No Idea Why People Complain About the RO Buddie for RODI Water...4 Years and It's Always Worked Great!

[BriDroid]

I’ve had mine for years. I used it for orchid water. Now that I’ve gotten back into reef tanks, I changed the filters and membrane and added the DI filter. 0TDS out of it. Makes plenty of water for what I need.

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

You need 5-15 mins of contact time to remove chloramine and that's if you're using catalytic carbon. That little hotdog-sized carbon stage isn't going to cut it. There's a reason why I call it the Chloramine Buddy.

Of course, it's not an issue if you don't have chlorine or chloramine.

honestly i dont even feel the need to research whether or not I have chloramine since it obviously remives enough (in the case I do) that Ive never had any issues with corals or microfauna being strangely poisoned. Btw, I think just activated carbon in your tank would remove the tiny amount of chloramine that the filter let through. Dont underestimate that "little hitdog sized carbon stage filter" the "Chloramine Buddy" has I guess

 

[HNR]

I honestly think a lot of the hate is somewhat unjustified, it’s a great entry unit and will serve well for softies and lps depending on your source water. I’m not some water expert or chemist, however I have used one for many years and it did what it was supposed to do. Now, that being said… I’ve since upgraded due to the maintenance cost of the ro buddie, in the time I’ve had it, I would definitely have saved money going with a unit which doesn’t lock me into their proprietary cartridges. The filters are also rather small, and as a result require more frequent replacement which = more money more often. As I’ve gotten more “deeper” into the hobby and started venturing to more expensive and sensitive animals, I’ve noticed a trend with successful Acropora keepers who preach the value of consistent quality ro water. I never really felt confident in the ro buddie in this regard as it quite often will produce water with a tds of 1-2 for me hence my choice to go with a better and more reliable unit.

 

[jerricolaboy]

I used a RO buddie, I’ve had no trouble with it. I have a small system (40g) and it keeps up with my needs and fits nicely under my guest bathroom sink. I get a filter kit once a year and it seems to be enough, Also…yes the DI resin container can be opened up and changed out separately if wanted

 

[Joe's Coral Reef]

I bought my ro buddy from Marine Depot in 2017. Its been a solid piece of kit.

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

You need 5-15 mins of contact time to remove chloramine and that's if you're using catalytic carbon. That little hotdog-sized carbon stage isn't going to cut it. There's a reason why I call it the Chloramine Buddy.

Of course, it's not an issue if you don't have chlorine or chloramine.

Since im going to try to breed fish I will take your comment seriously though and ask Randy. I really havent ever had a problem but better safe than sorry.

 

[UMALUM]

Sucks being entry level......

 

[Dara E]

It works if you're on a low budget. For that price, you have to expect it won't be perfect. Obviously get a premium unit if you can afford to. Although a standard unit will save you more in the long run, not every hobbyist can afford to drop $200+ in one go.

 

[boacvh]

I had mine 4 years and it was perfect for my needs at that time. I added one large carbon stage from BRS to it.

 

[acroslayer]

Ill stick with my 7 stage 90gpd brs unit I've had issues in the past with stuff passing thru I have thousands in coral in single pieces alone dwell time is important also

 

[Buckeye Hydro]

What is the pressure spec on their 50, 75, or 100 gpd membranes?

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

What is the pressure spec on their 50, 75, or 100 gpd membranes?

Im sure they list all the specs on their website...I couldnt tell you off the top of my head

 

[robottaway]

Used a buddy many years not a single issue other than costs being high. Pretty basic but does the job for smaller tank needs. I can say that at around 20 gallons a week I got fed up quickly and went to a more expensive, cheaper to maintain, and less hands off setup. For those getting into the hobby with a pico/nano it would be my first recommendation. My 2 cents.

 

[Buckeye Hydro]

Im sure they list all the specs on their website...I couldnt tell you off the top of my head

They don't

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

The optimal pressure is 65 psi for the 50 GPD unit. Heres a link to their website where I found it:

50 GPD 4-Stage RO Buddie Reverse Osmosis/Deionization System

Description The AQUATICLIFE RO Buddie +DI is a four-stage RO/DI unit designed for residential use to remove the Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) from tap water. Each RO Buddie includes a Sediment, Carbon, Membrane and DI Resin cartridge. Useful applications include smaller aquariums, fountains...

aquaticlife.com

They don't

 

[Bitter old man]

They don't

you must be fun at parties.

 

[reeefish]

Fwiw, I use the buddy and ATI ICP testing results have always come back with all values not detectable. My tap water TDS is 150-200 TDS and shows 0 post filtering on my $10 TDS meter. It’s probably best for a nano tank where you require only a few gallons a week.