Using Kitchen RO Units Ok for Marine Aquaquium?

[hudel]

I believe that the algae problems in my newly set-up aquarium is based on water quality. I do not believe that over active lighting is a primary cause as I had once suggested. (My lighting Photoperiod is 14 hours with various combinations of Coralife 96w 10000K and 96W Coralife Actinic Compact Fluorescent).
The RO unit I was using is not working effectively. However I have been doing some research and have found that using the fancy kitchen RO units may have sufficient quality for satisfactory aquarium setup. In particular I have been reviewing:
1 Whirlpool from Lowe’s - $170
2 GE from Home Depot - $260
3 Watts from Costco - $180
All have a 5 to 10 gallon reservoir and counter top dispenser which makes it really convenient for in house usage.
I have also considered the more aquarium specific units which run between $200 and $300 such as:
Kent Marine RO System
Spectrapure RO System
AquaticLife RO/DI System
Unfortunately if I wanted use a reservoir it would cost around another $300 or $400.
I am curious as if any of you ole pros are using the “Kitchen RO units” or the aquarium specific units.:question:

 

[ndepratt]

your photoperiod is too long. try 8-10 hours, 10 hours being the max I would ever keep lights on.

What RO unit were you using, how old is the unit, when is the last time you changed the cartridges, and how old is the membrane? What kind of TDS are you getting out of it? (sorry about asking lots of questions, but I like to avoid spending money if I can fix what I got :P)

A kitchen RO should be just fine... the only true difference being that many kitchen ones have a taste cartridge or whatever... which is useless, and potentially counter productive (any research on this?) You might look into the AWI (Air Water Ice) setups... they're top of the line, have great customer service backing them, and have a great price tag. www.airwaterice.com, if they don't sell via their website, I'm looking into becoming a distributor.

 

[daugherty]

look at www.purewaterclub.com i got mine for 130 shiped

 

[yote]

Nathan stole my suggestions:mrgreen:
I would check the TDS and look at the cartridges and membrane first.

 

[JAG107]

I personally use the Whirlpool, but the TDS is less than satisfactory (26 with new membranes, then it drops to about 7-9, which is way higher than the ZERO I would like). I'm getting a purewaterclub system as soon as my membranes are no good. The whirlpool replacements are WAY expensive, about $100.

 

[mng777777]

as I had previously recommended, I too have the pure water club system. You can't beat it for the price! I am not saying that it's the best, but when you consider the system price, membrane and cartridge replacement cost, and the fact that these systems only last 5-7 years before they need to be replaced entirely anyways, I would avoid paying top dollar for a unit when there are low cost options that perform just as well. The big difference between a "kitchen" unit and a "reef" unit is the taste cartridge. It is the last filter in the system and it places minerals in the water to give it a sweet taste. This obviously is counter productive when making reef water so if you should choose to go the "kitchen" system route you can easily fix this problem a couple of different ways with a few parts from the hardware store. Your fist option is to remove the last filter entirely and just replumb it to dispense directly from the DI filter. The other option is to add a "tee" fitting after the DI filter and plumb one part of the "tee" into the last filter, and then through the dispenser for drinking, and the other part of the "tee" to a new valve that you will use to dispense your reef water. The other potential problem with a "kitchen" unit is that they don't all have the DI cartridge, which is mandotory if you hope to achieve a 0 TDS reading. Just make sure that you have a DI cartridge and it will work just fine.

 

[Bifferwine]

I believe I am the one that started the Pure Water Club RODI trend! I got mine for $60 plus $40 shipping (it was a few years ago, so now I think the price is higher). I get great TDS readings from this really cheap unit, and the replacement membranes cost something like $46. You can't beat it!

If you don't have one already, you will need a TDS meter. You can get them for $15 to $25 on Ebay. Without one, you have no way of knowing if your RODI unit is working or when the membranes need to be replaced.

 

[Bifferwine]

PS -- your photoperiod is certainly not helping the algae situation. I keep my lights on for a total of 9 hours a day. I think anywhere between 8 and 12 hours is ideal, depending on what kind of livestock you keep. 14 hours a day is excessive.