Help on buying a ro/di unit

I'm wanting to take the leap and buy a ro/di unit,but my question is where is the best place to get the cheapest,most basic,but at least fair quality unit?How many stages are required?I will never keep sps,and i only have 2 small sw tanks(1 28g and 1 29g)The only corals i have or will add are just soft easy stuff(leathers,zoas,gsp,etc).But i'm tired of buying water from the machine at walmart,which i know isn't good,and i sometimes top off with brita filtered tap water.I'm wanting to rid my tank of phosphates and nitrates as algea is becoming a problem and just improve the quality of my water alltogether,so i don't need the best of the best or a high output one,just a small one that works.And budget is tight.TIA

 

I'd say your best bet is Spectrapure CSPDI 90 gpd. $145. BRS has a similar unit at a similar price, but the prefilters are higher micron, and it's a75gpd unit.

Just for comparison, when I first started, I bought a Coralife 24gpd RO unit (no DI) for $120.

 

I see one on craigslist at a faily cheap price,is it worth the time and trouble?And would all of the filters and membrane need replaced?Or would it just be better to buy new?

 

I would agree with spectrapure u will get your moneys worth

Be sure to invest in a tds meter hand held got mine off amazon for $30

 

Also,which part of the system removes the phosphate?Do i need to have di?Or is just ro good enough?

 

Go with the DI

 

Thanks guys,i'm checking some sites out now trying to find the best deal i can.

 

You need DI.

If you buy a unit from craigslist or ebay, you're extremely likely either getting a subpar unit or one that needs to be gutted and replaced, at which point it makes more sense to just go with Spectrapure.

Consider this: a comparable unit (only on the surface; it doesn't have as good a prefiltration, membrane, or DI resin) to the $145 one I mentioned from foster and smith is $250+. I would say just go for the one I mentioned, and don't get ripped off like I did, then have to spend the money again buying something you could have done right the first time.

 

A lot of us use these guys;
RO/DI Systems
I have the 5 stage.

 

I do not recommend buying used as I did and could of just payed the price of a spectrapure the first time. So trying to be cheap cost me double. Go with the spectrapure and you cant go wrong.