I was thinking about investing in One of these and was just wondering or hoping for feedback on these types of systems this particular has 4 stages while others just have 3 stages

Hi

I'm afraid the link was missing, but 3 stages is fine for most tropicals - 4 stage (with DI) isn't needed unless you're keeping very sensitive fish such as wild caught Discus or Marine fish. I use a very inexpensive 3 stage RO unit I bought on eBay and it's very good value....cost about £30-£35.

Great thanks reckon a good investment but this won't resolve the water hardness will it ? My parents have had a water softener fitted but is this unsuitable for fish keeping :)

Hi

Yes an RO unit WILL solve the hardness issue.

RO water has virtually no solids of any kind and has hardness levels close to zero. If you mix it with your tap water at a suitable proportion you can adjust the hardness to the level you need.

For example, if your tap water has 16 degrees of hardness and you mix it 50:50 with RO, the resulting mix will be at 8 degrees and so on. Or you can do what I do and use 100% RO with minerals added to reach the ideal level for specific fish....that has the advantage of almost zero nitrates in the water going into the aquarium. pH will reduce too, though that doen't work in such a clear way.

Domestic softeners are not appropriate for fish because they reduce apparent hardness by swapping ions and changing one compound into another. That means they still have too much TDS (total dissolved solids) which is a problem for soft water fish.

Noodle, does the RO device take out chlorine and chloramine? I am using 100% RO which I re-mineralise but I API stress-coat it (albeit at a reduced amount) just in case. Is that necessary or am I worrying for nothing?

Thanks noodle most my problems solved in one swoop :)

Yup RO process removes anything you would want a water conditioner for, save your money immediately

Made me a happy chappy :D........ It only took me a week or so to get here :)