# Reverse Osmosis System for an Apartment



## keef (Feb 10, 2004)

Does anyone recommend a reverse osmosis system that I can purchase for use in a one bedroom apartment? I want to try breeding some of my fish. 


Keith


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## gpodio (Feb 4, 2004)

I just bought one from this ebay seller: 
http://stores.ebay.com/The-Aqua-Safe-Pure-Water-Shop

I got the ro/di unit with water tank for under $100. Haven't received it yet but they get good feedback on the salt water forums. This is for a reef tank, you might be able to make do with just the RO unit and no tank if you're limited in space.

Hope that helps
Giancarlo Podio


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## chinops (Jun 12, 2004)

:arrow: http://www.chinops.com/bricolaje.htm#osmosis :wink:


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## jppurchase (Dec 15, 2004)

*R/O in an apartment*

What is your water pressure like? I live on the 22nd floor of a 40 year old highrise and bought a 50 GPD R/O unit. Due to the low pressure of my water supply, it will only produce 25 GPD. The alternative is a booster pump to increase the pressure. For me, not a worthwhile option.

James Purchase
Toronto


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## dmartin72 (Oct 9, 2004)

How's your RO/DI system working?

David



gpodio said:


> I just bought one from this ebay seller:
> http://stores.ebay.com/The-Aqua-Safe-Pure-Water-Shop
> 
> I got the ro/di unit with water tank for under $100. Haven't received it yet but they get good feedback on the salt water forums. This is for a reef tank, you might be able to make do with just the RO unit and no tank if you're limited in space.
> ...


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## skzzle (Nov 8, 2004)

dmartin72 said:


> How's your RO/DI system working?


Ditto.

I'm interested in buying one of their units...


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## Overfloater (Apr 2, 2004)

skzzle said:


> Ditto.
> 
> I'm interested in buying one of their units...


Same here.

Results please.


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## niko (Jan 28, 2004)

If your appartment has a washer/drier connection it is easy to hook the RO system to the washer water line (using a Y if you have a washer).

The collection is a bigger problem because of the small space. The most logical way is with 5 gal. jugs placed on top of the washer. That way if you forget the RO system running the extra water flows into the washer (which is connected to the drain). If you have space you can buy one of the big trash bins on wheels and collect about 45 gals at a time there. The bin + wheels is about $60 though.

If you don't have a washer/drier connection you will have to conect the RO system to the kitchen faucet. You will either connect to the faucet or use the piercing valve and install it under the sink. The problem is that the water pressure in the kitchen is very low and the productivity of the RO system will drop. 

Another possibility for connecting the RO sustem is a garden hose connection which maybe located outside of your appartment but close by.

--Nikolay


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## Rupey (Jun 3, 2004)

I purchased one of the 100 gpd units from Aqua Safe on e-bay. I've never had a ro/di unit before so I can't compare it to anything but I really like it! I can fill a 42 gallon holding tank in about 9 hours with less then 4 ppm TDS. I've had it approx 6 months now and never had to replace any filters or membranes yet and I have VERY hard water. The unit I have came with the auto shutoff solenoid and the flush system. Very friendly and helpful people there also. Hope that helps


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## Mjproost (Nov 17, 2005)

I bought a similar 30 or 40 GPD system of ebay 2 and a half years ago. I paid like $60 plus shipping. I have been very happy with it so far. I wish I had the 100 GPD unit, though. It takes a long time to fill my reservoir. I have tried to replace the prefilters every four to six months and have never replaced the membrane. I do not have a TDS meter. But, I have tested the water with all my aquarium test kits and they have always tested zero. Ithink its time to repce the membrane now, though. I will probably just buy a whole new RO system. By the time I buy all the prefilters, the 100 GPD membrane, and the flow restrictor, its almost the cost of a new system.

As far as hooking it up...I hooked mine up under my sink and put a faucet in the sink and tee'd it off to line that goes downstairs to my reservior that has a float valve. It was really easy, much easier than say installing a faucet. I bought a fitting that fit on my cold water shutoff valve that had a compression fitting on the side and a connection for the faucet water feed on top. Worked great and is very easy. Probably your best bet for an apartment, because it will be easy to take out if you move.


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## Mjproost (Nov 17, 2005)

> I've had it approx 6 months now and never had to replace any filters or membranes yet and I have VERY hard water.


In my opinion, I would seriously consider replacing the three prefilters soon. That is the key to long membrane life. With our aquariums we are using considerably more water than someone say just using it for drinking water.

Then again, the membranes aren't that expensive anymore

Rupey- Where did you get you TDS meter?


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## Rupey (Jun 3, 2004)

I got the TDS meter and a water presuure guage with the unit  I am planning on changing the filters soon, I also bought a box of filters from them, 5 complete changes so should last me a while!


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## Overfloater (Apr 2, 2004)

I don't have the empty space in my laudry room to put a large container. I have a bunch of vertical space but can't seem to find any containers that will fit.


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## gnatster (Mar 6, 2004)

Picked up mine from www.airwaterice.com and could not be happoer. A little more expensive then the ebay ones but having bought a few of these over the years this one is by far and away the best quality.


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## captaind (Feb 6, 2010)

I would recommend a 3 or 4 stage RODI system for your apartment. I recently purchased one on ebay for about 100.00. I was also looking at the Coralife Pureflo tfc system that is rodi and had a pump, I think it was around 150.00. I would have liked it better probably, but I didn't want to spend that much right now in this recession. One thing I have found out is that I wouldn't recommend using the 1 micron filters, I would use a 5 or 10 micron filter. I found myself changing the 1 micron filter monthly. Make sure and get a 50gpd system with whichever one you buy. hope this helps.


