Should I buy a RO filter?

So I am going to be setting up a 29 gal tank and I have read everywhere that RO water is the best, if not the only water you should use for a reef tank. I was considering installing a RO filter at my place and saw this one from Costco.

Costco - Watts Premier Zero Waste Reverse Osmosis System

Does anyone have any experiences with this filter or reccomend one that they use? Should I even get one for such a small tank? I plan on doing 3 gal water changes once a week. Also the local Aquarium store sells premixed RO water for $1 a gal.

 

You should definitely get one. After a couple weeks of lugging water from the LFS you'll want one.

You can also find a lot cheaper and more simple systems than the one you mentioned. Try bulk reef supply. I like spectrapure too.

A rubbermade bin will also work for a holding tank. Just add a float switch and you're good to go. There are plenty of threads on here explaining how to set them up.

If you want to do auto top off directly to your tank, it can be kind of confusing in the beginning. Just draw up what you're wanting to do. That's what I did the first time I set up my system and it made it a lot clearer.

If you have any specific questions on the setup shoot me a PM.

Ivan

 

Well, for aquariums, DI, not RO is the best. The problem with DI and why it isn't used for drinking water is it is too pure and can cause health issues. For saltwater we want pure, because we are adding everything we want back via the salt. Using DI alone though isn't a good idea because the DI resin is expensive. So, most people use RO/DI. The RO removes 95%+ of the pollutants first, greatly extending the life of the DI. The zero waste system sounds interesting, I am not familiar with it though. If you used it, you really should add a DI canister to is before using in the tank, as RO alone will not necessarily completely remove some key nutrients such as phosphate and silicates. How much of an issue this may be depends somewhat on the source water though, but it is easy to add DI.

Spectrapure always gets awesome reviews. . Also, if you like water saving, Bulk reef supply has some low waste RO/DI units.

 

Thanks for the input. I am still new to this so it's great to hear from others. I will check out Spectrapure/Bulk Reef Supply. Thanks again!

 

RODI!! Thats the best, and what most people use if they buy a unit. I have an airwaterice typhoon.. you occasionally see them real cheap on ebay, sometimes new, sometimes you have to replace the cartridges.. I lost the auction and I needed to to a water change so I just bought mine new. it works like a charm and I have had not one problem with it. When you get it in the mail it looks like there are a million things to set up, but it is actually already all set up for you, you just have to connect the tubes to the sink. If you end up getting one and you need help setting it up just send me a message!

 

The Watts Zero Waste system does not suit our needs, it is limited to about 15 GPD due to the fact it returns the waste stream to your hot water heater via a booster pump. Not really a good idea and does not work in high volumes.

Spectrapure is having a sale on their CSPDI and MaxCap systems right now and either can be adapted for drinking water use too if that makes the purchase easier to justify.
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$1 a gallon is expensive, and in a couple months you will spend enough to buy a good rodi system. Obviously, the most important aspect of the tank is the water So RODI is a must. I recommend a typhoon from airwaterice! top quality & easy setup

 

The Typhoon is middle of the road at best. It could use a better prefilter, carbon and resin for one and lacks a pressure gauge and TDS meter. I would compare it to the PurelyH2o Optima Vision or Automated., in the middle of the pack.
Units like the CSPDI include a treated and tested RO membrane, 0.5 micron absolute rated prefilter, 0.5 micron chlorine guzzler carbon block, custom blended DI resin, a inline pressure gauge and a dual inline TDS meter. Better value and lower operating cost.