Chicago Water

Well my lesson learned is not to use treated tap water. I treated the tap water when i set up the tank, the tank cycled correctly, and completed in about 3 weeks or so (only 25G). All the water parameters seemed okay when i tested them, but I somehow forgot to check for phosphates. Apparently in the City of Chicago they pump phosphorus into the water here to compensate for A LOT of old lead piping all over the area.

Luckily I only had one casualty, which was my anemone. The LFS has a pretty awesome owner and is going to give me a break on the 'replacement' anemone once i get the water under control. I'm using a phosphate RX remover or something like that. Allows the skimmer to remove the phosphates.

Anyways, I had been using RO/DI water from the LFS for evaporation and changes since learning about RO/DI water after i set up the tank. I need to know where I can get an RO/DI system for the house that is small enough for my 25G. All i can seem to find are really large systems online. Is this basically a glorified Brita filter that i only use by pouring water into it? is is something that has to be a drip system in the tank?

I need some guidance if you all don't mind in finding the best equipment for my situation. I don't seem to hear about too many people getting ro/di systems for small tanks.

Thanks!

 

oh and how much space do these systems take up physically? do i need to dedicate counter space to this or can i put it in the closet until i need it?

 

the ro/di units arent in use all the time. they arent huge so you can store them prettymuch anywhere. u only use them when you need water. if you have a place u can store water then u only use it when u run low. it does take a few hours depending on what u need and what system you get but its not horrible u just do something else until its done

 

RO or RO/DI is not as simple as a Brita or pur filter, you must force water under pressure through a sediment filter, carbon block filter, then a semipermeable membrane fabric and finally pass it through a deionizing resin bed.
The units are not all that big but do take up some real estate so are best mounted under a sink, in a garage or used portable then stuck in a climate controlled place like a closet when not in use.

You will not find a better deal the the CSP-DI found here:
SpectraPure Customer Appreciation SALE! 20% - 50% off

It comes with all the above plus a pressure gauge and an inline TDS meter so you can monitor your filter condition and water quality.

Phosphates are quite common in tap water today as many water utilities are using them to protect the water distribution system from corrosion. Just another reason to have a RO/DI system.

 

thanks a bunch guys i appreciate it.

few questions:

1. which model number are you referring to on the SpectraPure site?

2. does anyone have a plumbing diagram that works for mounting this under the sink or tapped off of a water line? i'd like to hook this up to the sink with a valve i can control. i could just turn the valve and turn it into another faucet more or less. any similar installations anyone here have dealt with?

again, thanks a lot for your responses. K+

 

1. CSP-DI is a great unit, MaxCap is even better.

2. You can always hook it up to the faucet itself when you want to use it. Otherwise, you need some extra plumbing.

We have a garden hose outlet under our sink, which we use for the RODI and for watering plants out front (no hose outlet in the front, in townhouses so we can't just run a hose around).

 

FWIW, an anemone has no business being in such a new tank.

It likely would've died anyway. Advise against replacing it for quite some time.

 

oh yea i agree. it was at about the 8-9 week mark i added it, and only after i had added livestock weeks before that.

once the water comes around and everything is okay then I'll look at another one.

 

how often do these filters need to be replaced?

 

I mean to wait like a year... These need pretty established tanks (and other requirements too).