RO water filter questions

[Salty&Onion]

Found this one for cheap:

Post RO Inline Water Filter with Refillable Cartridge filled high quality resin | eBay

1 x Filter housing with ¼” push fit fittings. 1x Housing spanner.

www.ebay.co.uk

Is it alright to use for my 30L betta tank to soften his water? Will also reduce pH?
How do I set it up?

 

[seangee]

Hope you haven't hit buy now. That is not an RO filter, it is an additional filter used after the RO filter to remove any remaining traces (of anything) in the water. It is totally unnecessary for tropical fish. This is the cheapest unit I can find on amazon https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00XXT6VTY/?tag= but please read the reviews

 

[Salty&Onion]

Will softening the water also hurt/kill any of my bb?

 

[Salty&Onion]

Hope you haven't hit buy now. That is not an RO filter, it is an additional filter used after the RO filter to remove any remaining traces (of anything) in the water. It is totally unnecessary for tropical fish. This is the cheapest unit I can find on amazon https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00XXT6VTY/?tag= but please read the reviews

It has really bad reviews. I found it cheaper on eBay too, about £31+. I'll keep looking.

 

[Essjay]

Softening water won't harm your bb. But don't change from tap to tap/RO mix all at one go, change the hardness a bit at a time by using a bit of RO the first water change, a bit more the next and so on till you've worked up the ratio you want.

 

[Salty&Onion]

Softening water won't harm your bb. But don't change from tap to tap/RO mix all at one go, change the hardness a bit at a time by using a bit of RO the first water change, a bit more the next and so on till you've worked up the ratio you want.

I'll be actually using RO filter so how would I do that? Sorry, my first time sinking into RO water stuff..

 

[kribensis12]

You would need to purchase an actual RO unit such as this (I have this exact one, works great) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00204CQF6/?tag=ff0d01-20

and then determine what additional stages you would like.

A filter like this (4 stage) typically does this:
Step 1: Sediment Filter
Step 2: Carbon Filtration
Step 3: Reverse Osmosis Membrane
Step 4: De-ionization (softens the water).

If you do JUST a Reverse Osmosis Membrane you are likely to damage/ruin it due to the sediment in your local water supply. I believe the same to be true if you just de-ionize as well.


** Not an expert, only been using an RO filter for about 6 months.

 

[Essjay]

RO equipment makes pure water - water that has absolutely nothing dissolved in it so it has GH 0. What most people do is mix some RO water with some tap water to get some hardness above zero.

You've said your hardness is 253 ppm - call it 250 to make the maths easier. If you make a mix of half tap water and half RO water the hardness would be halved so your tap water 250 ppm would be 125 ppm in the mixture.
This mix (half and half) would be good for a betta. But you wouldn't do a water change taking out all tap water then the new water the half and half mix or that would change the GH in the tank by too much at one go. You'd do a 50% water change with a one quarter RO and three quarters tap mix for a couple of water changes, then start using the half and half mix.


And you would need to mix the tap and RO water in a bucket before adding it to the tank.
RO doesn't have any chlorine so when using a mixture of tap water and RO water, you only use dechlorinator for the amount of tap water in the mix. By this I mean say your bucket holds 10 litres water and you mix 5 litres tap and 5 litres RO, you add enough dechlorinator for just 5 litres.

 

[Retired Viking]

I purchase my RO from Caligan Water Softener Company. They sell it to me in 5 gallon jugs and will let you refill for 29 cents a gallon. Like @essjay said I am mixing RO in with tap water. I started at 25% RO and increased it a little every other water change. I am now at 50/50 with 10 RO and 10 tap water (treated).

 

[Salty&Onion]

A RO water unit seems easier to me, the half mix confuses me.

 

[Essjay]

RO water has nothing in it but water. I know seangee uses nothing but RO in some of his tanks but most people like to have some hardness in the tank water, just not as much as in tap water.
There are two ways to put a few hardness minerals back into RO water - add them from a packet or mix the RO with some tap water. Tap water is a lot cheaper. You tap water has too many hardness minerals for a betta but if you mix your tap water with pure water there will be fewer hardness minerals in the mixture.

Like orange squash. The squash in the bottle too much orange so it tastes horrible. So you mix it with water that has no orange in it to make the drink less orangey. Your tap water is like the bottle of squash, you need to dilute the hardness with RO to get it just right.

 

[Salty&Onion]

RO water is still too expensive for me to get, I have decided on getting a RO unit as it will be a bit cheaper and less confusing

 

[DwarfCichlidLvr]

You can either mix tap or buy BOTH a gH and kH buffer. You mix them at a ratio to get you desired pH and gH (i believe)

 

[Salty&Onion]

You can either mix tap or buy BOTH a gH and kH buffer. You mix them at a ratio to get you desired pH and gH (i believe)

I don't trust any buffers. Why none says anything about these RO filters? I'm really keen on getting the RO unit TBH.

 

[DwarfCichlidLvr]

I don't trust any buffers. Why none says anything about these RO filters? I'm really keen on getting the RO unit TBH.

No. You mix the buffers INTO the RO water. lol
It's an unspoken rule.
They are also called acid buffer and alkaline buffer. Here are some on the US amazon
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00029PO6Y/?tag=ff0d01-20
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002Z7UC4/?tag=ff0d01-20