Reverse osmosis (RO) systems remove most of the impurities (heavy metals, minerals, nitrates, phosphates, and so on) in tap water, giving you pure, healthy water for your aquarium. If your RO product water is pure, your aquarium should have minimal algae growth, a steady PH level, and low phosphate and nitrate levels. If these conditions change, check your RO product water purity using one of the following methods:
Use a conductivity meter (TDS meter), which will accurately measure the amount of impurities in the RO product water. Whereas regular tap water will have a reading in the range of 300-500, purified water should be in the range of 5-25.
Measure the general hardness, alkalinity, and pH of the water with a test kit. Purified water will have a general hardness of 0 GH, alkalinity of 0 dKH, and a PH of 7.0. If your test values vary from those described above, you may need to replace the membrane.
The lifespan of the RO membrane depends upon the quality of your source water. Under most conditions, an RO membrane will produce about 25,000 gallons of purified water and last 2-3 years. However, high concentrations of certain minerals such as calcium, iron, and magnesium will shorten the lifespan of the membrane.
1) Acidity and alkalinity
PH= the unit that indicates the density of acid and alkaline in water.
Water becomes acidic with increased oxalic acid, and alkaline with increased hydrogen ions. The measuring unit of acidity and alkalinity is indicated by PH values, e.g., PH 7 is considered neutral. Each numerical increment indicates 10 times more hydrogen ions or oxalic acid. For example, an increase of 1 in a PH table means 10 times more alkalinity. A decrease of 1 means 10 times more acidity.
2) Maintaining PH balance
The human body tends to maintain body fluid at PH7.3 according to the homeostasis function. The body tries to maintain the balance of each organ with alkaline body fluid of PH8.8 from the pancreases as the peak. However, consistent acidic constitution will result in lowering one\'s self-protection function in the body. Even though there is no visible sign of disease, alkaline water drinking will support the body with homeostasis functions. Alkaline water drinking also prevents geriatric disease because it defends the body against acidification of the physical constitution.
The purpose of UV light is for bacterial disinfection. However, on a Water Ionizer this is completely unnecessary for several reasons. If you have city (municipal) water then your water has already been disinfected through the use of chlorine. The carbon filter on the Water Ionizer will remove the chlorine. The UV light itself loses much of its effectiveness after the first six months of use and should be replaced often, which is of course an expensive proposition. Also, the glass tube that the water travels through in order that it can be exposed to the UV light develops a film on it after only a few months, which greatly lessens the effectiveness of the UV light on the water which passes through the tube.
Reverse osmosis (RO) is a water purification process in which water is forced through a semi-permeable membrane that removes 90-99% of tap water impurities. The result is water that is free of minerals and other contaminants. Membrane type determines the amount of dissolved solids a unit is capable of removing. For example, Cellulose Tri-Acetate (CTA) membranes have a removal rate of 88-94%, Thin Film Composite (TFC) membranes remove between 94-98% of dissolved solids, and Hi-S Membranes have higher removal rates, between 97.5-99%, and are especially adept at removing silicates.
Tap water often contains impurities that can cause problems when added to an aquarium. These include phosphate, nitrate, chlorine, and various heavy metals. High levels of phosphate and nitrate fuel aggressive algae growth, and copper, often present in tap water due to leaching from pipes, is highly toxic to invertebrates. Because RO filters remove practically all of these impurities, they are becoming more popular among aquarists, particularly marine hobbyists.
Reverse osmosis and deionization (DI) perform the same task of removing impurities from tap water. However, DI purifies water utilizing the principle of ion exchange to remove impurities and replaces them with pure water. In most instances, an RO unit serves as a well-rounded filtration method that removes the majority of impurities; coupled with a post deionization filter, the resulting water is 99.9% pure. Many RO units are available as a combined RO/DI unit or are able to accommodate an add-on DI unit that simply attaches to your existing RO unit.