I am getting a lot of bright green algea on my glass?

TacoKing · #2 12/14/2007, 12:27 PM

Yup. R/O by itself will not not reduce your TDS to 0. Deionizing the water removes ions such as cations from sodium, calcium, iron, copper and anions such as chloride and bromide.

rob.holbrook · #3 12/14/2007, 12:40 PM

but R/O is better than not having r/o right?

should i spend the money and get the D/I

will this fix my algea prob?

TacoKing · #4 12/14/2007, 12:51 PM

$36 in this hobby is chump change

Yeah. spend the money to get the DI add on. RO is better than nothing, but not the best.

Also get a TDS meter if you have the extra change. You can find those for $20 or so.

hollback · #5 12/14/2007, 01:12 PM

Also look at your feeding habits. Overfeeding can add excess nurtrients causing algae growth.

I would recommend a high volume RO/DI unit rated at 75 gpd (most efficient). I'm a fan of Russ at www.buckeyefieldsupply.com I don't think the "house" units are rated for the amount of use required by a decent size aquarium system.

RokleM · #6 12/14/2007, 01:19 PM

I agree with hollback. It the end, you will be happier purchasing a new unit that handles all your needs instead of trying to retrofit your house system. As well, I believe you'll probably chew through DI resin very quickly if the rest of the system isn't up to par.

rob.holbrook · #7 12/14/2007, 01:21 PM

my culligan system that came with the house does 60 gallons per day...

TacoKing · #8 12/14/2007, 01:26 PM

And actually.. From what I remember you don't want to drink RO/DI water all the time so it might not be a good idea to just connect the DI and use it for your drinking water and for the tank water. As Hollback said; Russ at BFS is an excellent guy. Might want to look into a full system.

rob.holbrook · #9 12/14/2007, 01:40 PM

Yeah I had no intentions of drinking the RO/DI portion of it just the R/O ... they way I have it setup I have a T with a Valve to fill my tank up with and then the rest goes to the holding tank for drinking water... was thinking about putting the DI in line with the fish tank portion of the T... so it would never be drank ... only used for the fish...

TOURKID · #10 12/14/2007, 02:22 PM

in the short term 36.00 does sound like an easy fix and well worth it. but in the long term, youd be happier with your own r/o d/i unit. Everytime I go cheap I end up spending alot more down the road.

USAquatics · #11 12/14/2007, 06:50 PM

Should you ad the Di...yes without a doubt. Whether it is the $36 unit or another.

Will it solve the algae issue...perhaps no. Stright RO produces water some where between 85-95% pure. I'd still ad the Di but I look at the nutrients that you are adding, as well as the lighting. Old lighting, or the wrong color temp can cause algae issues. Most foods are very hi in phosphates. This could be the issue.
Regardless, I'd add the Di.