DI cartridges

[Maxima]

Gt 2 unit of DI cartridges, 1 in tube form and the other that cost 3x more in a More industrial T-tube format. Well, tested it for 1 month and find it sort of good as useless. The claimed Nitrate & PO4 reduction is useless. The measured PO4 coming out of the DI tube, running at 20PSI at slow flow of 30 litre/min is still at 0.3ppm, which is equal to PUB claimed standard PO4 level from tap water!

Don't waste your money and be Damn!

Max

[reef2]

is it the same with the DI from ML ?

[Maxima]

Sorry, I do not want to cause a stir and upset LFS, but honestly is important in business. I guess it is easy to tell what product I'm referring to! BTW, cheaper to get RO/DI from a reputable brand in US @ half the price if you happen to be there.

BTW, my tank PO4 with Rowaphos register 0.03ppm or below always! With the so called DI water, I'm infact adding 0.3~0.5ppm of PO4 of new SW into my tank thru water change!

Do yourself a favour, get a reputable brand and insist on the the product specification and asked for a warranty! At least you can get a cash refund, if it doesn't work!

Max

[terryansimon]

maybe the claims of a reduce NO3/PO4 anions were done in an ideal lab condition. and maybe the amounts in your area is abnormally high? it happens... =\

care to tell us what product you're talking about? (=

[Maxima]

I've talk to Randy @ RC and also to a number of Technical Rep @ States who deal with RO/DI. The verdict is that, the proper type of DI suppose remove 100% of Phosphate. I guess the advert that these DI remove PO4 is sort of overly rated and classified with GREY. When they stated removal of PO4, is it 1% or 99%????? Well, the question, being, will you paid $2XX for something that remove 1% PO4? The cheaper tube cost $75~$90, juz as useless..........

You can go to PUB website and take a look at the water specification in different zones withinS'pore. S'pore has relatively good water parameters compare to some places in States..........and talk about product in States that work in a worst-off water parameters and still wrrant a ZERO PO4!

Max

[terryansimon]

hmm if thats the case, then sorry to hear about your horrid experience with DI catridges.

[Tanzy]

It would be interesting to know both the input and output levels of phosphate. Also, what methods did you use to assay the water?

Anyway, DI should remove all phosphates and everything else from the water. Is there an internal leak somewhere?

I'm not a big fan of the DI column anyway.

[Achilles Tang]

Yeah... well... its not good to hear that it doesn't work as advertised.

I seriously doubt if the phosphates via tapwater will be as high as the phosphates introduced by feeding anyway. So why lose hair over the lesser evil?

IMO, I wouldn't even bother with a DI tube if phosphates was the main issue coz with that kind of money, I can buy Rowaphos/Contraphos which reduces phosphates quickly and extremely well too.

You should not fret over the DI cartridge coz its supposed to remove other bad stuff from the tap water as well right? ...phosphate is just a small part of it.

[reef2]

very confuse leh... so advise is to go with DI tube or just using product like Seachem Prime ?

[Tanzy]

Seachem Prime removes chlorine and chloramines but will not do anything to phosphates or silicates.

[Maxima]

Hi guys, chk with PUB and they have feedback that their standard specification for S'pore water is 0.3ppm phosphate, but stated that some places might have slightly higher phosphate level, due to holding tank's aging sort of theory? A goos guess will be no more than 0.3ppm ~ 0.5ppm Max.

Well, with the use of the local DI, my output is also measured 0.3ppm to 0.5ppm PO4! So my question here is, if this "CON" product doesn't remove PO4 as advertised, than doe it remove chlorine, chloramines, silicates, nitrates or heavy metals? I've no test kit to measure these, but would put my wallet down to bet that it wouldn't work as well!

BTW, both DI tube tested are NEW and there's no water linkage and I've run test from 5L/min to 50L/min flowrate.....nothing left to chances.

If anyone got money to spare, I can sell you mine to test!

I share AT's view that Rowaphos are cheaper in that sense, but juz don't like the idea of adding new water with PO4 and removing it later......guess I've no choice now!

Max

[Tanzy]

You still have a choice; get a 5 stage RO/DI from Spectrapure.

[Maxima]

Tanzy,

U can definitely read what I've in mind, actual I'm considering Spectrapure special 4 stage DI that is make ro eliminate PO4 & Si or 5~7stage RO/DI. Price looks very reasonable(1/2 the price ), compare to S'pore.

Max

[surfedelic]

Maxima,

For you info, there is quite a good bargain from aquasafe http://www.stores.ebay.com/theaquasafepurewatershop. There has been pretty good review about this product at reefcentral. The price is cheap 102 USD and it is a 6 stage RO/DI unit 100 GPD. TDS reading is 5 < Been thinking to get Kold Ster-il from Poly Bio Marine but I think the product is plague with PO4 and silcate problem as well.

rdgs

[Maxima]

Maxima,

For you info, there is quite a good bargain from aquasafe http://www.stores.ebay.com/theaquasafepurewatershop. There has been pretty good review about this product at reefcentral. The price is cheap 102 USD and it is a 6 stage RO/DI unit 100 GPD. TDS reading is 5 < Been thinking to get Kold Ster-il from Poly Bio Marine but I think the product is plague with PO4 and silcate problem as well.

rdgs

The price and review looks ready good.