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## Alexpatrascu (Feb 9, 2010)

So you guys are using the RO/DI water for your tanks after all......curious....people around here say it's not necessary as it strips the water of a lot....


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## Diana K (Dec 20, 2007)

Depends on what is in the water to begin with, and what sort of water you want in the tank. 

If your tap water is really hard, then yes, you do want to remove the GH and KH to have a soft water tank. Hard water is like having a bucket full of rocks. You cannot make it softer without removing the minerals. RO is a very good way to do that. Sure it 'strips' the water of a lot.... That is the goal. 

If your tap water is otherwise OK (no nitrates etc) then many aquarium keepers will mix a certain amount of tap water with a certain amount of RO water to achieve the water chemistry they want.


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## fibertech (May 9, 2009)

Alexpatrascu said:


> So you guys are using the RO/DI water for your tanks after all......curious....people around here say it's not necessary as it strips the water of a lot....


I use a 4 stage RO/DI system. Have it under the kitchen sink and when I need to filter water I attach it to my faucet. I fill 1 gallon jugs and then put four of those in 5 gal buckets, I then add minerals back to the water. I have the exact same water every time I do a water change. My fish and plants love it.


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## endgin33 (Jun 10, 2008)

I am going to hijack a bit here...
I keep circling around the RO/DI problem... I have "harder" water, but live in a duplex apartment in which I don't like watering the lawn too much, much less wasting a ton water with a bad RO system. I have stuck to plants that I think my tap can grow. I don't have an infinite budget. I like the concept of RO- absolute water control but with a massive increase in expense, space in a limited setting, some extra time (reconstitution), and impact. To the RO experts(maybe just planted tank experts)- what is your cost benefit analysis in the planted tank game when it comes to RO? I mean, I have done my research into hard and soft water plants, I understand the Ca/Mg ratios are important, KH and PH in regards to CO2., etc. I have been doing my homework... Is it just to be able to keep tricky plants like eriocaulons, or it just that much better for other reasons. If the collective unconscience of the web can explain this concisely, this should be a sticky...
Apologize with the hijack...


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## fibertech (May 9, 2009)

endgin33 said:


> I am going to hijack a bit here...
> I keep circling around the RO/DI problem... I have "harder" water, but live in a duplex apartment in which I don't like watering the lawn too much, much less wasting a ton water with a bad RO system. I have stuck to plants that I think my tap can grow. I don't have an infinite budget. I like the concept of RO- absolute water control but with a massive increase in expense, space in a limited setting, some extra time (reconstitution), and impact. To the RO experts(maybe just planted tank experts)- what is your cost benefit analysis in the planted tank game when it comes to RO? I mean, I have done my research into hard and soft water plants, I understand the Ca/Mg ratios are important, KH and PH in regards to CO2., etc. I have been doing my homework... Is it just to be able to keep tricky plants like eriocaulons, or it just that much better for other reasons. If the collective unconscience of the web can explain this concisely, this should be a sticky...
> Apologize with the hijack...


The reason I use it is because of very hard water and high amounts of Chloramine.


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## Diana K (Dec 20, 2007)

If the tap water is at all in the range (GH, KH, pH, Nitrogens, toxins...) that you can work with, then RO or RO/DI is of limited benefit. 
However, there are tap water and well water that are nowhere near acceptable for fish or plants, and this water can be filtered by an RO or RO/DI system to make it work for the aquarium keeper. 
Toxins such as the various nitrogens, chlorine, chloramine, heavy metals, pesticides and many more things are removed. (go read the literature, and I believe about 90% is pretty good removal for home systems. 99%+ is hospital quality equipment)
If the problem is not toxins, just too high GH and KH then again, RO or RO/DI is the best way to go. Drop the levels down to almost nothing, then add just a bit of unfiltered water (or even the waste water) back to get the lower level of GH and KH you are looking for. 

If you are raising soft water fish, many will not successfully breed in hard water (high GH). 
There are some very specific plants that will not live in water with Ca in it. 
For these situations RO, even starting with pretty good tap water might be needed. 

The alternative to RO depends somewhat with what you are removing, and can end up more expansive. 
A) Use other filtering materials to remove whatever it is from the water. For example, set up a garbage can of your tap water, and stuff a canister filter with activated carbon, water softener pillows, peat moss, zeolite, Purigen... what ever it takes. 
B) Go buy RO from a grocery store or fish store. If all you need is a couple of gallons for a nano tank this may be the best option. 
C) Use an ion exchange water softener that can be charged with potassium. You are not really reducing the TDS in such water, but removing some of the Ca and Mg, and adding K, a plant fertilizer. 
D) Use a faucet-filter. These have been proven inadequate for aquarium use because of slow production or low total volume per cartridge, or they do not remove the things from the water that you want to remove. Maybe for mild problems and a nano tank something like this would work. 

Bottom line:
Test the tap for all the things you want. 
Figure out what this means for aquarium keeping:
Useless (toxins...)
OK but limiting (only certain fish and plants)
Great for what you want. 
Figure out what kind of tank you want to run. Will this water work? 

Based on the answers to those questions, THEN go look at water filter systems. 
Ask how much water you will get out of a cartridge or whatever, before you have to replace that cartridge. $
Ask how much waste it creates. Find out if there is a way to reduce that. A pump that increases the water pressure to a RO system will reduce the waste (up to a certain point). Maybe the waste water can be diverted to irrigate the garden. 

Add it all up: What works for you?


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## praxis5624 (Apr 22, 2006)

I live the Texas and our water is hard. I keep CRS and have had problems until I purchased a RO unit. It removed alot of the mineral and toxins that made it hard to keep these shrimp.


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