Excess RO/DI water

[geologeek]

Now i dont as of yet use RO water as my thank was originally fish only and i have a good water supply!

But i am going to start adding corals and the ilk but have a few questions about RO water!

Will i have to completely replace all the water in my system with RO before putting in corals or can i do water changes before and over time the water will be replaced?

Secondly i am looking into getting a 50 gal per day unit, but will not need anywhere near that amount so what do i do with the excess? does it just go to waste? from what i gather the units must be constantly run to prevent damage to the membrane, is this correct or do people just turn it on as and when they need water?

I know you can get units that do less gals per day, but they are expensive ( and by that i mean the LFS sell units that are about $1500 - believe it or not) where as the 50 gal i can get brand new from a supplier for around $110.

They also gurantee the membrane for three years, so i thought this would be a good thing!!!

[allaboutfish37]

I have a 30gpd and I put it on as I need it.the good water goes into a 35gl trash can and the bad water goes to my lawn or garden by the hose 50 feet.my ro unit is in the garage that's where my water comes in for my house.as for your tank I would repalce ro water as you go with the water changes..

[Birdlady]

I have mine hooked up as an auto top off. I shuts on and off as needed. You just should not drain it and let the RO membrane dry out. It goes on and off as needed, no problems.

Food for thought, here is a blurb from the website where I got mine....www.airwaterice.com

Stage 4 A 75gpd FilmTec membrane** removing 98% TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) or a 100gpd FilmTec membrane removing 90% TDS.

What that means is the 75 gpd will be easier on your DI cartridge and that will need to be replaced less frequently as DI cartridges exhuast with usage.

I have a 75 gpd to save on cartridges, as they are a bit pricey.

[geologeek]

Thanks very much for the help just a shame santa cant add one to my list...... will be getting one soon though..... ill just tell the ball and chain the easter bunney sent it early!!!!!

If i dont hear from you soon have a jolly old christmas and blame all lazyness on the turkey (it is a natural sedative after all !)

[Birdlady]

You keep callin' her that and you are NEVER gonna get one!!! LOL!!!