Aquatic LifeRO Buddie 4-Stage Reverse Osmosis Deionization Water Filter System RO/DI Filtration Units for Aquarium, 50 GPD

Amazing value, genuinely amazing considering the price, great packaging and the manual is in full color and is great. Comes with literally everything you need except for a drill to mount it to the wall. It even came with a razor to cut the tubing, which was very useful because I don’t have a razor. The water came out at .01 EC which is pretty good for my awful city water that’s at .550 EC. I’m using this to water my cannabis plants and it is working great. Would highly recommend for anyone who’s using it for hydroponics or for aquatics. I just keep it underneath my sink until I use it.

Assembly was a breeze. I followed the instructions and flushed the filters as directed. My output is very good delivering 2 gallons per hour (50gpd filter). I tested the filtered water and it registered 0.00ppm. This is doing exactly what I had hoped. My cost per gallon factoring my initial purchase and expected cartridge replacements looks to be roughly 1.5 cents per gallon. We have been buying filtered water at the store for 50cents per gallon. We use that as our drinking water. It's a hassle and expensive. Instead we will now use this filter. I'm thrilled with how this turned out.

Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful! What a well-designed, easy to set-up and use product, not to mention dirt-cheap (for the RO market). I added a Y adapter to my washing machine cold water inlet (garden hose threads) the day before the RO buddy arrived. After opening the RO Buddy package (and having watched the installation video twice). I had the unit installed within 15 minutes, and up and running after the 2 flush procedures within 45 minutes. My water pressure is about perfect for the unit as it produces a gallon of RO water in just under an hour (RO unit flow rates are way over-rated, and are more like 50% of what is stated, so a 50 gallon/day unit should produce realistically 25 gallons per day, or one gallon per hour at average home pressures. Higher pressure can get you closer to the stated 50gallon/day rating, but it’s much more wear on the RO membrane, ie. shorter life).Coming from experience with RO units (for aquaria and orchids), if you’re trying to decide between the 3 and 4 stage units, only go for the 4 stage if you need really pure water, as in reef aquaria; the DI resins, the 4th stage, fill very quickly and have a short life ($). I’m getting 2-3ppm consistently after running 20 gallons through the RO Buddy, down from my tap water’s TDS of 180ppm, and that’s just fine for freshwater planted aquaria and orchids. Saves me a bundle not having to consistently purchase the expensive DI (4th stage) cartridges.

Soooo I have well water, test about 820 TDS, I have this thing hooked up outside to my hose hub because it’s the highest pressure and the only fitting on my property that fits these adapters were uselesspart of the reason for the 4 star other being flow I’m hardly getting over a gallon per hour out of the 100gpd model should be more like 4 gph, I got 4-5 gallons while was gone for 5.5 hours. Also puts out a loooot of waste water compard to what it make, probably 5 gallons of water every 20-30 minutes of that. buuut it works well enough for my need I’m happy with what I spent it does the job PH even comes out perfect for my needs, only question is….How long will the filters last at this filter rate replacements are a liiilte strep IMO at like 55$ I can replace the entire system for like 25 more $

0 ppm after running around 50 gallons through it! Amazing so far. I also like that I can my filters change color. I have notoriously hard and bad water quality here and it's making it perfectly pure!

I was attracted by the price, the small size, and ease of use of this system, and I'm more than happy with its performance. However, not much information is provided beyond how to hook it up and turn on the water which a third grader could do, so I'll attempt to answer some questions that people may have who are just considering one. If you're already familiar with RO systems here's my bottom line and you can skip the rest.Finally, an affordable, tankless, three-stage system that produces 95%-99% pure water like the big boys. There's also an optional DI filter for those with reef tanks who want it 100% pure I use it primarily to mix with tap to soften and lower the ph in my freshwater tanks, so 20 gallons of RO per week is about average, which I usually produce in one sitting, so to speak. Easily 12 hours, but hidden in patio furniture and virtually silent, you will want to get a timer of some kind. Trust me.It's sleek, light in weight, with a built-in mounting bracket. I have yet to replace any, but it takes a standard sized membrane filter, with the two disposable auxiliary filters around $10. ea. .If you live in a perennially parched area like me where the term "waste water" is frowned on, you can use the excess water on trees, shrubs, or plants, any day of the week. There appears to be nothing wrong with it but a higher TDS, and with so much extra water my plants are thriving. win/win."Don't I need a pressurized tank?"Not necessarily. I suggest holding off on a tank for now, at least until you decide where to put all the cleaning supplies and toxic chemicals under your sink and have thoroughly cleaned out the cabinet. Hopefully you're comfortable with working on your back in cramped areas. The tank adds a level of complexity and a bloated space-hog presence, being twice the size of its actual water volume.For the moonshine method you'll also need:1. 10 feet or more of 1/4" plastic tubing for potable water use.2. A couple of large clean buckets or containers. Keep in mind the waste water bucket will fill about four times faster than the pure. For large batches I recommend a 5 gallon bucket (with lid, if water will be stored) and a 20 gallon waste container.3.. A TDS meter isn't mandatory unless you plan to use in aquariums, but they're cheap and handy for determining when your filters need changing."Where else can I put it?"I keep mine outside on the patio, except in very cold weather. It works best with tepid water. It comes with a standard 3/4" garden hose adapter and fits perfectly inside of a storage/seat enclosure. The waste water goes into a large Rubbermaid tote or through a longer hose I rigged up for to direct watering of plants.During cold weather it can be brought in to a garage, utility room, laundry sink, bathtub, or anywhere with water hookups. Well, maybe not the toilet. When it's cold and my plants don't need the excess, admittedly 60-80 gallons of waste will go down the drain."What's the difference between RO and my regular filtered water for drinking?"RO water is what's left of tap after virtually everything has been stripped out of it, leaving the water pure and basically sterilized. The technology is also used to desalinate sea water for drinking.Your filters can help with contaminants, chlorine, sediment, etc. but they have no effect on TDS, or Total Dissolved Solids, the minerals which make water hard and leave calcium deposits, but also make water taste good.Personally I don't care for the taste of RO and it doesn't quench my thirst like mineral water. If considering RO primarily for drinking, I suggest buying a gallon of RO or distilled first to try it out. Some like it, but It may be overkill.Two scientifically proven methods for lowering TDS are - 1) through a special membrane filter, and 2) salt, commonly used in whole-house water softeners."What's the difference between water softeners and RO systems?"Size, for starters. And method. Home water softeners are large electrical appliances that use salt to remove calcium and magnesium. This does soften the water but the process adds sodium. I've been told by experts that this water is too "wonky" for fish to live in for long.Reverse Osmosis systems are smaller and work on water pressure alone, producing at a slow-trickle pace. The process would be too slow and costly for whole-house applications. Many people will use both, with the softener doing the heavy lifting and RO the ultra-fine filtering."What else can I use it for?"Besides the fish stuff, I keep some in the fridge for guests, cooking, or using in ice-molds. The ice comes out clearer An iron, evap cooler, coffee maker, mister, hair curlers, vaporizer, or anything that uses water can benefit from a longer life.I also use it in my outdoor fountain, for rinsing glassware, hand washables, and sometimes machine washables by adding a bucket or two. Occasionally I'll wash my car or hair with it.A rain barrel with a spigot would be an ideal holding tank, but right now the rubbermaid totes are working.