With the name of reverse osmosis a technology used for the purification of water is known .
It has been widely accepted, both in industrial settings and in the domestic sphere. The reason is obvious, the water that reaches our homes is suitable for human consumption, but it contains a large number of chemicals «at tolerable levels.»
Come on … it’s not really pure water.
Thanks to reverse osmosis, it is possible to eliminate a large amount of suspensions present in H2O: chlorine is eliminated, salts are eliminated, metals such as iron, copper are eliminated, as well as all kinds of chemical residues that water may contain .
It is even capable of removing bacteria from the water,thus managing to convert it into a 100% pure liquid and suitable for human consumption… and in our case, to leave aquarium water totally free of impurities.
One of the advantages of this way of purifying water is that it is 100% natural. It does not involve adding any chemicals.
Comparison of the best reverse osmosis filters for aquarium 2020
The best reverse osmosis equipment What equipment to buy?
As for which reverse osmosis equipment to buy, it depends on the needs and budget of each one, but there are a number of considerations to take into account, before buying a reverse osmosis equipment:
- Evaluate the efficiency of the team. Some reject a lot of water, try to avoid them.
- Check the number of filtration stages that the equipment has.
- Buy in prestigious stores (Pe. AMAZON ).
- The minimum guarantee must be two years, always covering the stage prior to the first replacement of the reverse osmosis membrane.
- Remember that the filter membrane must be changed every three or five years.
- The best thing is that it works with encapsulated filters.
Important: check the inlet pressure. If your water supply does not have that pressure, then you should buy a reverse osmosis equipment with a pump included.
For my part, I have made a selection of what I consider good equipment, with a great value for money, which I hope will be of interest to you:
No products found.
Difference between reverse osmosis equipment for aquarium or home
These are reverse osmosis equipment with similar operations, although with certain differences. In the case of aquariums, emphasis is placed on removing chlorine and other substances that cause damage to fish and plants .
For an aquarium, more basic equipment is usually used, with three or four stages of filtration, while for the home, more complex reverse osmosis equipment is usually sought, with up to 5 stages of filtration.
Reverse osmosis water for aquariums
Perhaps we have started the house with the roof, since I have started talking about reverse osmosis equipment, regardless of whether or not you know what it is, and why it is so popular among aquarists.
I have taken your knowledge of the subject for granted, but it doesn’t have to be that way.
You may have read that many hobbyists use reverse osmosis water for aquariums and you are wondering if it is worth spending money on reverse osmosis equipment.
Throughout this article I am going to give you the keys to what reverse osmosis is, and why it may be interesting for a hobbyist to install an osmosis equipment for his aquarium.
What is the inverse osmosis?
Reverse osmosis is a procedure designed to retain the contaminants that the water that reaches our homes may contain .
We must not forget that «drinking» water is treated with chemicals , so that it does not contain any type of bacteria.
Through reverse osmosis treatment, water is completely free of any chemical impurities (chlorine), mineral salts, bacteriological and free of residues of heavy materials, such as iron or copper.
How does reverse osmosis work?
To explain what reverse osmosis consists of, it must be taken into account that it is a technology that takes advantage of something that occurs between two liquids separated by a semi-permeable membrane.
The osmosis water is cleaned thanks to the use of several filters between the liquids with different densities.
Pressure is applied to the liquid of higher density to force it to pass into the zone of lower density. By doing this, it is ensured that only the molecules with the smallest weight and size are the ones that make it to the other side.
The greater the number of filters in the reverse osmosis equipment, the less impurity water is achieved.
Domestic Reverse Osmosis
Much is said about reverse osmosis, opinions, advantages, costs and its effectiveness when cleaning water.
The truth is that while reverse osmosis equipment seems to represent a significant initial investment, in the long run it has many advantages. One of them is that it is not necessary to spend a lot of energy to clean the water, since the water moves by the pressure with which it is pumped.
Regarding the osmosis equipment, prices, maintenance and operation of these domestic purifiers, it is important to take into account the issue of filters.
They usually have four membranes:three for the passage of water before the final osmosis filter (the pre-filters) and the last one with which the water is filtered again (called the post-filter).
The pre-filters are made with activated carbon, intended to stop sediments greater than 5 microns . For its part, the post-filters are made with activated carbon with silver. Usually, the latter has anti-bacterial effects.
Advantages of reverse osmosis treated water for the aquarium
The use of reverse osmosis has become almost essential in aquariums.
The water that comes directly from the tap is not the most suitable for the fish to live. Why?
Because it has substances such as chlorine, salts and heavy metals. All this wreaks havoc on both fish and plants, as well as species of snails or corals that are used in fish tanks.
To solve the problem, reverse osmosis equipment for aquariums has been manufactured.
Its membranes are designed with the ideal micron thickness to retain sediments and substances that harm fish. In addition, they usually have a special additive, which manages to eliminate chlorine.
Reverse Osmosis Equipment
An equipment for reverse osmosis has two chambers, both separated by the filtering membrane. The life of the filters is between 3 and 5 years.
Then it is necessary to change the filter membranes, so that it works correctly again.
A reverse osmosis equipment is usually made up of the following parts: a pressure source, a water pre-treatment area, the water containers, the carbon membranes for osmosis, a regeneration system, the commands and controls, as well as the water outlet ready for consumption.
Types of Reverse Osmosis equipment
To carry out the reverse osmosis process there is a great diversity of equipment. However, there are three main categories:
- Standard equipment
They are the most common and cheapest equipment, as they offer the best value for money.
The designs available on the market offer different filtration stages, the most complex ones having 6 different stages , plus an additional stage, which includes ultraviolet light, for the total elimination of bacteria.
- Compact equipment
They are small, complex and maintenance has to be carried out by a professional.
It is not exactly the type of reverse osmosis equipment we are looking for for our aquarium, much simpler and cheaper.
- Reverse osmosis equipment with ultrafiltration
They are considered to be the most ecological, since they do not dispose of any water.The big difference with the previous equipment is in the latest generation filters, which are much more expensive to maintain, although the water quality is much higher.
As I mentioned, it is not that we need a very complex and expensive equipment for an aquarium, although if we are talking about a reverse osmosis equipment for a home, the cost and quality requirements must be higher.
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