2 quick inquiries for the many geniouses of the forum :)

We use the Aqufx Barracuda...They are awesome, it comes with it's own TDS meter...They are not that expensive, relatively speaking...The customer support is fantastic

Aqua FX

 

First one means you will get at least 15,000 Gallons of water with out recharging the units and this can get higher depending one water quality entering the unit.

Second it means that a R/O and D.I will strip the water of all its natural electrolytes and these Units won't It leave in the stuff you want Kent's and Sea chem sell a product thats puts these elements back into the water that was totally striped and just about sterile and it will not remove the Calcium and Carbonates that we have to add regularly . R/O and D.I do. This water can be drank or is totally potable unlike D.I water..And its good for the fish corals and anything who wants to drink it .

Third just mean that with any R/O unit there is a 4 to 1 ratio of waste and that depends on the water temperature also.. But for every gallon of product water you waste 4 gallons at least of waste water that was rejected by the R/O membranes it has to flush its self to keep its self clean. and the Pre filters need to be changed out also every few months as chlorine ever hits the membrane its toasted. No More good

And sure you can medicate a marine tank.. I do and many I know do Just have to know how to and what to use Ich is nothing I'd be concerned with all tanks will show signs of Ich..

Oh and 99.99 % of all filter elements are of standard length 9.3/4 or 9.7/8 th inches and other then the cannister all R/O and D/I are the same on the inside. So paying extra won't get you any better just more bells and whistles the out let product water will be the same..

 

+2 I am not sure if thier is even such a thing as a ich free tank.
You might not see it ( Ich)for months maybee even years but as soon as a tank crashes or has some large enough stresses what pops out its ugly little head ich.....
Its their its just hiding and your healthy fish keep it that way. JMO

 

A general run of the mill "3 stage" RO unit will suffice , i have a coral life
3 stage and it works just fine' you can pick up a good one for around
150-200 $
I live in KY ' so hard water is always here coming from the tap ' and the membranes take a beating , i change them out every 6 months
of course , decide what size tank you want first' that often dictates as to which RO/DI unit you will' need to purchase
UV steralizers are NOT recomended for reef , it kills the much needed baterias that are needed for a reef to suceed.
Fine for "fish only".
secondly' powder blues are nortorious for failing' and catching ich ,
Not suggested for a begginer.
you have to decide weather or not you want to keep fish only or a full blown reef' as well

remember ..choose tank size FIRST' and then llarger tanks require "sizable" sumps if your running a reef , so decide where your going to put all those gadgets . and Size of tank dictates on whats needed as far as RO unit's , lighting , filtration , etc.

 

What is recharging the unit?
I am VERY sensitive to water taste. So If I buy a 5 stage unit which is what I'm leaning more towards now I will have to add something to the water to drink it? Does it have a taste? Anyone have a link to this? ...sounds awful. Do I add it to water I'm going to drink AND for the fish? Do you have to wait a period of time to drink the water after adding this stuff? How do you treat a reef tank that has ich?
My tank is 120 gallon. How many gpd do you all suggest? Does it even matter much?

If I don't buy a pressure tank and faucet how big does the storage container need to be? I won't be setting up my 120 gallon for a few months so until then can I just make as much water as I can drink? Or do you have to do so much a day? Is it true you have to constantly use the filters so bacteria doesn't develop?
I hope someone can answer this.

Also, someone was telling me if I buy a SpectraPure I will have to add stuff to the water to drink it. Is this true? ....or is this only true with the SpectraPure? Maybe you can't get the water after RO maybe you can only get the water out of the filter after the DI. I'm not sure. Here is the link though and the model is called MaxCap. Untitled Document
One more thing. I can't stand water that has a taste to it. Oddly enough I even think Evian water and Dasani taste bad....because of this do you think I need to buy a unit this expensive? It's $330 !!
Thanks.