Maxima

[Achilles Tang]

Here's something to chew about.

Heavy metals is the only major thing to worry about. Not through the water supply but more through the saltmix we use!

Chloromines, chlorine can be removed with Seachem Prime.

Silicates and phosphates can be removed with Rowaphos/Contraphos/phosguard.

Dirt and dust may already enter the water from the air anyway.

Is it really 100% necessary to use RO/DI in the light of all this?

Why bring down an elephant with a pea shooter (RO/DI) when you can use other effective traps (phosphate/silicate adsorbers, heavy metals absorbers like polyfilters, chlorine removers like seachem prime)?

Just a thought... I may be wrong.

AT

[terryansimon]

I guess its a second line of defence? or the "kiasu" syndrome that...better to have a backup inspite all the chemical additions? (=

[awnsers]

First u claim that there's phosphate in the di cartiridge. Can u tell us how

u do the solvent test? Did u test at the level of lab testing? Is the beaker or funnel

clean or ur rubber hose? Are my above mentioned rinse with DI water before test?

Di water in the industrial has been using more than decades. Industrial using water even involves with millions of dollars. Useless? Are u sure? Are u in lab industry?

[ah wa!]

I wouldn't say that a DI unit is 100% necessary but it does has a place in this hobby. Even a protein skimmer is not a complusory item, many hobbyist had run their system without any PS with excelent result.

Phosphate and silicate etc... does not disappear into the air when additives or removers are added. For me, I wouldn't want to add any chemicals to my system to remove other chemicals. A DI unit work in a different method. It ADsorpt (remove) ionic impurities like phosphate and silicate without adding anything to your system but they do not remove molecular contaiminants like pesticide etc etc..... for that you'll have to use a RO membrance. Like what answer had already mentioned, DI units are universally used in the laboratory and industries. If they are good enough for analytical chemistry purposes, they are definitely good enough for aquaria use. Just that someone is so unfortunate to obtain two dudes dosen't means that DI units are useless.

By the way, I run my DI unit at a flow rate of 0.25l per minute and I've 0 nitrate. Note that the flowrate is dependent on the amount of DI resins. You can run it at 50L/min if you have a huge container filled with DI resins but if yours is a miniature unit then you'll have to run it at a very slow flowrate for complete remover of the impurities.

[awnsers]

Guys don't forget? All DI in the industry is PHOSPHATE FREE. If U TEST it, but provided with very clean n proper procedue in testing phosphate the media must be new. If u test it when it rans further ..... or to the extent exhaustion then when u test phosphate will then exist!

[Tanzy]

We are talking about cheapo aquarium DI not industrial standard DI.

Polyfilter does not decrease heavy metal concentration in the tank because it has been treated in such a way to not absorb those ions until they reach a certain level, which unfortunately would have been toxic at lower concentration.

I'll be worried of Rowa/Contraphos leaching heavy metals too.

[AlfaRomeo]

So is there an absolutely safe way to remove the heavy metals introduced with our saltmixes? I guess , this is where the quality of the saltmix used is paramount?

[Maxima]

Juz to let fellow reefers know that I'm using 2 different PO4 test Kit, Salifert and SeaChem + my Tank PO4 regsiter only less than 0.03 or 0.01ppm with Rowaphos vs the DI outputed water of 0.3ppm or more!!!!

Actually to clarify myself. My purpose is to state that the product sold at LFS doesn't work. This doesn't mean those sold in US or Europe, catered for Marine Reef doesn't work. If you understand the US Legal system, I believe companies like Spectrapure(in US) or etc would have been sue till their pants drop if their product doesn't work as they advertsied

Personally I still prefer a RO/DI + polyfilter in_tank setup.

Max

[depth]

I have read the comments about the local DI. Just wants to share something with u guys more about DI system. As wat Maxima mentioned about the phosphate reading and about wat the <dont get con or DAM fool> etc. I am neutral with this product and would like to solve the problems used by the people in the first place.

About wat Awnsers had early mentioned, when a new di media is freshly used at the reading of zero Conductivity in the first place u should test it. When u used to a certain volume with a higher reading of conductivity or even exhausted then u will get the phosphate reading. Iam working in the hospital and also needs to handle DI water sometimes. Wat i know is that all media are not manufacture local. S`pore dont have this kind of talent manufacturer till now in Manufacture in resins. DI system no matter how, does not contains phosphate at all, when it is at zero conductivity and with the proper n correct ways of test methods used. I saw the local T design and personnally feel that this manufacturer has a high creative in this product in its way. It may looked simple but with full of pratical n mechanical reasons behind of doing n fixing in such a way. For the past few years, the tube designs had never heard of phosphate problems during the fresh media from friends.

Think about it guys? Why some hobby personnel with years in reef using DI/RO n their live rocks does not have black alage when topping up or changing water?

[depth]

DI does removes chlorine, phosphate etc.. wat the ad says. Like wat some people prefer not to use so much on adding chemicals into the reef tank. So called, instant process.

Well when ur media is freshly bought ones just go dwn to whom u buy from n carry out salifert phosphate test law... seem an la! As for the price its ren wei wat!!!

If like that industrial close shop leow..... Hospital use rain water by then to wash things...