RO/DI Filter Systems

Click to compare

Many reef aquarium keepers use reverse osmosis systems for their artificial mixture of seawater. You can compare the features of our systems with the System Comparison Chart link above.

Ordinary tap water can often contain excessive chlorine, chloramines, copper,
nitrogen, phosphates, silicates, or many other chemicals detrimental to the sensitive
organisms in a reef environment. Contaminants such as nitrogen compounds and
phosphates can lead to excessive, and unwanted, algae growth. An effective combination
of both reverse osmosis and deionization (RO/DI FILTRATION) is the most popular
among reef aquarium keepers, and is preferred above other water purification processes
due to the low cost of ownership and minimal operating costs. Where chlorine and
chloramines are found in the water, carbon filtration is needed before the membrane,
as the common residential membrane used by reef keepers does not cope with these
compounds.

Reverse osmosis (RO) is a filtration method that removes many types of large molecules
and ions from solutions by applying pressure to the solution when it is on one side of a
selective membrane. The result is that the solute is retained on the pressurized side of the
membrane and the pure solvent is allowed to pass to the other side.